Why We Need Trains 4-Railroads, A Marvel of Modern Invention

Throughout its history, the railroad industry has been on the cutting edge of technology and innovation. From railroading's beginnings, the invention of the flanged wheel and the locomotive made the efficient movement of freight and passengers possible.
These inventions led to the industrial development of the world we lived in.  They led to the development of our country.  Communities grew and cities blossomed along the path of the railroad.
Railroading led to the development of time zones.  Railroads spanned the continent.  Localized time conflicted with transportation in a world that was on the move.
Today, we see railroads innovating software and data systems for its new locomotives.  Improved signaling and control systems move our trains more safely in an era when it is necessary to move more and more freight more efficiently by rail for the sake of the environment we live in.
Yet we see in railroads the simplicity of its technology, the genius of its original invention, the flanged wheel and the locomotive, devices that allows thousands of tons of freight to negotiate our mountain passes safely and effectively.  Genius is the railroad, an invention that stands so effectively and elegantly through time.  This is why we need trains.