So Warren Buffett's just bought the Burlington Northern….interesting indeed. For two very different reasons.

The first is that this generation's pre-eminent capitalist obviously sees railroads as a profit making business. Indeed, one that makes sufficient profit to make him wish to own one. That's such a difference from the way that all of the European countries run their railroads, all either government owned or highly subsidised so as to make us think that one of the two of them must have it wrong.

The second is that, well, we've just got the biggest capitalist of this generation taking over the Burlington Northern. All we need now is for him to rename it the Buffett Railroad and we're set for a rerun of Atlas Shrugged: although who is going to play the Dagny part is as yet unknown.