Re: BEFORE Trying To Simply Hike the Fuel Tax . . .

<BurtonUrny@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
news:8ef602b0-d0d7-40a8-bf09-2aeb7cac863d@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 May 3, 5:40 pm, Day Brown <daybr...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> HarryNadds wrote:
> > What "more efficient" ways are you referring to? Rail? ****p? Carrier
> > pidgeon? You think long haul trucks are part of the problem?? You
> > willing to put thousands of truck drivers out of a job??
>
> What would make more sense would be to nationalize the railroad right of
> way so that it would be owned and maintained by the government the same
> as the highways, waterways, and air****ts.
>
> Then- permit investors to go into business with the running gear in an
> open, and competitive free market rather than the regulated system the
> massive rail cor****ations now have.
>
> Moreover, convert the rails to a new wide track design that could go
> much faster and carry loads wider than a box car. In this case, they
> could piggie back truck trailers or freighter containers side by side on
> flat cars, or use the flat cars to carry your car, at high speed, cross
> country. You could drive on a flatcar at the station, with the driver's
> side facing the front of the train, then drive off at your destination.

Widing the rails isn't really going to be practical.  There are literally 
thousands of tunnels and millions of bridges both large and small that
would 
*not* accept wider rolling stock.

And to do as you suggest, it isn't really necessary.  'Trailer-Trains'
have 
been around for decades and they allow driving tractor trailers right on
to 
specially designed flat-bed cars that have short ramps that can be lowered

to connect the cars together.  Trucks are driven on backward from one end 
and can drive the length of the train until reaching the desired flat-car.

This was in the mid 70's.  These 'Trailer-Trains' can be off/on loaded
with 
a minimal of facilities.  Just need a ramp that leads up to the right 
elevation at the end of a railroad spur.

The more common version now that replaces 'Trailer-Trains' is the 
inter-modal container.  Standardized containers are off-loaded from ****ps 
and put onto semi-tractor trailers -or- train cars directly.  But these 
require overhead container-cranes to lift and load the containers
(sometimes 
referred to as 'sea-vans' IIRC).

daestrom