A fully loaded train gets over 400 miles to a gallon of fuel, why is it that our best economic vehicle only get roughly 50 mpg and they are skimpy vehicles with little power. What must we do to inspire the auto industry into building something comparable?

yeah, source please. Trains don't actually run on fuel, they run on electricity. They have diesel generators that make electricity, which actually power the trail. They are basically a rolling powerplant.

I don't know about 400 miles to a gallon, but trains are more efficient because of they way the create the power/and momentum. Also, there is a lot less resistance,(other than weight). A car can go from 100mph to stop a lot sooner than a train can go from 10 to stop because of the friction. A train does not use the engines to power the wheels, like a car. The engines are big gererators, and the wheels are electric motors, so almost 100% efficient. Then when its moving the momentum of all the weight moving, doesn't take much power to keep it moving. Like nascar... a car by itself is less efficient than one drafting behind another. I think i heard it was more like a train can take 100 cars the same distance on the same amount of fuel as one semi truck with one trailer. not sure though.

I think you have your facts wrong. I think it is 400 *seat* miles to the gallon. I think the train only does about 1 mile to the gallon, but with 400 people on board, it is very efficient. As are most completely full vehicles. An SUV, with every seat full, may do 150 /seat/ miles to the gallon. There are almost always economies of scale: if you can get hundreds of people to travel together, they will always be more efficeint than separate travel. The auto industry does buid something comparable: they are calle busses.

its not 400mpg, or "seat miles". it's 400MPT for every ton on the train it takes one gallon to push it 400 miles, if you have 280 tons on the train, it takes 280 gallons of fuel to push it 400 miles, for 280 tons thought, very impressive.

I think I know what ad you are talking about. It stated that a freight train can carry the amount of freight of 400 80,000 lb semi trucks and only use 1 gallon of fuel for every 400 trucks worth. Car engines convert 98.9 % of the fuel burnt into energy., but only 70% or so is converted into forward motion of the car. most is lost in heat and rubber tires on asphalt is a horrible way to move a vehicle. Trains use metal wheels on metal tracks, much less friction; they don't stop and go; and they don't steer in the way a car does

please post a link to your info trains don't get 400mpg.

Well since the secret is the rails and not the locomotives, we'd have to convince the auto industry to start making everything on flanged steel wheels. The secret behind that fuel mileage is that only 1/8 of an inch by the thickness of the wheel is actually in contact with the rails, resulting in very little friction between those rails and the wheels. Less friction equals better fuel mileage. The problem is in the tires. However, it ain't easy to stop or corner a train either.

Kool,,,so that fully loaded train could travel from Miami to New York with only a 3 gallon tank !!!!