Ayush Wynkoop

Presentation

Progress Log

Capstone Essay

Ayush Wynkoop

Caballero

English 8

5 May 2020

Railroads: Importance in American Society

A country without trains would mean a country without the resources we need, a nation without foundation, and a world without connection. With a lifelong interest in trains, I was curious to learn in depth about the railroads’ historical significance, impact on our society, their benefits, and other related ideas. My Capstone project is a documentary on my findings, as a way to combine my passion for trains and my appreciation for filmmaking. My research consisted of going back in time, reviewing statistics, imagining the experiences people have had around passenger and freight trains, and comparing the two. I reinforced my strong belief that railroads are an important part of America’s society, historically, culturally, and economically.

The “iron horse” has been a part of American society for nearly two hundred years, since the foundation of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad in 1827. On a special day in May of 1869, the first Transcontinental Railroad was completed, and in celebration a gold rail spike was ceremonially driven into the ties, connecting the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads at Promontory, Utah. From the “driving of the golden spike”, rail took off as the new and great way of transportation in the United States. Trains have been influential and game-changing since they first appeared, being the vital path for America’s Industrialization, which mostly took place through the 1840s and 1850s, and a main reason for time zones. Time zones were helpful in the precise scheduling of cross-country trains, which would travel between places where daylight hours were different because of the vast expanses of the American continent. Railroading was everywhere and was a part of everyday life; the freight train provided cargo movement service for the industrial economy, and the passenger train transported people between places faster than ever before. The railroads during the late nineteenth century operated both passenger trains and freight trains, as the movement of freight was the most profitable, while less profitable passenger trains acted as advertisement “billboards” representing the speed and reliability of trains for both freight and passengers. The services offered by the railroads would continue like this into the 1960s (“Why”).

In the twentieth century, railroads reached their highest points and their lowest points. In 1944, a record of transported ton-mileage was set at 146 ton-miles, with railroads tasked with carrying nearly everything for the World War II effort, including military cargo and troops, in addition to the normal daily freight. At this time in history, trains dominated the intercity passenger industry, having over 75% of the total share, but this would not last any longer (“American”). As the automobile took off in the 1930s and planes became more popular in the 1950s, passenger trains only made money because of their mail carrying status. Passenger trains had mail cars in which workers would sort mail enroute, but in the 1960s sorting was automated and mail was starting to be shipped by road and air (“Why”). Because of this, the 1960s were when railroads were at their lowest, and the Interstate Commerce Commission forced railroads to continue passenger service despite it being detrimental to the railroad companies’ profits (“American”).

In 1970 President Richard Nixon signed the Rail Passenger Service Act, creating Amtrak, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (“Why”). From this point on, Congress took over operation of most of the long distance passenger trains that were previously operated privately. Amtrak not only saved American passenger rail, but helped improve the state of freight rail, allowing the industry to come back and set a new record of 771 ton-miles of freight transported in 1970. The Staggers Act of 1980 finally deregulated the rail industry, allowing it to carry a trillion ton-miles by 1990, and keeping the annual percentage of cargo carried by train above 37% since then (“American”).

Despite the highs and lows of railroading, in culture, trains have played and continue to play certain roles as parts of daily life, a representation of pride and power, or as a special, less common type of transportation that is in the background. Since the very beginning, the cultural importance of railroads in the United States had grown until their cultural high in the mid twentieth century. In addition to their roles in shaping significant parts of American identity, such as industrialization and the existence of time zones, railroads were large in creating and accomplishing the vision of the 20th century, as times were good and prosperous with successful business and high employment rates. With the West being still quite new, the train was a special symbol for opportunity, as they were vital to the expansion westward. Many railroads rapidly expanded their infrastructure and lines farther into the west, and passenger trains were at their peak. Trains were necessary and useful for vacation and for business trips. Trains became the mode of transportation because of their reliability, speed, and countless luxurious amenities. These included comfortable seating and bedding, quality meals prepared freshly on the train, restrooms, and more, all while going at speeds of up to one hundred miles per hour (“Early”).

