Re:Railroads beware: Technology is gaining on you
by kposehn on Tuesday August 27, 2013 @02:16PM
(#6285147)
Do you think that a hyperloop wouldn't be practical for high-margin finished goods?
I'm thinking things that are intermodal freight, like a container of TV's bound for a CostCo in San Diego, shipped from Long Beach.
Re:Railroads beware: Technology is gaining on you
by oijaf888 on Tuesday August 27, 2013 @02:01PM
(#6285059)
Who took that business in 1913ish? USPS was carried via rail until at least the 50s.
Re:Railroads beware: Technology is gaining on you
by jessaustin on Tuesday August 27, 2013 @02:13PM
(#6285135)
Trucks powered by internal combustion engines? It's not an all-or-nothing thing; many products even today have a rail segment somewhere in their delivery to the consumer. Even so, for rail to grow much it has to take business from trucking.
Re:Railroads beware: Technology is gaining on you
by oijaf888 on Tuesday August 27, 2013 @02:26PM
(#6285222)
There wasn't much in roads or trucks for long distance travel in the early 1900s. I believe it took roughly 30 days to do the trip across the country on the Lincoln Highway as opposed to 7 days via the train.
I would expect if you look at the volume of freight shipped via rail vs trucks it wouldn't be until the 1950s and the creation of the interstate system that it really took off. Containerization in the 50s and 60s would be another big boon to trucking.
You ship stuff that doesn't have time-definite requirements with UPS Ground or Parcel Post. Time definite, you use an express service. If you have time definate needs and larger quantities, you use FedEx Custom Critical, or some LTL truck service.
Some folks today ship same-day parcel shipments via Amtrak, Southwest Airlines, or other passenger service. That's what hyperloop parcel delivery would compete with. It's onerous and expensive (ie. I need a guy to drive to the station with the thing I need to ship), and only makes sense if you have an office adjacent to the city pairs or airport. Lawyers used this service alot pre-internet.