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Comment by terramex | Hacker News Reader

10TB, local or Internet: Physical Hard Drive.

Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of backup tapes!

In Poland there is an option to send package via train for 8$. Just go to station and give package to conductor/train guard, few hours later receiver can get it at destination station. Sending HDDs full of raw video footage this way is very popular among video editors here.

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In the US, you can ship using Greyhound bus lines. I wouldn't recommend it for this scenario, but I know people that ship auto parts around this way. Ship up to 100lbs for some incredibly cheap rates.

http://www.shipgreyhound.com/

This looks incredibly expensive and not competitive at all.

Over $20 for a 1 lb package, over $60 for a 50 lb package from Oakland to Los Angeles and a quoted time of four days station to station.

I can overnight a 50 lb package for $35, door to door, over that distance with the appropriate FedEx account and discounts. The ground service would cost me $30 without any discounts...

In my (limited) experience, the Greyhound shipping service becomes competitive when shipments are very bulky (like body parts) more so than when they are heavy.

You mean auto body parts, right?

Well, other body parts probably also fit the bulky description. But they'd also be heavy, I guess.

It may be competing with freight, instead of fedex. Auto parts don't always fit in a Priority (Small) box.

Many of the airlines in the us allow this as well - but more expensive - you can basically send something on a specific flight for like ~$100

https://www.unitedcargo.com/shipping/productsAndShipping.jsp...

This reminded me of the mail coaches in express trains of India. Some train routes still have a mail qualifier in their name. Mail by rail.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Express_trains_in_India

That’s a really cool idea actually

Same thing happens in Greece with buses. It's a very popular way for moms to send home-made food to their single/university student sons.

In Croatia as well :)

Balkan brothers!

In Laos the (mini)buses were the most reliable way to ship anything. We had 3 motorbikes strapped to the top and a sat cattycorner to a caged chicken on my trek through the north in a 15-seater minibus.

I remember watching a Top Gear special in India which showed the delivery system for hot food for workers from their wives - the food was placed in metal tins, loaded into pallets, driven to trains, offloaded from trains, and driven to the workers. The reliability of the system was surprisingly high IIRC

Dabbawalla is the name you’re looking for, and that’s more local than some of the other things suggested in the thread

Amtrak does it too

Oh that's fantastic - do you know how many packages they take? How does the receiver know when their package is coming? (other than the train timetable)

do you know how many packages they take?

As many as can safely fit into conductor's compartment. They can refuse to take package if it would get train delayed - so better have exact amount of cash because card readers on trains are extremely slow.

How does the receiver know when their package is coming? (other than the train timetable)

Train timetable only. For most trains delay information is published on operator's website. Delays are rare, except holiday season.

If receiver misses their package it goes to closest warehouse, then receiver is called and can request delivery by another train, but needs to pay another 4$ on pick-up (plus fee for every day package spends in warehouse).

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