Railways Future. Part-Two.

Hauling, remains Profitable!

It will be a long time before humanity gives up on its railways, because both passenger travel and the hauling of goods remains big business? We may faster express trains and much improved commuter stock go from the western world to the developing world, but freight may remain the same  with some increased speed and line signalling improvements?

The United States of America, Canada, Australia, Russia, China and Brazil are huge land masses, where the train has come into its own value. Locomotion demands four plus engines to pull two mile long trains through swamp, desert, forestry and ice. The exploration for minerals, fossil fuels and precious metals and stones demands specialist equipment to be supplied.

Some of this can be done without rails, but rails are much faster and direct with telecommunications and eventually gas and oil pipelines marking the almost same route. New towns and cities will also be built along side the new railways, even the remotest places?

Yachts.

Yachting...

The modern Yacht captures the charm and the challenges of the sail ship on a much smaller scale. But to captain or work a Yacht is a very demanding event, especially in a racing event or a single handed around the world trip.

Yachts are for pleasure and sport, but in earlier days some were used in world exploration trips. Racing yachts of various types have helped in the development of improved hull design in bigger ships and military patrol vessels. Speed and stability are the two keys to ship design improvements.

As a carrier they have only really become associated with the smuggling and illegal importation of narcotics.

Submarines.

This is perhaps the least most exploited technology for civil use re-cargo and passenger travel. Yes I recognise that there are various mini submersibles for deep sea research and exploration, but why are their no cargo vessels or commercial liners for under the sea? Is it to dangerous or to expensive, or is there no real interest?