Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-12-11
ABOUT RAILROADS.
WHAT IT COSTS TO BUILD THEM-WHAT
IT COSTS TO RUN THEM-THE PROFIT
AMI TOGO

IT COSTS TO RUN THEM-THE PROFIT
AND LOSS.
&C., &C., &c.
Major A koiner, one of the Augusta
delegates in the Legislature, has intro
duced bill in the House providing for the
appointment of Board of Commissioners
of Transportation composed Of the Gov
ernor, Secretary, and State Treasurer, who
shall have the supervision of rail and wa
ter Transportation in the State, and another
to protect persons and property affected ny
railroads. AS the subject of railroads is
likely to be discussed at the present SEES
sion, we give below a condensation OF the
very able report of the Massachusetts Rail
road Commissioners eonta II ng very valla
bic information about t,e.,:
Railroads in Massachusetts, 5 p mbe,
Both, 1872:
Miles road main Ii les ttid bran; es, 2l9, IA
SidelingS 10 sun IN les. "a.
Double track to $ ,ilt -miles.. 90.
In all making d slnslr track "i 1888, ii
miles. OF this Il Mount. 165,737 miles -
within Massachu Its stat. There is
Massachusetts at this date one mile 4"
railroad to each 704100O square miles o'
territory, and to every $40 inhabitants.
COST OF EQUIPMENT.
The average cost of roads in Massachu
sets varies from $40 679.5S in the case OF
the Boston and Albany, to $15, S2S.94 in
that Of the marlborough and Taunton:
the cost of equipment varies from w .O63 6O
in the case of the New Bedford and Taun-
ton to SIS, 425 SO in that Of the Eastern.
AS an approximation, it may be estimated
that the average cost per mile OF All
equipped road is 100000. The entire
amount directly invested in railroads re-
ported to the Massachusetts, Board OF Rail
road Commissioners in round numbers IS
Sl35, 100000, represented by SS1 100000
stock and S54 600 900 of debt.
WHAT THEY PAY.
OF the SIS corporations making returns,
30 paid dividends ranging from to lO per
cent, and averaging on the entire capital
of all the roads repres nted by stock, 6 97-lo0
per cent. Average dividend on stock OF
dividend paying roads, SOB per cent. Nine
corporations divided 10 per cent, two dl-
yided 8, three divided s, three divided Z,
SIX divided 6 per cent, divided less than
6, and twenty-five made no dividends.
INCOME.
The gross income of the roads during
the year was y SIG per cent. OF their en-
tire cost but the cost of operation was 72.2
per cunt. of their gross earnings, leaving
an average net income from the years DO
ings September 80, 1871 to September 30,
1872 Of 6 $40 per cent. on the investment.
This is believed to be as large a ret urn on
cost as is made by the railroad system OF
any community. and much above the aver
are. An abstract from the fourth annual
report Of the Board of II. r. Comm'rs OF
Mass. year 1873.
EARNINGS.
The total earnings returned for the year
1912 are $50, S7S, 542.70, an increase OF
So, 49, ,567 over the previous year, OF which
increase SS57 ,59l was derived from passen-
ger business, S2,305, S39 from freight, and
the remainder from miscellaneous sources.
Of the entire gross receipts, about ~ per
cent. were derived from passenger bust
ness, and 81 per cent. from freight. The
average earning on each mile OF road oper-
att,i was n12,76S37, the amount varying
from ,2.05S on the DuXbury i Cohasset. to
S34. 800 on the Boston & Albany.
The cost Of operating has amounted to
So, 222 81 to each mile of road, but from
this result no safe inference can be drawn.
COST OF RUNNING TRAINS.
The average cost of running train one
IlII6 WAS 1tUtlG Su Pk.oI. Sebi ing Alo4A
90 cents on the Eastern to Sits on the
Boston Il Providence.
Average cost Of running a train one mile
about 81 10. OF the average stated cost
per train mile, rs returned, OF ST 81, main
tenanGe OF way. including repairs OF road,
building bridges, iron, &c, amounted to
3d. cents: traffic expenses, including fuel,
salaries repairs of rolling stock, oil and
waste. NC, to Sl.4 ce"ts, and taxes and
miscellaneous items amounted to l4.4
cents The cost OF fuel was 1913 cents per
train mile, repairs OF locomotives We're 9.b
cents, repairs Of passenger cars. Is cents,
repairs of freight cars, Is cents, Oil and
waste was 1.9 cents. On the other hand,
the gross earnings on each passenger tam
was 81 81 per mile, and upon a freight
train 81 .SS, while tie average gross income
ON each train was SI.Sl per mile, and the
net earnings were 80 cents.
PASS GNGER AND FREIGHT CARRIAGE.
Meanwhile, the average number of pas
sengers tD each train Was IS, and the aver
age number of tors of freight was 81. In
order. however. to transport tins amount
of paving freight, it would seem that the
CORPORATIONS draw, including their loco,
motives, no less than 1859 tons OF dead
weight of rolling stock for each passenger
and tens for each ton OF freight, so that
the average amount received for hauling
loaded freight trains, including both pay
ing and dead weights, Goes not appear to
exceed mi Is per mile.
The average fare charged per mile on all
the roads was 2.426 cents, ranging from
40 mills per mile for season tickets.
passengers for long distances. to At cents
per mile for sing.e passengers on certain
branch roads.
COST OF RUNNING FREIGHT TRAINS.
On through freignts no general average
can be named, but these have ranged from
ISL to IL cents per mile, While local
frejghts have varied from III to ~ cents.
These charges. however, include the cost
Of handling Ill each case; the average
charge for hauling each ton OF freight one
mile has been 2.ol cents.
A fraction more than 10 per cent. OF
road equipment is laid i'll steel. The aver
age cost incurred OH account OF telegraph
has been $l429 per mile. The cost for
this item per mile operated, varies from
$3.50 on tile Nashua & Lowell to S39.4l
Oh the Old Colony. Telegraph stations
scarcely average one to every 10 miles.
the average distance between railroad sta
tluns IN Massachusetts is 2.33 miles.
AS regards the crossing OF one railroad
by another at grade d clause was inserted
IA the general railroad law of 1872 abso-
lutely prohibiting it i'll the case OF 70 dis
thereafter to be cons ructed. There are
"a crossings Of one railroad 10y another: all
but s ss.te ut grade. There are 1885 high
Way crossings; Of t..e,e, lbs are at grade,
ana OF this humber 3I6 only are protected
by gates OF tiaglnen.
Rolling stock kept constantly moving on
long llues viii be profitable at LIS cents
per mile per car. while on short stretches,
for local freight, 2 cents per mile will pay.
E ,gineers consider each sop equal to
mile run.