I would love to see this occur with all or most of the railroads of yesteryear, like the New Haven, Boston and Maine, Bangor and Aroostook, Pennsylvania, B&O, New York Central, the list goes on. Even if it has to happen one railroad at a time, because like anything else, it has to start somewhere. Bring them back.

Crossing loops are what they are called, for the ones meant for the passing of trains here in New Zealand, whilst back-shunts and front shunts are for pushing wagons into for trackside client uses (such as access into a private siding - for an unloading / loading store shed) Whilst most "small" & I do mean SMALL (short run) rural stations here in NZ were originally only about 1/4 to half mile in total station limit lengths - so the crossing loop was merely the one closest to the main, whilst the backshunt / or two backshunt tracks, and the either went from one end to the other with switches either end (to shunt from either direction) - or there were single ended sidings (spurs you called them) that could only be shunted from one end, most of which were part of the backshunt / (furthest away) loop - which could be shunted past station limits - into dead end sidings. Some mainline crossing loops (now on the mainline) are well in excess off a few kms in length. We also had here on the Otago Central Branch Line - what can only be described as "run-away" dead ends, at some stations with heavy stock numbers & grain loading operations were done, especially where a wagon (full or empty), or a rake of wagons, could be slipped down the dead end to allow more use of the backshunt / rear loop for other inbound or outbound loaded wagons that needed to be loaded/unloaded in the covered goods sheds. At Omakau Station - which had a TR loco (on rail) then later a TR tractor (on rubber wheels) - there was a huge long downward "dead end" that FULL grain cars (LA type - open/topped short/sided 4wheel wagons) were sent, after being loaded from road trucks at the loading bank, so that they could load a LOT of those, without having them taking up too much room inside the station's shorter loops. They also ran down, loaded livestock trucks, when there was a lot of cattle or sheep to be loaded out, as they too, were able to be manhandled down there, allowing more empties from the other three loops to be loaded at the cattle/sheep yards at one end of the station. At the other end - the "dead-end" line actually went to a Y section of track, where (if needed) a locomotive could be turned end-for-end, as Omakau didn't have a turntable. It was working up until about 1975/ 1976 when we were "told" to lift the turnouts, for use elsewhere - as well as use some of the track (rails), thus all that was left as far as I'm aware, is a few very rotten sleepers, and not much else. Later in the 1990's - the entire branchline from Middlemarch to Clyde was torn up and converted into a walkway / cycleway - thus nothing of any trackwork will be found there now (unless one knows where to look in the farmers reclaimed paddock)

@@QUIX4U Thanks for that information. It's always interesting to learn how other Countries do things (and what they're named!), helps me understand how we might do things here in the US. Is your 'railroad world' in NZ doing well, business-wise? Is it Govt. owner/operated or private, or a combination? Sorry, I don't know much about your end of the track but you've given some good info already and I hope you might have time to a few more words of wisdom. Thanks.

That’s normal until tamping is completed.

Unfortunately they closed down the location in the video. We'll see if the new operator of the facility will use rail.

Some new industries don’t even get trailer loads of freight they get deliveries from small ups fedex trucks

Quad Graphics from what I understand was pretty keen on rail. They owned thier own private cars.

It’s no different than anything else in business. It’s all about the money. Moving and delivering goods by rail needs to be the lowest cost option. At present, it’s handicapped as if the truck freight companies were required to build and maintain their own roads. Good public policy would be to incentivize rail transportation and bulk delivery to the customer by tax incentives to facilities and customers using rail service. Make that happen and you will see companies fighting to get buildings with rail docks.

it's not just about money and incentives..... Southeastern New England, especially Massachusetts used to have one of the most densely built railway networks in the USA but the way everything ended up, and divided it is a bunch of little RR'S and "Zigzag locals" with many lines having ZERO frieght (re: Plymouth, MA) due to the Routing to Plymouth from East to West was less direct due to Penn Central and Conrail changes. Thier used to be a dedicated Braintree Roadjob that was abolished and everything was locals out of Middleboro served by a local job of Framingham that comes from Worcester.... There are a lot of sidings that were straight lined for the Old Colony Restoration. I agree more trains less trucks. A big issue is many so called industrial parks are not industrial, they are business. Doctors, lawyers, MRI place, computer repair, accounting, medical, health care. Or they are built away from the rail. Or in the case of Bay Colony w/that industrial park next to 128 near Channel 5, there us a Coca-Cola plant in there, Bay Colony was all excited about it, Conrail swooped in and instead 🙄 of letting it be door to door rail, Conrail offered thier bulk terminal at Framingham(?) And Coke Dreyed the Syrup the final so many miles..... Boston is redeveloping the Seaport to be "Pretty" and an "Office 🏬 🏢 of innovation" while ignoring that they could be shipping steel in and out and using it as a PORT.

11:35 Squirrel!!!! 😁

This is part of the South Coast Rail project to bring commuter rail service to Fall River, New Bedford, and Taunton, MA. These are the only Southeastern Mass cities within 50 miles of Boston to not have commuter rail. The idea is to connect the cities so people have the option of traveling to Boston by rail.

Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed the video.