Many little boys had sparkles in their eyes when the old department stores in Nashville had model trains circling the inspirational villages during the Christmas season for their window shoppers. Several men never outgrew their fascination with toy trains, but continued to add and improve their collections of train sets.
I know of one fellow who was so enthralled with trains that he involved himself with the first passenger train transporting people from Downtown Nashville to Lebanon and into Wilson County and still continues to do so with special runs such as the Dinner Train.
For many people, there is something magical about trains, whether the reason was the transportation to visit a loved one or this was the last good bye to someone who went overseas to fight for our freedoms and various other reasons. Trains seem to be symbolic of transitions.
Over a couple of generations of people, we have witnessed the connection of the Eastern United States with the West through the railroad industry. This has developed a market for cattle, agriculture goods, manufacturing products, lubricants and many, many, others. In 2022, $113 billion in revenue resulted from rail transportation, of which 95% was directly related to the hauling of freight versus people.
Trains can carry heavy bulky weight at economical cost as long as the freight will fit in a box car or tanker rail car. The result makes trains environmentally friendly due to less carbon impact with a few engines, than numerous vehicles running up and down the highways. A distinct benefit is a train’s ability to carry large amounts of freight at one traverse.
Disadvantages for rail carry is the inflexibility of the route and schedule. The rail locations do not move easily or inexpensively. The industry experts talk about the “last mile of delivery” – meaning with rail, goods are often shipped to a hub or intermodal connection. From there, the most common approach is to reload onto the transportation neighbor of trucking, who does have the capability of delivery to your dock.
Risk of a rail accident is around 40 times lower than for road transport. Trains are not susceptible to the traffic jams, road construction sites and parades. Trains are noisy, but so are trucks and automobiles.
Freight rail moves nearly 75% of new cars and light trucks purchased in the U.S.A. In a typical year, railroads carry 1.8 million carloads of motor vehicles and parts.
Purely from an economic standpoint, our community is extremely lucky to have Caney Fork and Western Railroad operating in our area. Just ask Bridgestone and other industries operating and creating jobs for our residents.
Standard contributor Don Alexander can be contacted at dalexander@southernstandard.com
Standard contributor Don Alexander can be contacted at dalexander@southernstandard.com
