Every year around this time, I like to take note of the cost of a gallon of fuel at a nearby outlet and compare it to previous years. 2009 and 2010 have been relatively calm, but around this date back in 2008, the price of a gallon of regular at the C-store across the NS (former RDG) tracks from my base of operations stood at $3.22; it went to $4.10 within three months, and most of the high-volume outlets peaked simulataneously at $3.999. When it broke after Labor Day, it broke quickly and drastically, but then, so did the entire economy.
One trend that I suspect will get more attention is the price of a gallon of Diesel fuel. Many of us know that Diesel is a "first cousin" of sorts to both heating oil and jet fuel. During the price run-up pf 1999-2000, probably the first in memory of some of the younger people here, the price of Diesel lagged that of gasoline by a considerable amount. During the boom-and-bust cycle of 2008, it lagged for most of the cycle, but appears to actually have caught and surpassed gasoline during the last 4-6 weeks.
As this is being written, the price of regular gasoline along I-80 in central Pennsylvania is $3.60; the price of Diesel is $4.15.
Another thing I noticed during my Sunday-morning excursion was a general dimunition of both business and leisure activity. The Mickey-D's across from my local fuel stop is usuallly quite busy at the noon-hour on weekends; today it had no more than twenty patrons, and several of them walked in from the 18-wheelers' lot across the street. Carloadings on the NS/CPR "Sunbury Sub", which runs paralell, are definitely down as well.
Obviously, this scenario doesn't translate into a blanket case. To cite one counter-argument,I've worked weekends for the past three summers at a theme park connected to a major chain, and they have pursued a very successful strategy of replacing the "drive-in" business with bus-centered day trips from the major cities. And hiring is definitely recovering at some of the traditional local "stop-gap" options ..... (just don''t ask for too much as some of your competition have exhausted all 99 weeks of their UC benefits, and are getting desperate).
So to summarize, the economy is adjusting, but painfully. Back in the mid-70's, Trains editor DPM observed in an insightful peace that the maturing of the economy and the refinement of the distribution sysytem were making the rail-industry more cyclical .... focused more toward capital- than consumer goods, which did not inveigh well for the remaining curiosities that made being a railfan interesting. The pursuit of fuel economy, the first shifts away from the auto-centric culture, and the emergence of some hybrid forms of rail entrepreneurship, particularly along the two Coasts, reperesent somewhat of a counter-trend .... but we all have a long way to go.
One trend that I suspect will get more attention is the price of a gallon of Diesel fuel. Many of us know that Diesel is a "first cousin" of sorts to both heating oil and jet fuel. During the price run-up pf 1999-2000, probably the first in memory of some of the younger people here, the price of Diesel lagged that of gasoline by a considerable amount. During the boom-and-bust cycle of 2008, it lagged for most of the cycle, but appears to actually have caught and surpassed gasoline during the last 4-6 weeks.
As this is being written, the price of regular gasoline along I-80 in central Pennsylvania is $3.60; the price of Diesel is $4.15.
Another thing I noticed during my Sunday-morning excursion was a general dimunition of both business and leisure activity. The Mickey-D's across from my local fuel stop is usuallly quite busy at the noon-hour on weekends; today it had no more than twenty patrons, and several of them walked in from the 18-wheelers' lot across the street. Carloadings on the NS/CPR "Sunbury Sub", which runs paralell, are definitely down as well.
Obviously, this scenario doesn't translate into a blanket case. To cite one counter-argument,I've worked weekends for the past three summers at a theme park connected to a major chain, and they have pursued a very successful strategy of replacing the "drive-in" business with bus-centered day trips from the major cities. And hiring is definitely recovering at some of the traditional local "stop-gap" options ..... (just don''t ask for too much as some of your competition have exhausted all 99 weeks of their UC benefits, and are getting desperate).
So to summarize, the economy is adjusting, but painfully. Back in the mid-70's, Trains editor DPM observed in an insightful peace that the maturing of the economy and the refinement of the distribution sysytem were making the rail-industry more cyclical .... focused more toward capital- than consumer goods, which did not inveigh well for the remaining curiosities that made being a railfan interesting. The pursuit of fuel economy, the first shifts away from the auto-centric culture, and the emergence of some hybrid forms of rail entrepreneurship, particularly along the two Coasts, reperesent somewhat of a counter-trend .... but we all have a long way to go.
What a revoltin' development this is! (William Bendix)
