Chart of Resources transported by Freight Trains

Type of Freight Carried by Class 1 Railroads for 2003 and 2005:

Commodity Group	2003 Tons Originated	2003 Percent of Total	2005 Tons Originated	2005 Percent of Total
Coal	784,042	43.6	804,139	42.4
Chemicals & allied products	163,018	9.1	167,199	8.8
Farm products	141,324	7.9	140,441	7.4
Non-metalic minerals	132,552	7.4	145,697	7.7
Misc. mixed shipments*	103,875	5.8	119,835	6.3
Food & kindred products	102,114	5.7	102,191	5.4
Metals & products	55,166	3.1	57,851	3.0
Stone, clay & glass products	51,046	2.8	55,231	2.9
Petroleum & coke	47,968	2.7	55,611	2.9
Lumber & wood products	47,466	2.6	47,603	2.5
Waste & scrap materials	41,497	2.3	47,345	2.5
Pulp, paper & allied products	38,543	2.1	38,242	2.0
Motor vehicles & equipment	34,314	1.9	35,585	1.9
Metalic ores	32,693	1.8	59,941	3.2
All other commodities	23,448	1.3	21,810	1.1
Total	1,799,066	100	1,898,721	100

   This particular chart, shows the magnitude of trade that freight trains bring alone.  Each one of the commoidieties is profiting and benefiting from the cheap costs of transportation, exceeding the standards of any other method of transportation.  The economy would be in an even worse situation than stands right now.  result of providing a needed and valuable service to millions of customers in an unregulated market economy.   It is what is sometimes referred to by economists as "economy of scale". In , if you have 100 million customers, and you make an extra penny of profit off of each of them, you make a million dollars, small pricing differences which the market can easily bear can mean huge profit margins.

   The  intricate system that has developed from railroads has boosted the economy to a point where maximum potential has been identified.  The steady stream of financial gain has sufficed the desire for a perfect system.