Vail Valley Voices: Peak oil puts rail resurgence on track

During the recent heated debate over the use of that 88-acre piece of land east of Eagle, I noted that there is still an intact railroad track running through this valley.

While it is at best marginally maintained, at least east of the American Gypsum plant, which uses rail service regularly in shipping its product west, this track may soon be the valley's most important transportation resource.

According to a recent Los Angeles Times story, “Warren Buffett is a believer (in railroads). In November, the world's second-richest man paid $34 billion for railroad giant Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp., despite a deep downturn in the railroad industry. Buffett characterized his investment as an ‘all-in wager on the economic future of the United States.'”

Why? Because the age of automobiles and diesel trucks is ending as you read this column. The total amount of oil remaining for the world to burn is now in decline. According to Burlington Northern, a train can haul 1,000 pounds of freight 400 miles on a gallon of oil. A fully and optimally loaded semitrailer truck can haul the same 1,000 pounds of freight only about 100 miles with the same gallon of oil on level terrain. Trucks perform far less efficiently than that in the mountains.

http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20100123/EDITS/100129805/1021&parentprofile=1065

efficient. And forget the fuel costs. Takes the cost of a full-time employee to carry that one truck load..how many train engineers to pull a whole line? Add all the blasted taxes trucks have to pay I think you will see trucks relegated to local/regional delivery while trains do the long distance hauls.

Peak Oil as a concept is beginning to percolate through the general population.

One of the biggest benefits is the fact that the right of ways would be much easier, less costly (and perhaps less controversial) to obtain.

The times I considered Amtrak I said forget it when I seen how long it would take to get to my destination. I did take it once from Indiana to Cleveland. SO I get on board, show the conductor my ticket. Points me to
go to the assigned car for my destination. I set my little alarm clock as it was the red-eye. Alarm goes off, I awake. Ask the conductor is the Clevland stop coming up? Yep he says in a minute, but what are you doing in the NYC car?......So glad I set the alarm...