As I was watching the news about snowballing layoffs it struck me that a severe and prolonged business downtown could really hurt the railroads and force some radical changes. They are a capital intensive industry and the shipping business is quickly affected by the general level of business activity. Red ink and the economics of scale might finally forge coast to coast lines. Has anybody heard of any merger talk?

Who knows but what we might see another Conrail. Remember never is a long, long time.