RE: [DL] Passenger Train Economics

[Allan Seyberth <darious@darious.com>]

 >Think of the GRW in terms of the dot-coms:
 >The Barons of the Rail Wars were more concerned with
 >getting Market Share than making a profit.  Whatever (seed)
 >monies they could get from passenger/freight fares would be
 >used to drive westward...

And be used to replace equipment personal, and rolling stock lost during 
the battles.  Odds are the only folks getting rich are the manufacturers of 
trains - who have to deal with the limited supplies of raw materials that 
have been siphoned off due to the ongoing war effort.

And, of course, the ongoing R&D effort by the train manufacturers in order 
to create safer and stronger cars as demanded by the rail barons (or rather 
the paying customers of the rail barons.)

In the historical rail wars between two lines the hostilities were ended by 
bankers back East who forced a compromise between the two.  With the 
secondary agendas of several of the Rail Barons, this is unlikely to happen.

Tis kinda touches on a theme I picked up from the Mark Sumner books - that 
with all the magic and mojo in the world, the West is dying off.  Towns are 
disappearing faster than new ones are being built - especially since the 
trains aren't really running well enough to do what they did historically - 
move large numbers of folks into the plains areas.




-------------------
Allan Seyberth
darious@darious.com
Deadlands fan site - http://www.darious.com/

Fretting about overpopulation, is a perfect guilt-free - indeed, 
sanctimonious - way for "progressives" to be racists.
                 -P.J. O'Rourke