Browsing by Author "Halbach, Dan"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    An Analysis of Canadian Rail Movements to the United States Using the 1992 Public Use Waybill Sample
    (1994-03) Fruin, Jerry; Halbach, Dan
    The United States and Canada share a common border and have long been each other's major trading partners. Railroads serving the two countries have historically had a common gauge and similar equipment, so cross-border shipments have been common for some types of freight and commodities. The recent passage of NAFTA will further integrate the economies of the United States and Canada along with that of Mexico. (Mexico also has a common gauge and a potential for a vast increase in rail traffic movements to and from both countries to its north.) This paper demonstrates a method to analyze rail traffic from Canada to the United States using the 1992 ICC Public Use Waybill Sample. This procedure will be useful to track changes in trade flows by rail between the two countries and in analyzing critical rail infrastructure needs critical for increased trade on both sides of the border (and eventually to and from Mexico).
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    An Analysis of the Public and Private Transportation Costs of a Rural Agricultural Area
    (1992-01) Fruin, Jerry; Halbach, Dan
    The objective of this study was to develop a computer simulation model to determine the types and amounts of transportation costs in a rural agricultural area under the conditions existing in 1989. Then different assumptions about the road infrastructure could be made and corresponding changes made to the model. The simulation model would be rerun for each set of assumptions and the results analyzed to determine how the different costs change with different infrastructures. This unique approach considers both the public costs such as the maintenance and construction costs paid by tax payers and user fees and the private costs, which are the costs incurred by individuals and firms operating vehicles over the road systems as they travel or move goods.
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    Barge Movements on the Upper Mississippi River: Trends and Projections 1963-2002
    (1994-08) Fruin, Jerry; Halbach, Dan
    The volume of commodities moved by barge on the upper Mississippi River had nearly 50 years of uninterrupted growth after the completion of the locks and dams.and the nine foot channel system in the 1930s. This upward trend accelerated after towboats were switched from steam to diesel electric power in 1950s. Figure 1 shows the yearly total tonnage of barge shipments and receipts in the Twin Cities area for the 30 years from 1963-1992. Note, however, that volumes peaked in 1983 and 1984 and were followed by unprecedented declines in the late 80s. Annual movements in 1985 and later were sometimes less than 2/3 that of the peak. The remainder of this paper will review recent trends and identify contributing and/or confounding factors that should help answer these questions.
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    Barge Traffic on the Illinois and Missouri Rivers: 1972-1992
    (1994-10) Fruin, Jerry; Halbach, Dan
    This paper reviews the traffic volumes and changes in traffic volumes, destinations, and commodity mixes on the Illinois and Missouri Rivers. The time period reviewed is 1972 to 1992. This time period starts before the large increases in grain exports in the mid-1970s and goes through 1992, the last year for which the complete data series was published. Note that 1993 was a year of major floods and barge traffic volumes were atypical in 1993. Data were obtained from the annual publication Waterborne Commerce of the United States. The Illinois River data series includes the Illinois River from its mouth on the Mississippi at Grafton, Illinois to Lockport, Illinois (Figure 1). The Missouri River data series includes the Missouri River from Fort Benton, Montana to its mouth on the Mississippi River (Figure 2). Virtually all of the Missouri River traffic occurs in the lower 735 miles, i.e., below Sioux City, Iowa, with the vast majority of the traffic occurring in the lowest 375 miles, i.e., Kansas City and below.
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    Rural Roads, Investment and Disinvestment in a Minnesota County
    (1992-10) Fruin, Jerry; Halbach, Dan
    An adequate road system is essential for the economic and social well-being of the U.S. rural population. The typical rural family relies on the road system for essential communication between town and city service centers. Children are bused to school. Farm produce is shipped, farm supplies are delivered, and repair parts, groceries, and household supplies are purchased many times throughout the week. Many vehicles, such as school buses and milk trucks, require year-round accessibility. Many rural families have one or more members who commute to factory or service jobs just as regularly as families who live in the cities. It is neither possible nor desirable for rural families to live in isolation. This paper examines the impact of new vehicle technologies, weights and road uses have on rural roads in comparison with urban roads.
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    Use of the 1992 ICC Public Use Waybill Sample to Analyze Corn Movements by Rail
    (1994-03) Fruin, Jerry; Halbach, Dan
    This report uses information from the 1992 ICC Public Use Waybill Sample to estimate the rail movements of corn throughout the U.S. during calendar year 1992. The data fields of the Waybill Sample are found on page 3. Report 1 contains the estimated number of carloads shipped from each origin BEA to each destination BEA as expanded from sample data. (BEA's are listed on pages 5 to 10 and partially shown on the map on page 11.) Also reported is the estimated number of bushels shipped in 1992 which is the expanded carloads times 3479.23 bushels per carload. Report 2 contains the same information but is summarized by destination BEA. Report 3 on page 46 is a summary of those records reported as origin BEA = 0 and destination BEA = 0 and accounts for 4,751 carloads or 16,529,822 bushels. Report 4 on page 47 is a summary of records with no origin BEA but a destination BEA. Report 5 is a summary of records with no destination BEA but an origin BEA.