The Continued Evoluion of Logistics and Distribution (LED, oil, packaging)
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Most of the public are only marginally aware of the continuous improvements in the methods by which we obtained wider access to to the essentials of daily living in recent years. You have to be well along in life to recall when Sears, Roebuck was the principal shopping option for those who lived outside the major Metros, when few of us had heard the terms UPS or Fed Ex, and Amazon usually referred a river in South America. But what alternatives exsited before those days? And what changes led to their eventual displacement -- often repeated through several cycles?
I'm posting a link below to a huge site with detailed descriptions of how merchandise found its way from producer to consumer dating as far back as a century ago. Although intended primarily for railroad buffs and modelers, the pictures, narratives, descriptions and maps at this site provide an accurate picture of the flow of daily commerce, and in the most advanced market of the times -- the Port, Harbor and City of New York.
Because those of us who are determined to correct what are viewed as the mistakes of an earlier day in the name of our environment need to understand how we got here; it's not presented as a "solution" but it is a major starting point for describing and understanding the problem, and its origins.
Last edited by 2nd trick op; 08-07-2019 at 10:36 PM..
Thank you for that amazing link. I wonder if you were reading my mind though. I have a late 1960s era map of Manhattan on my bathroom wall where I can (ahem) ruminate on it. Recently, I had been wondering about the numbers of docks shown, and the absence of rail within the city sans subways, Grand Central and the old Penn Station.
Some quick notes:
Back in the early years, Sears was every bit as efficient in its warehouse operations as Amazon today. I ran across a digest of operations in an old National Geographic and was stunned at the similarities.
Car ferries and floats were quite common all around the country. There was one that operated south of Huntsville AL on the Tennessee River, and I believe there were some operating on Lake Champlain for a while. The smaller short freight cars of earlier eras made ferries more practical.
I had been looking for a proper photo of a steam dummy and reliable derivation of the name for about a year, to compliment my research on the Monte Sano Railway in Huntsville. For some reason, clear photos of the one that operated there are not in the common places for access. That site had an excellent photo of a similar dummy and description.
I recently had purchased a used book on the creation of the New York subway system, which is every bit as fascinating a bit of history. The site fits right in with it, showing freight rail operations that complimented the passenger rail operations of the elevateds and subways.
Another connection for me with the site is that it gives the lineage of the woman who founded the famous Shelburne Museum of Americana and crafts in Shelburne Vermont: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electra_Havemeyer_Webb
Last edited by harry chickpea; 08-07-2019 at 11:05 PM..
Thank you for that amazing link. I wonder if you were reading my mind though. I have a late 1960s era map of Manhattan on my bathroom wall where I can (ahem) ruminate on it. Recently, I had been wondering about the numbers of docks shown, and the absence of rail within the city sans subways, Grand Central and the old Penn Station.
Some quick notes:
Back in the early years, Sears was every bit as efficient in its warehouse operations as Amazon today. I ran across a digest of operations in an old National Geographic and was stunned at the similarities.
Car ferries and floats were quite common all around the country. There was one that operated south of Huntsville AL on the Tennessee River, and I believe there were some operating on Lake Champlain for a while. The smaller short freight cars of earlier eras made ferries more practical.
I had been looking for a proper photo of a steam dummy and reliable derivation of the name for about a year, to compliment my research on the Monte Sano Railway in Huntsville. For some reason, clear photos of the one that operated there are not in the common places for access. That site had an excellent photo of a similar dummy and description.
I recently had purchased a used book on the creation of the New York subway system, which is every bit as fascinating a bit of history. The site fits right in with it, showing freight rail operations that complimented the passenger rail operations of the elevateds and subways.
Another connection for me with the site is that it gives the lineage of the woman who founded the famous Shelburne Museum of Americana and crafts in Shelburne Vermont: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electra_Havemeyer_Webb
Thanks for the kind words and appreciation. Harry!
The story here is complex, long running and very deep, but it doesn't draw much interest beyond trade journals, CSPAN broadcasts, and occasional hobbyist magazines; once in a while, a little of it spills over into films like On the Waterfront, F. I. S T, or Slaughter on Tenth Avenue.
But it goes on constantly, and at a profile low enough that only a small portion of an entertainment-fixated public takes much interest in it; I would love to see a little deeper discussion in forums like this one among the small number who are more closely drawn to the subject.
Last edited by 2nd trick op; 08-08-2019 at 07:00 AM..
First on that list is the Brooklyn East District Terminal. Their tracks went into the building where my father worked. If the steam locomotive went inside it smoked out the whole place. I worked there for a short time and saw it happen.
Thanks for bringing this point up! The BEDT was only the largest of several smaller companies which confined their operations to small yards within the harbor district linked exclusively by tugs and carfloats; motive power was usually provided by small "fireless cooker" steam engines which drew previously-pressured steam from a nearby stationary tank as necessary, but I don't dispute that conventional firing might have been authorized in some instances.
But the real point here is that most younger people are unaware of how sophisticated, and how extensive a network once existed -- and not that long ago; pleaser keep the comments and details coming!
Last edited by 2nd trick op; 08-08-2019 at 05:18 PM..
The evolution continues: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panamax. From that Wikipedia article one can see the impact on our East Coast ports and how many have been dredged to accommodate the larger cargo ships.
I still question our move away from the big box stores to the Amazons of the world. Every time I receive a small item in massive packaging I have to wonder if this is the best way? It isn't only that; but some of us still like to feel and try items before we purchase. So I am curious if this model will hold up over time?
The evolution continues: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panamax. From that Wikipedia article one can see the impact on our East Coast ports and how many have been dredged to accommodate the larger cargo ships.
I still question our move away from the big box stores to the Amazons of the world. Every time I receive a small item in massive packaging I have to wonder if this is the best way? It isn't only that; but some of us still like to feel and try items before we purchase. So I am curious if this model will hold up over time?
Good questions. The systems costs in transport are immense, but subsidized by hidden goods costs that on an individual basis are tiny. Airline treatment of passengers outside of first class may indicate the eventual stripping of all but bare necessities in goods transport as profit motives reach full fruit. Governmental regulations are bound to be a factor.
Current price for a barrel of crude oil is about $54. In 2008 it was $91.48 ($107 when adjusted for inflation).
Fuel is the largest cost of shipping anything, and it's about 50% cheaper now than it was 11 years ago.
The explosive growth in online sales has a lot to do with the low cost of shipping. If it cost 100% more to ship something, how long do you think Amazon and other online retailers can remain competitive? I guess if sales associates are mandated to be paid $15/hour and Amazon is using robots, it could go on forever?
Current price for a barrel of crude oil is about $54. In 2008 it was $91.48 ($107 when adjusted for inflation).
Fuel is the largest cost of shipping anything, and it's about 50% cheaper now than it was 11 years ago.
The explosive growth in online sales has a lot to do with the low cost of shipping. If it cost 100% more to ship something, how long do you think Amazon and other online retailers can remain competitive? I guess if sales associates are mandated to be paid $15/hour and Amazon is using robots, it could go on forever?
This article "FedEx drops Amazon ground deliveries" makes perfect sense. FedEx is an airline that offers ground delivery. FedEx Ground is an entirely separate company not affected by this (they are not an airline).
By contrast, UPS is a trucking company that owns an airline.
I didn't mean this to sound confusing, FedEx is an airline and UPS is a trucking company. Both companies have airplanes and trucks, but the basic understanding helps one grasp the gist of each business. Any why FedEx (the airline) isn't interested in Amazon's ground delivery.
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