We don’t think about the railroads much. For most of us, the Iron Horse is a relic of the 19th century – but the railroads are still a vital part of the US economy, carrying huge amounts of freight cross country with a combination of efficiency and pricing that trucks can’t hope to beat. Rail freight volumes in the US typically reach higher than 2 billion tons per year, and carry the equivalent of 83 million truckloads while using one-fourth as much fuel. The rails have caught the attention of J