--------------------------------------------
On Wed, 5/6/15, Bruce Johnson <xxxxxx@Pharmacy.Arizona.EDU> wrote:

 Subject: Re: [TML] Finding transport
 To: "xxxxxx@simplelists.com" <xxxxxx@simplelists.com>
 Date: Wednesday, May 6, 2015, 1:22 PM

 > On
 May 6, 2015, at 11:57 AM, Richard Aiken <xxxxxx@gmail.com>
 wrote:
 >
 > On Wed,
 May 6, 2015 at 2:12 PM, Ethan McKinney <xxxxxx@gmail.com>
 wrote:
 > The actual number of hulls going
 back and forth isn't going to increase at the same rate
 as the increase in passenger traffic because the size of the
 hulls is also going to increase with traffic volume.
 >
 >
 > Wouldn't there also be jump lag
 involved? E.g. it would take time for it to become known
 that Route X needed more passage space, while Route Y
 didn't need as much. 
 >

 Again, we’re running into
 the issue of is the OTU small trade or big trade.

 All of the trade rules in all
 the supplements are oriented towards PC scale ships; ie:
 free traders.

 If there’s
 a LOT of trade between systems in the OTU, then pretty much
 any passage you ant is available, presuming the systems in
 question are large enough to warrant the traffic. Akin to
 airline travel in the US today. The PC-scale stuff is
 equivalent small single aircraft bush pilots or charters,
 which is all well and fine, but I don’t hire a bush pilot
 to fly between NY and London.

 If not, travel on small PC-scale ships is all
 there is.

 (and I contend
 that the OTU simply could not exist with so little trade
 between systems).

 -- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well charters are hired for travel  'tween NY & London (one advantage of charters are less intrusive/abusive security).

Also, I don't think most of use would call 20,000dT  merchant ships 'PC-scale'.

And I contend that that the OTU can & does exist quite nicely w/o 'monster' class bulk haulers.
It just depends on which macro-economic formulae you choose to use.
If you like humongous merchant ships then pick an econ system that requires them.
If you don't then pick one that doesn't.

After all, it's stll just 'make-believe', esp. considering that just about all planetary systems have an essentially infinite supply of  raw material.

================================================================================================