> Intel's 916,000-pound shipment is a "cold box," a self-standing air-processor structure that facilitates the cryogenic technology needed to fabricate semiconductors. The box is 23 feet tall, 20 feet wide, and 280 feet long...

The weight gives Tom a big number for his headline - but 99% of the problem with this load is the dimensions - which are too big for normal railroads. (Yes, the weight is also large enough to rule out using a heavy-lift helicopter.)

Vs. a single 1940's-era steam locomotive+tender could weigh over 1,200,000 lbs. Modern locomotives - where electronic control makes it very easy, flexible, and wage-saving to operate 'em in sets - generally weigh a bit over 400,000 lbs. per.