Comments Dick Haines has made

Rail transport: Good food for USA

Opportunity knocks big-time here!  This is a chance to combine several national initiatives including health, fuel savings, job creation, plus more, I'm sure, that could be cited.

First, a national program to strenthen and expand our north-to-south rail infrastructure (a small version of what Eisenhower did with the interstate highway system) would broaden access to regionally grown foods from different climates in North America.  This leaves less need for intercontinental transport of many fruits and vegetables, and all the nutrition loss and who-knows-what-all-is-done to preserve a semblance of freshness.

Next, expanding the rail system will make a huge dent in our use of petroleum for transport.  Steel wheels on steel tracks already have only a fraction (about 1/7th) of the rolling resistance that truck tires have on pavement; so there is much energy to be saved.  But the expansion must involve some revolutionizing of power sources and rail car design.  Put our best hybrid technology to work powering trains with ground electric plus solar (and maybe a tiny diesel supplement).  

Then, make the cars much lighter by designing for shorter trains.  Much of the weight of conventional cars is required to withstand the immense tension and compression forces of a long train.  A very poor payload-to-curb weight ratio results.  Then, slow the speed to minimize air resistance and danger of mishap.  These smaller, slower trains amplify the energy savings.

This combination of rail transportation development will speed up the process of weaning us from foreign oil (national security), will give fresher food in greater variety (national health), and we can be sure than many new jobs will be created -- permanent ones, too.  We might also gain another area of American technology leadership.  

Dick Haines    On If buying locally isn't the answer, then what is? posted 2 years, 3 months ago 28 Responses