Goshen College is one of about 25 schools in the United States that has a railroad track on campus, and only one of two in Indiana. 

That railroad is the Marion Branch, running from downtown Goshen, where it meets up with Norfolk Southern’s Chicago Line to Anderson, before it meets up with CSX’s Indianapolis Line. On any given day — such as Monday, Dec. 1, a bystander might count nine trains or as many as a dozen trains passing through.

Many students might regard the trains as a nuisance, but one student who arrived at GC this fall specifically requested a dorm room with a view of the railroad tracks. The student ended up on the third floor of Yoder, with a nearly unobstructed sightline of around 45 yards of the Norfolk Southern line. As that student fell asleep some nights, listening to the whistle of a passing train, he felt more comfort than irritation.

That student is me.

Most of why I want more trains is because of their efficiency and environmental benefits, but there is also a large part of me that wants more trains because they’re just plain cool.

As a child, much like many other children, I loved trains. There was a passenger line, part of the Nickel Plate railroad, that ran through the middle of the Noblesville town square, just a few miles away from my home. 

On some Saturdays, my mom would drive my brother and me — dressed in our little train conductor hats and train shirts — to stand where the tracks crossed the White River and wait for the train to pass by. The roar of the engine was almost deafening as it passed by us and we would pump our little arms up and down, and the engineer would blow its horn. It always scared me in the moment, but after the wail was over, I was left with nothing but amazement.

This amazement with trains waned after the city shut down the train rides, sold their steam locomotive, Nickel Plate Road No. 587, and tore up the rails — but my locomotive love never truly went away. My connection with trains stayed and I was reminded of it once more when I visited GC.

Something I have always liked about trains is the simplicity of how they work. Unlike cars that can steer away at any time, trains have two places they can go: forward and backward. Any other direction is a catastrophic failure worth millions of dollars.

I have always found a calming effect when by the rails. It reminds me that I just have to keep moving forward. If something gets in my way, I have to confront it and figure out how best to get through it and keep moving on, just like how the train does.

Of course, opinions alone do not create legislation. Another reason trains are so cool is because of how much better they are than the nation’s leader in tons of cargo shipped: semi-trucks.

In the shipping world, fuel efficiency is measured in ton-miles per gallon. This accounts for the freight that each gallon is able to move.

In 2024, semi-trucks transported roughly 65% of the 39.8 billion pounds of freight shipped, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Trains shipped a mere 8%, or 3.1 billion pounds. Semi-trucks averaged around 200 ton-miles per gallon, whereas trains averaged over 500.

On their own, semi-trucks average about 6.2 miles per gallon, whereas trains average around 0.4 miles per gallon. The reason trains are able to make up the gap is the lack of friction produced by their wheels.

Train wheels are made of steel, and deform far less than their squishy road-going counterparts. This makes them produce less friction, at the cost of less grip. This leads to a huge difference in acceleration times, taking a semi-truck about 90 seconds to get to 60 miles per hour. A train does that in about six minutes.

What they lack in acceleration, trains more than make up for in tonnage. Trains are usually a mile and a half long, with some going longer than four miles. Their steel wheels make one train car far easier to move than a tractor trailer, increasing efficiency.

This efficiency prevents millions of tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. According to the Association of American Railroads, “If 25% of the truck traffic moving at least 750 miles went by rail instead, annual greenhouse gas emissions would fall by approximately 13.6 million tons.” This would still leave semi-trucks hauling the vast majority of freight, keeping trucking companies happy.

Unfortunately, trucking is expected to rise in the next 25 years by 1.5%, with rail usage increasing by 1.2%. While this may not seem significant, the effects of the extra carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere are.

Despite their efficiency, trains cannot do everything. Semi-trucks are vital to reaching parts of the U.S. without access to railroads, such as much of the western half of the country. A semi-truck can pick up a load from a train and drive it to the desired destination, without the need to build a new rail line.

This use of semi-trucks is vital. However, it is not enough to justify their long-distance domination over trains.

Next time you’re out on a drive and you get stopped by a train crossing, be thankful each car it hauls wasn’t a semi-truck, hogging the lane and destroying the environment.

Adam Sherrill is a first-year majoring in broadcasting, with a minor in theater. In addition to writing for The Record, he hosts radio shows for The Globe.