However, as other modes of transportation developed and became more common, the steady fall of the railroad was on the horizon because of the hard competition. In the 1930s, cars started to gain popularity among the common person, as did the airliner in the 1950s (“Why”). The era of the beautiful, powerful, loud steam locomotives ended by 1960, and the popular name trains that were previously pulled by steam locomotives continued behind innovative diesels. However, with steam—and the exciting characteristics associated with them, such as whistles in the distance, rhythmic chugging, and smells of coal and grease—gone, trains’ significance in everyday culture declined. After this, the cultural spotlight rapidly shifted to automobiles, and the rates of long distance passenger rail use went down by 84% between 1945 and 1964. The automobile represented convenience and independence, important to American people, revolutionizing the way Americans commuted and did everyday activities, including business, shopping, recreation, and travel.

Suburbs before World War II were “streetcar suburbs”, connected by frequent trolley service, with easily walkable downtowns. In contrast, suburbs after the war were scattered, with destinations far apart from each other (“Modern”). Automobile and tire companies bought up all the suffering streetcar companies and did away with streetcar service, causing these suburbs to only be accessible by driving. Downtowns surrounding a Main Street disappeared, and gave rise to supermarkets, large malls, and drive-in restaurants and movies, much of which we still see today. The demand for highways was at its highest, and roadways were in need of more frequent maintenance, diverting tax money and other resources that would have gone to railroads towards road and interstate projects. Tens of iconic passenger trains ended service as their operating railroads merged together, went to freight only service, and eventually went bankrupt one by one, leaving just a few large railroad companies known as “Class Ones”. Railroads’ cultural heyday was over by the 1970s (“Modern”).

Despite the struggles and changes that the railroads have experienced, the economic importance of railroads lives on, as they continue to serve our economy today. The desperation of railroading in the mid twentieth century is quite a contrast to today’s state of the private railroads, with freight rail in the United States being among the most successful in the world. The population density in the United States is low, with cities that are far enough apart that rails are the most suitable way of transporting cargo (“Why”). The Staggers Act of 1980 deregulated rail, so railroad companies could set their own rates and operate routes freely, allowing railroads to make a comeback, with profits and ton mileage increasing in the modern era. Mergers of the existing Class Ones led to the final seven Class One railroads of today, which operate on an enormous scale (Burns). On average freight trains in the U.S. moved one ton of cargo 473 miles on one gallon of fuel in 2018, double the miles in 1980 (“Environmental”). Technological advancement over the last fifty years has made trains the greatest they ever were, such as continuous welded rail for long stretches of smooth track, allowing for high speed, and computerization (Burns).

The main reason for freight rail’s success, however, is its efficiency. Ships, trains, and trucks work together to move freight, and each have their roles. Ships move freight efficiently between overseas countries, a truck might carry the freight to a rail terminal, and then a train will efficiently carry the freight to inland cities, where it will be loaded back onto a truck for the short distance to its nearby destination. In the United States it costs approximately four cents to move one ton of freight one mile by train, which equates to a coast-to-coast cost of about one hundred dollars. On the other hand, the cost to do the same by way of truck costs ten cents per mile. This incredible efficiency of trains over land compared to other modes of transportation comes first from low friction; the contact between steel wheels rolling over steel rails is much smoother compared to tires over a roadway. Less air resistance is another key factor to efficiency. The front of just one train for several cars causes less resistance than the fronts of several trucks for the same amount of loads. Another reason trains are cheap and economically efficient is because of their low demand for crew members. Usually, it takes two people to operate one mile-long train that could be carrying well over a hundred cars, which is far cheaper than paying a hundred truck drivers to operate trucks that carry one container each (“How”). Trains are four times more efficient compared to trucks, and in 2017 contributed only 0.6 percent to the annual United States greenhouse gas emissions, 75 percent less emissions than trucks (“Environmental”). It is important to use the cheapest mode of transportation over land, and looking at the example of coal, which is very inexpensive and mass-produced, train is the best mode of transportation to keep it inexpensive; because it is not time sensitive, it does not require the use of trucks or airplanes (“How”).

