America’s Future Is Riding On The Rails (NAPSA)—If you love railroads, you're on the sametrack of a= x millions of Americans, who thrill at the flash of a passing locomotive or delight in the sound of bells rung at a railroad crossing. Rail fans now have a new way to celebrate the importanceofrailroads and the passion trains inspire—RailFanClub.org, a member-accessible fan club and Web site created by the Association of American Railroads. The club offers railroad industry news, a monthly club newsletter, train discussion and photo swap, fun downloads, trivia, videos, a train simulation demo and a freight railroad guide. Perhaps most importantly, RailFanClub offers resources to help rail fans pass their knowledge and enthusiasm for trains to the next generation. The club offers free resources to young people eager to learn about the fascinating world of freight trains. Many young people may be interested to learn that railroads remain the backbone of North America’s freight transportation network. In the U.S., railroads account for more than 40 percent of all freight transportation— more than trucks, boats, barges or planes. Seventy percent of all automobiles produced in the U.S. move by train. So does 30 percent of all the nation’s grain harvest and 65 percent of the coal, which, in turn, provides more than half of the nation’s electricity. arRoADS offs aan ey J Railroads play an important part in many people’s daily lives and a new fan club helps celebrate the passion theyinspire. Railroads move enough wheat to provide every man, woman and child with a fresh loaf of bread six days a week, enough lumber to build almost three houses every minute of every day—and enough concrete to build 45 miles of new highwayevery day. U.S. freight railroads are the world’s busiest, moving morefreight than any rail system in any other country. In fact, U.S. railroads move more than four times as much freight as do all of Western Europe’s freight railroads combined. America’s railroads provide the dependable, low-cost, high volume transportation that is essential to a mass production economy and a high standardof living, say experts at the Association of American Railroads. To learn more, or to joi the fan club for under $20, visit www.railfanclub.org.
