Talk about mpg's....

I saw that show. I wondered if that figure was purely the propulsion mpg or was it also loaded with all the other onboard energy usage?

Anybody know how many gallons (or equivalent) per inch the shuttle uses getting into orbit? Art

The first hundred miles are expensive. The next million or so are cheap!

And it is carrying how many people? 2,000?

That's 120,000 feet per gallon per person. Or 22 miles per gallon.

you have solved the fuel crisis! GW

Public transit, indeed, is a big part of the solution.

--scott

No, it isn't, as it doesn't serve individual trips, schedules or destinations off the beaten path. Public transit is a creation of those who have neither imagination, personal lives, nor interest in anything but mundane subjects.

It's a solution only if you are willing to live packed tightly together. It isn't economically viable in the suburbs unless it reduces traffic congestion in a nearby city. jsw

How do you figure? there are literally dozens of cars you can buy that get way more than 22 mpg. Generally speaking, public transit if more expensive per mile then personal transportation. And that's with the GOAL of public transit to be as inexpensive as possible. Most people don't buy their car with the GOAL being to get the absolute lowest cost per mile. If they did, personal transport would completely eclipse public in terms of efficiency - of course it already is better even without the singular focus on operating cost. The only reason anyone "votes" for public transit is because they get most of the cost paid by "other people". When they have to pay the full freight themselves they won't pay for it.

The food on some of those cruise ships is terrible.

Yeah but you get so much of it that it balances out.

Don't suppose anybody else remembers the "Johnny Canal" sketch from SNL in the 80's?? I think it was Dana Carvey in a Daniel Boone outfit...I remember the dumbest things.....

GW

It's not ringing any bells here.

One time I went on a gambling boat, it was a Greek registered gambling boat . The wall covering and the carpeting on the floor was torn and tatty. I we nt to the dining room. I tried to pull a piece of chicken off of a chicken breast, it was so tough a piece of it flew across the room. The food looked like it was cooked the day before.

The above is pretty funny. Never saw the transition from public transit to cruise ships, but that doesn't matter. I had a workmate who took cruises, and always talked about the food and the weight gain he would suffer. Food seemed the entire focus of the cruises for him. Only thing he ever mentioned about the cruises. Same with the guys who always hit the bars for the "happy hour" to wolf down free crap food. Just figured they had a goofy view about food, and their wives couldn't cook worth a damn. Never heard of Johnny Canal, but found it. Great skit.

I live an hour away from Spokane, WA. There has been an on going proposal there for years to build a rail public transportation system. Just one single line, no side extensions. I just can't see what you gain that way over buses. More expense up front for the land/track/construction plus when done it is fixed forever, no changing destinations without rebuild, etc.

At least with buses, routes can be redone in an instant as demographics change.

Harry K

For most of my life I've wondered why the railroads done carry autos. Load the cars on a flatbed and the people in the club car. Or dining car?

You guys think you have problems?

Google California High Speed rail......

Sounds great on ...paper....

Lots and lots more out there.

Good luck!!

Gunner

Europe has tried this for years with varying degrees of sucess.

Amtrak actually does have an AutoTrain

I didnt bother looking up the cost. Probably cheaper than the gas...or maybe not.

They do. You can take the Auto-Train from Northern Virginia down to Florida and back. It's very popular with the summer-in-miami crowd.

--scott