It's called poetic licence, this is why I never comment on here, it's tedious backing up every little comment with 10 pages of pseudo-factual internet trivia.

It's called poetic licence, this is why I never comment on here, it's tedious backing up every little comment with 10 pages of pseudo-factual internet trivia. Trucking ships more ton-miles per year than rail and by value is an order of magnitude larger. (http://www.bts.gov/press_releases/2008/bts058_08/html/bts058_08.html http://www.bts.gov/press_releases/2008/bts058_08/html/bts058...) Trucking became cost competitive with rail in the 1910's and took off in earnest with the construction of the interstate highway in the 1950s. It's approximately 1/5th the cost of rail. The quip about rail companies forgetting they are in the "shipping" business is largely a reference to Penn Central which went bankrupt in 1970, the largest bankruptcy in American history at the time. The private sector failed to revitalize the company and it was nationalized along with 11 other lines in 1976. From the wikipedia entry: "Facing continued loss of market share to the trucking industry, the railroad industry and its unions were forced to ask the federal government for deregulation. The 1980 Staggers Act, which deregulated the railroad industry, proved to be a key factor in bringing Conrail and the old Penn Central assets back to life." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penn_Central_Transportation_Company http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penn_Central_Transportation_Com...)