Freight rail in this country is among the best in the world despite the overall lack of reliable passenger rail, and that is because the freight rail operators own the track and are paid to accommodate passenger trains, giving freight trains priority. It is the opposite in most other countries, especially in Japan and Europe, which have very efficient passenger rail (“How”), the latter transporting only 8 percent of its freight on trains, while the United States transports 38 percent of its freight on trains (“Why”). In 2018, highway traffic jams caused each American to lose 97 hours of time, on average, not to consider wasted fuel and less productivity, but one freight train can take hundreds of trucks off the road, reducing highway traffic and wear on the roads, lengthening the life of the highways. It is astonishing to think that transferring the load of just ten percent of the biggest semi trucks to trains would save 1.5 billion gallons of fuel and reduce emissions by 17 million tons, which is equivalent to taking 3 million automobiles off the road for a year or planting 400 million trees (“Environmental”).

Louis Thompson, a man who worked to create Amtrak, said that Amtrak was founded to save the private freight railroads that used to operate their own passenger trains, which is an interesting perspective (Fox). Amtrak was indeed successful at saving American freight rail, but its success so far in the operation of passenger trains is dissimilar. In the United States, a country with a population of 328 million, 300 Amtrak trains operate per day, while France, a country with 66 million people, operates 14,000 passenger trains each day. Most Amtrak trains are unreliable, with a 72 percent on-time average. Amtrak blames the freight railroads for them being off schedule, which is legitimate, because they only own 730 miles of track, the rest of their 21,300 miles of routes operating on freight tracks that they pay trackage rights for. 99 percent of California Zephyr delays were because of freight railroads, who prioritize their own trains. While governments of other countries own the passenger tracks and get paid to accommodate less frequent freight trains, Amtrak was founded so quickly that they were never able to build their own tracks. In addition, American cities have a population density of less that 15,000 people per square mile, which make them less walkable, while European cities, in particular, have been designed for hundreds of years with cores of up to 55,000 people per square mile, which makes them easier to get around in on foot. This means that in the United States, another form of transportation, such as a taxi, rideshare, bus, or light rail must be used to get from the station of a long-distance train to the final destination. This causes airplanes to win over trains, which are not much less convenient that trains in the sense that another vehicle must be taken from the airport to the final destination, while they are faster and less expensive. Amtrak is stuck in a cycle in which there is not enough funding available, which means they cannot improve their infrastructure and service to compete with the airlines, which pushes people away, causing a worse lack of funds (“Why”). However, in certain areas, Amtrak is finally moving towards profits. Passenger trains may make a comeback in America, as commuter rail service has shown signs of gaining popularity as roads become more congested (Burns).

Railroading is a significant topic within the realms of history, culture, and economy, because of its profound presence and impacts within the world. Through my research and work I have learned new facts, and realized that without the technology of trains the United States would not be such a geographically and economically large country, certain elements of life would likely not exist, and the world could be in much deeper environmental and financial trouble. In my project I will apply this and support it through the use of imagery and information that causes people to think about the overall effects of trains on their lives. The importance of railroads in the United States of America over time will not be forgotten, as they have and do continue to keep life moving no matter the circumstances, and will into the future.

Works Cited

“American Railroads in the 20th Century.” National Museum of American History​, Smithsonian, n.d., https://americanhistory.si.edu/america-on-the-move/essays/american-railroads​. 16 April 2020.

Burns, Adam. “Railroads In The 21st Century.” American-Rails.com, 2020, https://www.american-rails.com/today.html. 6 April 2020.

“Early Twentieth Century Railroads.” HowStuffWorks, 2020, https://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/early-twentieth-century-railroads.htm. 20 April 2020.

“Environmental Benefits of Moving Freight by Rail.” Association of American Railroads, July 2019, https://www.aar.org/data/environmental-benefits-moving-freight-rail/. 15 April 2020.

Fox, Justin. “Analysis: US Railroad System is Great for Freight.” Transport Topics, 2 December 2019, https://www.ttnews.com/articles/us-railroad-system-great-freight. 14 April 2020.

“How Freight Trains Connect the World.” Wendover Productions. YouTube, Sam Denby, 5 March 2019, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9poImReDFeY. 6 April 2020.

“Modern Decline of Railroads.” HowStuffWorks, 2020, https://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/decline-of-railroads.htm. 20 April 2020.

“Why Trains Suck in America.” Wendover Productions. YouTube, Sam Denby, 16 August 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbEfzuCLoAQ&list=PLqjIGCOpJGWitBfmD2AegpJPHqYCBbOs0&index=102. 14 April 2020.