Carload freight consists of individual railcars loaded with freight at separate locations that are then collected by a local freight train. This local freight train then takes the railcars to a railyard where they are sorted into longer freight trains to different destinations. These are called "manifest trains." A carload may pass through several railyards before it reaches its destination. Once it gets to the right yard, the process is reversed. The cars are put onto a local train and sent to the recieving customer. Carload freight requires spurs to be built for industries served, but once they are built, they save space and are much better for the planet than trucking. The first carload freight faciities were generally built within cities, sometimes even running in the street. More on this in this episode of :wtyp:. As discussed in that episode, many of these inner city industries were either moved to the suburbs, outsourced, or moved to trucking. Trucking deserves its own thread but in short, is a horrifically exploitative industry that is subsidized by taxpayers in the form of public roads and highways. It's dangerous, bad for the planet, bad for workers, and causes the most damage to the roads. Carload freight that remains is often found in suburban industrial parks, but even those are often dying out. Boxcars are being slowly replaced with trucks and containers that require a truck trip at each end. This is capitalism working as intended. :porky-happy:

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  • SorosFootSoldier [he/him, they/them]
    ·
    3 years ago

    Easily the weirdest thing that's ever happened to me and I never talk about it to anyone because even thinking back on it weirds me out. The only person who knows about it outside of hexbear now, is my one ex. Probably why I find aliens/UFOs so intriguing. The "dream" I'm outside with my grandmother and I think an aunt, who are talking to me, and I see baby jesus in his basket going through the sky, miles away. :scared:

      • SorosFootSoldier [he/him, they/them]
        ·
        3 years ago

        ikr? I seriously think there's something out there that we can't explain. My pet theory is that there is multiverses and aliens are dimension jumpers. I also think people like Jacques Vale have a good working hypothesis on whatever "it" is, while the government is focused on aliens coming from another planet. But my belief is also kind of bleak, that we're the only life in this universe, save for simple microbial life on other planets.

        • Helia [she/her, they/them]
          ·
          3 years ago

          Vallee has absolutely interesting ideas and I do like to entertain the multiverse theory. It just super interesting.

          • SorosFootSoldier [he/him, they/them]
            ·
            3 years ago

            I keep coming back to that, or that reality is projected by a super computer at the edge of the universe built by lord knows whom. Of course, life could always be random and we're apes on a dying rock in the vacuum of space. But that line of reasoning is silencing literally thousands of people that have had run-ins with shit that is unexplainable.