Over the years in talking to people about what I do, most are totally flabbergasted! They can't even comprehend that someone would work for a railroad, much less that they would still be around. In fact, when you ask the average person on the street about railroads, they often first think about commuter or passenger rail. Now that's interesting!!

I know the US is pretty backwards with commuter rail. Especially compared to Europe or Japan. But for most Americans to think of commuter rail over freight? Wow! Did you know that Logistics overall is 25% of our GNP?! That's a lot of stuff moving around!

And with that, most don't even think of what is transported by rail. As a former boss of mine at BNSF used to say, we transport everything from coal to kitty litter. And he is right.

So what does a freight railroad do?

Follow up:

Ok a railroad is only one of several modes of transportation. But did you know railroads are over 3 times more fuel efficient than trucks? In 2007 a railroad on average moved one ton of freight about 436 miles with one gallon of fuel! I would love to see a truck do that!

Besides, if you have trucks moving on the highway they are wearing down on the pavement. Railroads support their own infrastructure. The last time I checked, I haven't seen a locomotive on the highway. And railroads have to pay taxes on the fuel they use for the locomotives. Guess where those taxes go. You got it, right into repairing the highways which they don't use.

But what else goes on with railroads?

When the vast amount of products that we use and need in order to produce the things we buy there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes that we just don't think about.

Then there are the numerous amounts of imports arriving every day. These container ships are huge!! Most of those containers don't leave the ship yards by truck. Most leave by train and go somewhere else in the country. That is the finished goods that you buy in the store. The toys for your child, the new electronic goods, or even furniture and clothing.

So no matter who you are, or what you do for a living, everything you have moved via a mode of transportation somehow. Was it delivered to your home or office by a train? No. But it could have been transported to the manufacturer, or the supplier to the manufacturer, or to the warehouse where the truck took it to the retail store, or to the power plant to produce energy for your home.

So the next time you are stopped at that railroad crossing and are cussing out the train making you late to get your latte. Remember that the goods on that train are going somewhere to make more goods for people to buy. By letting them go by you are helping to keep up the flow of goods that keeps the economy going.

Don't forget to check out our home page at www.me2rr.com to see how we help support the railroad industry and how we could help your company.