Definitions HQ

The Railroad (n.) on ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠which no one rides is only a potential railroad, not a real one.

The Railroad (n.) lets ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠modern proletarians achieve in a few years the union that took the burghers of the Middle Ages, with their miserable highways, centuries.

A Railroad (n.) cannot ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠produce first and find customers afterwards: its service is consumed as it is produced, which is why a line seeks its customers within 50 versts on either side.

The Railroad (n.) breeds ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠fantastic species: its magnates have shown greater genius in inventing them than botanists or zoologists, turning every natural property of goods into a freight class and a pretext for a charge.

The Railroad (n.) can ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠have its property titles change hands daily and be sold abroad, but the railway itself must work where it lies or lie idle.