Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III FOREIGN RAILWAY SYSTEMS (a) Tansportation systems are shaped by the physical, economic, social, political, and psychological characteristics of nations. 1. The determinant physical factors are size of country, topog raphy, resources, and climate. 2. The economic and social forces are status of industrial civiliza tion, cultural influences, economic well-being of people, international relations and trade, business habits, and density of population and its distribution. 3. Political influences are social solidarity, governmental theory of transportation, military needs and practical politics. 4. From the psychological point of view, national temperament is significant in organization and administration. (Hadley, pp. 152,187,189-190). Johnson and Huebner, Railroad Traffic and Rates, Vol. 1, Chap. 1. Hadley, Railroad Transportation, pp. 14, 205. Raper, Railway Transportation, pp. 165. (b) In comparison with European systems of transportation, the American system is notable for its transcendent size, rapidity- of growth, capacity of equipment, and its relatively undeveloped passenger service. 1. Mileage statistics. (1911) Country U. S.Number of miles of railway 246,602Miles of railway per 100 sq. mi. of territory 6.9Miles of railway per 10,000 population 26.8Great Britain23,39419.35.2France31,31315.08.0Germany38,48518.35.9Italy10,7059.73.1Austria27,85010.65.5Europe210,5265.64.82. The Freight Service— CountryTonnage .Ton milesAverage length of haulAverage train loadU. S.1111Britain1/21/61/6 to 1/51/4 to 1/3France1/6 to 1/51/201/31/4 to 1/3Germany1/21/91/31/4 to 1/3U. S. 253,784,000,000 ton miles. 254 miles average haul. 352 tons average train load. Figures all based on U. S. as 1. Country Average size of care U. S. 30 to 50 t...