The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-08-01
Western Roads Rapidly Cutting
Out Excursions.
Less Interference Thus Offered
to Movement of Trains.
SHY ON EQUIPMENT.
Rolling Stock All Utilized fol
Regular Traffic.
Other Items of Interest to
Railway People.

One feature Of railway TRANSFORMATION
which is receiving a great deal less at
tention this year than formerly ia the
problem of excursions, In fact the roads
in the section of the country are almost
unanimous in eliminating the excursions
If possible. This is especially noticeable
in the Sunday and holiday excursions.
In former years the Sunday excursions
by the different roads have been looked
upon as almost necessities and were run
more because people were in the habit
OF expecting something of the sort than
from the pecuniary returns The ex-
curslons however oftentimes have
proved advantageous from the stand
point of profit.
However, during the past year or two
Ine transportation problems of the DIFF
Ierent roads have been greatly in
creased. The scarcity Of Equipment ia
g. serious problem for the railroads to
face at the present time without the
added problems offered by the nuttin1
on or extra Sunday trains. For the pur-
pose of running a Sunday excursion he
tween two points it is almost alxa va
round necessary to mobilize coaches and
chair cars from different points on the
system for several days in advance.
This takes them out of service for Gov
eral days while they are being brought
together and returned. In this time
the roads receive nothing for this mart
of the rolling stock. s.
Most western roads and especially
those in this immediate section of the
country are none too well supplied with
rolling stock. The traffic at the present
time has reached the highest point in
the history of the west. Traffic to Colo
RADIO and other points threatens to reach
Inc point or congestion at times. This
is the busy season of the year from a
railroad standpoint People are now on
their vacation All this taxes the capac-
ity of the different systems to a point
that is far out of proportion to the bene-
fits that could be derived from running
an excursion train.
Most Of the roads have orders for
equipment which will in time alleviate
these conditions. But this time will not
arrive in the near future. The car shops
are far behind with their orders and
large orders that called for delivery sew
eral months ago are still undeIivered In
some cases roads have orders as far
behind as a year. At the rate that the
factories are taxed at the present time
1t is doubtful whether the deliveries to
the railway systems will enable them to
more than keep pace with the gradual
increase in business. p 40
Scarcity of motive power is another
question that forcesS the Sunday excur-
sion into the background. None of the
western roads have necessary service
and in many cases the engine that pulls
a Sunday excursion Is the only engine
CnaL is lett TO take trains IN case or an
engine failure or breakdown.
Excursions have been found to be det-
rimental to the movement of traffic
both of a freight and passenger natuSe.
Traffic is considered congested enough
already. Every through freight must
sidetrack for an excursion and often
times make long delays in this way.
The fewer trains running on the right
of-way that the company maintains the
quicker will be their service.
Two cent fares have served in meas
ure to give the excursions a setback.
Even under the mileage book system
more people are enabled to take trips
such as they would take on an excur-
sion on regular train. Excursions are
not as profitable under the two cent
fare system and they also tend to de-
tract from the profits of regular traffic
to a greater extent than under the old
fiat rate of three cents. With the pos
pect of a fiat two cent fare rate in
sight the demand for excursions will
become still smaller and in short time
it is expected that the excursions will
be done away with entirely.
On some systems there have been pos
tive orders issued by the head of the |
operating department to the effect that |
excursions must be cut out as much as
possible and a few systems have cut |
them out almost entirely. |