The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-12-17
Seems to Be Lots of Cars But
Power Is Lacking.
YARDS FULL EMPTIES.
Loaded Cars Held Two Weeks
Before Shipment.
Gossip and Matters of Interest
in Railroad Circles.

motive shortage
This is the existing state of affairs
among the railroads as developed by
systematic inspection of the terminal
railroad yards here. There were not
less than 5000 empty freight cars and
probably many more than that, stand
ing idle in the Kansas City yards yes
terday- They We're of all kinds-box
cars, coal cars and fat cars. Some or
them were brought in Saturday night,
but many have been here for a week
or more Shippers are clamoring Tor
equipment; there are cars enough but
no motive power to move them.
Yesterday there were not less than
1000 loaded cars in the yards here.
Some of them were discovered in long
strings, others standing safely removed
from the through tracks and alone. The
dates OF loading on many OF them
showed that they had been ready to
move for two weeks. Inquiry among
the switchmen in the yards brought
out the fact that these loaded cars had
been moved about from track to track
daily. In many cases the contents was
such as to call for immediate shipment
and delivery, but there have been hun
dreds of carloads holding precedence
over them On account of an earlier date
of loading. The motive power owned
by the roads is capable of moving just
so many cars and no more. consequent
ly those late getting into line must
await their turn.
What Close Inspection Shows.
The present so-called car shortage
has assumed more serious proportions
than has ever before been known in the
country The railroads have unani-
mously set up the claim that it was
brought about by a lack of adequate
rolling stock-that not road owned
enough cars to handle the business Of
fered. 1t has always been a lack of
cars; no official has even intimated that
the difficulty lay rather in a lack of
sufficient motive power. But within the
g. =.
sistent rumors that it was not cars but
engines that were needed. So cOnvinc-
ing were these reports, and coming, as
they did. from persons who could have
no possible motive in making misrepre-
sensations, that an investigation was
made yesterday.
Practically every important railroad
yard in the city was visited, and in all
of them conditions were found to be
more or less the same.
In Kansas City, Kan. along the
state line there were found in the five
yards /. 24Q empty .ears-75o box cars
the Missouri PacIffc Cypress yards
there were IA box cars, SIS coal cars
and 4 fiat cars; in the Santa F,e yards
at Argentine were 210 box, 1O6 coal
and 60 fiat cars; in the Frisco yards at
Rosedale were 80 box cars. 80. coal
cars and 8 fiat cars; in the Union Pa
ciffc yards at Armstrong were 1856
box cars. SIS coal cars and 80 fiat cars;
in the Rock Island yards at Armour
dale were $50 box cars. SIS coal cars
and 10 fiat cars. In the Frisco yards
there were yesterday morning about
seventy cars of coal. Most of these
were, however. moved out by last
night, as was long string of
.empties." to Fort Scott and points in
Kansas
On the Missouri side conditions
were virtually the same. In the Frisco
yards in the West bottoms switch en-
oil
strings Of empties which had come in
the night before, and upon every avail
able stretch of track from one end of
the yards to the other, stood row upon
row of loaded cars, containing grain.
ms rchandise, coal. lumber, every sort
of commodity, all ready to be moved
cut but with no available engines to
mcve them.
Cars Held Two Weeks.
In the Missouri Pacific yards in the
West and East Bottoms there exists a
state of congestion which has never
before existed. An employee of the
road who is in close touch with what
is going on in the yards said yester-
day that the road still had trains of
loaded cars, made up for departure
mere than weeks ago. which it had so
far been unable to move out of the
yards. He stated that there were
plenty Of empty cars obtainable but
not enough motive power to move
them # loaded.
ITO handle our business as it should
be handled we ought to have in con-
slant use, night and day. at least ten
more engines" he said.
In the Burlington yards at Harlem
the point where it is probable more
freight is transferred than in any other
yard in Kansas City-there were COM
parativeiy few cars yesterday either
empty or loaded. There were possibly
$50 altogether and trainload of about
seventy five empties was brought across
the river yesterday afternoon. The
Burlington's largest yards are at Muir
ray. several miles down the river and
it Is reported that here is to be found
a state of congestion which equals any
of those heretofore mentioned. The
same sort of reports come from Ran
doIph, where are located the Wabash
yards. In the Milwaukee yards at
Sheffield or Coburg and in the Chicago
& Alton yards, the lack of motive pow
er is plainly evident, although the for
handle its business than almost any
other. OF all Kansas City roads the
Union Pacific is probably the least af-
fected- While the freight congestion
is felt by that road to a large extent, it
is morely largely due to a shortage of
cars than to inadequate motive power
The yards are filed with loaded cars
ready for shipment and many of them
have stood for several days, but the
number of available empties is COM
paratively small
An argument that IS put Forward by
many railroad men as one cause of the
freight congestion over the country is
the placing in use by the roads of the
tonnage system. BY this system the
roads will not move a train until it is
loaded to its capacity Consequently
there is no way provided regularly for
the picking up Of loaded cars along the
line. In many cases trains have been
overloaded and the engines have gone
dead" en- route, thus necessitating a,
delay which could have been avoided,
either by imposing smaller loads on the
locomotive in use or by providing en-
gines of greater capacity It is said
that many roads have allowed their
locomotives to deteriorate greatly and