Welcome to the American Railroading Podcast! In this episode our host Don Walsh is joined by guest John Doggett – Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business, Management Department. Together they discuss the current state of the U.S. economy, the military action in Iran and its potential short-term and long-term effects, the partial government shutdown, the upcoming Fed Chair change and likelihood of rate cuts, the rapid growth of AI, areas of market growth to watch, and what it all means for the rail industry. Tune in to this episode to gain valuable insights and broaden your understanding of American Railroading! You can find this episode and more on the American Railroading Podcast's official website at www.AmericanRailroading.net , and watch our YouTube Channel at the link below. Welcome aboard!

KEY POINTS:

• The American Railroading Podcast remains in the Top 10% of all podcasts globally, now downloaded in 68 countries around the world!
• Having begun his teaching career in 1979, this will be Professor Doggett’s final year teaching full time as he will go down to teaching one spring semester a year at the University of Texas in Austin in 2027.
• Per Professor Doggett, one of the sobering things when you contemplate retiring is, you don’t realize how much of who you are is what you do.
• Regarding the current political climate, John feels that it would be good to recall the words of President Clinton where he said regarding the most important thing to voters, “It’s the economy stupid”, which he believes will be reflected in the mid-term elections.
• With current Fed Chair Powell’s term ending soon, and assuming the President’s nominee Kevin Warsh is confirmed as his replacement, Professor Doggett gives his opinion on what Kevin Warsh’s priorities once taking the position over may be, and whether or not he feels there will be rate cuts in the remainder of 2026.
• Don and Professor Doggett discuss the military action in Iran, the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, the short-term and long-term effects on the oil and gas markets, as well as when the military action may end.
• Professor Doggett explains in great detail why the low birth rate not only here in the U.S. but globally is so important and so concerning.
• Per Professor Doggett, AI is changing our world at a more rapid pace than anything he’s seen in his lifetime.
• According to Professor Doggett, if he were a betting man, the markets he would focus on would be….(You’ll have to listen or watch to find out).
• If you like what we do, please leave us a 5-Star Review…and please Share the episode!

LINKS MENTIONED:

https://www.americanrailroading.net

https://www.therevolutionrailgroup.com

https://www.youtube.com/@americanrailroadingpodcast

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dwalshX

https://www.enviroserve.com

Welcome to the American Railroading Podcast! In this episode our host Don Walsh is joined by guest Tony Hatch, President of ABH Consulting and Sr. Wall Street Transportation Analyst. Together they discuss the current status and potential pros and cons of the proposed Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern merger, what the recent Supreme Court ruling regarding tariffs under IEEPA means and doesn’t mean, a potential 3rd ”Golden Age” of short line railroading, market trends and risks, a look ahead into 2026 and much more. Tune in to this episode to gain valuable insights and broaden your understanding of American Railroading! You can find this episode and more on the American Railroading Podcast's official website at www.AmericanRailroading.net , and watch our YouTube Channel at the link below. Welcome aboard!

KEY POINTS:

1. The American Railroading Podcast remains in the Top 10% of all podcasts globally, now downloaded in 66 countries around the world!
2. Mr. Hatch is a graduate of Harvard University and has been a Sr. Transportation Analyst on Wall Street for over 20 years.
3. Tony shares how he went from a degree in History at Harvard to becoming a Transportation Analyst.
4. Mr. Hatch explains the revised STB rules / approval criteria / threshold that the proposed UP & NS merger and all future potential mergers must satisfy.
5. Tony does a deep dive into the potential pros and cons of the proposed UP & NS merger.
6. Don discusses the recent Supreme Court ruling regarding the President’s ability to impose import tariffs under IEEPA (the International Emergency Economic Act), what the ruling means, and doesn’t mean.
7. Tony gives his opinion and the current status of tariffs and trade wars and their effect on the U.S. economy.
8. Mr. Hatch gives us an update and a look ahead into 2026 not only for the U.S., but for Mexico and Canada as well.
9. Tony gives his thoughts on why he feels a 3rd “Golden Age” of short line railroading may be on the horizon.
10. If you like what we do, please leave us a 5-Star Review…and please Share the episode!

LINKS MENTIONED:

https://www.americanrailroading.net

https://www.therevolutionrailgroup.com

https://www.youtube.com/@americanrailroadingpodcast

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dwalshX

https://www.enviroserve.com

https://www.railtrends.com

https://www.abhatchconsulting.com

Welcome to the American Railroading Podcast! In this, our first episode of Season 4, our host Don Walsh is our guest. Don takes us on a journey through 2025 and gives us a recap of each of the podcast episodes from Season 3 along with a look behind the scenes and shares his thoughts not heard before on the episodes themselves. Don also discusses audience feedback and his favorite moments from Season 3, after which he gives his thoughts on where the industry is headed in 2026 and some hints on where the podcast is headed in Season 4. Tune in to this episode to gain valuable insights and broaden your understanding of American Railroading! You can find this episode including episode videos and more on the American Railroading Podcast's official website at www.AmericanRailroading.net . Welcome aboard!

KEY POINTS:

1. The American Railroading Podcast remains in the Top 10% of all podcasts globally with a 300% increase in downloads in the last year!
2. The STB offers Stakeholder Committees including the Railroad Shipper Transportation Advisor Council, the Rail Energy Transportation Advisory Committee, the National Grain Car Council and the newly created Passenger Rail Advisory Committee.
3. President Trump’s proposed plan to improve the economy and reduce inflation is said to be like spokes on a wheel including reducing the cost of energy by increasing production, reducing government spending, reducing regulations and restrictions, reducing taxes and bringing manufacturing back to the U.S.
4. While intermodal railcars make up only 4% of the U.S. national fleet, 48% of all U.S. rail traffic is generally intermodal rail shipments.
5. Using Ai technology, the Duos Technologies - Railcar Inspection Portal (RIP) can inspect railcars at operating speeds from 3 MPH to 125 MPH, and report findings within 60 seconds.
6. Most new tank car builds (at this time) are due to replacement needs as tank cars age out.
7. Today there are approximately 2 million registered railcars in the U.S. national fleet, of which 22% (or 440,000) are tank cars, all of which require HM-216b qualification at regular intervals.
8. Founded in 1838, Galveston, an island port city in Texas, quickly became the major hub for trade and immigration for not only Texas, but the entire southwest United States, and was the home of the first operating railroad in Texas, founded in 1850.
9. The issue with tariffs isn’t whether they’re good or bad, it’s that they keep fluctuating, they’re not consistent, which makes it hard for businesses to plan.
10. While there are 6 Class 1 railroads in the U.S. (UP, BNSF, CSX, NS, CN, and CPKC), there are 603 short line railroads.
11. The AAR establishes safety, security and operating standards that provide seamless and safe operations across America’s nearly 140,000-mile freight rail network.
12. Don Walsh gives his opinion of the industry outlook for 2026!

LINKS MENTIONED:

https://www.americanrailroading.net

https://www.therevolutionrailgroup.com

https://www.youtube.com/@americanrailroadingpodcast

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dwalshX

https://www.enviroserve.com