Rail Freight Usage

I was introduced to World Mapper in my graduate course.  Using a variety of items (I’m sure there is a better word for this, but it escapes me at the moment!) the maps are configured.  Currently I am in southern Arizona and am acutely aware of the amount of goods that are transported by rail.  In NJ (my home), freight trains have become a novelty.  In my youth, we waited at train crossings often.  Now, I can count the times that I have had to wait for a train crossing in the past three or four years.  Here in Arizona, trains are traveling many times per day.  The reason, in my opinion, is because of the great distances between locations, unlike the East where everything is close and much easier to transport by truck.  In the map above (you have to click on the link — I am still new at this and haven’t figured out how to put the map in in an easier fashion), you can see that there is more rail travel in southern USA and Mexico in North America than in the rest of the country.  Just some interesting thoughts.