Los Angeles herald., 1907-05-12
TRANSPORTATION
TO MEET DEMANDS
OLD EQUIPMENT GOES TO THE
SCRAP PILE
177 Engines and Thousands Of Freight
Cars Withdrawn to Make Room
for Better Rolling
Stock
Special to The Herald.

| Special to The Herald.
| CHICAGO, May 11-Effective meas
ures have been taken to meet the heavy
| transportation demands on the lines OF
the Union and Southern Pacific sys-
TENS. Not only Is the number of cars
and locomotives, side and main track
being largely increased, but old equip
ment is being sent to the scrap heap
and each new car and locomotive Is Of
greater capacity. Improved methods of
handling traffic have been introduced
with such success that these two sys-
TENS now hold the highest record for
car movement on the basis Of the num-
ber of miles their cars make in year.
For delivery this year the Union
Pacific has ordered 144 locomotives, SO
passenger cars, 5000 refrigerator cars
and 1880 other freight cars, the aggre-
gate cost Of which will be $14,000,000
The Southern Pacific, to provide for
increasing traffic and new lines has or
dered 1877 locomotives, 1923 passenger
cars, 5000 refrigerator cars and 4108
other freight cars. Together with the
three new freight and passenger steam
ers building for this road, it's new
equipment will cost $17.000,00O.
Facilities Ahead of Demand
Old and inferior equipment on the
Southern Pacific to the number of 127
locomotives and 1889 freight cars was
withdrawn from service in the past
year to be replaced with rolling stock
from which much better service can be
secured. The average carrying capaci-
ty of the cars on the two systems has
been increased $4,000 pounds in five
years, the total new freight car equip
ment ordered in this time, 10000, being
equal in carrying capacity to 10000
cars of the standard type used few
years ago. These new additions are
far greater in tonnage capacity than
the entire equipment owned by the
two systems only four years ago.
Anticipating to great extent the in
creased traffic to be handled, the Union
Pacific and Southern Pacific in five
years have purchased 1894 locomotives
and 40,196 new freight cars, represent
ing an expenditure of over $60,000,000.
To move an estimated increase of traf-
fic of Al per cent, the two systems this
year will have 66 per cent more car
capacity and SO per cent more loco
motive capacity than they had five
years ago.
Car Movement Records Broken
To increase the mile run per car,
systems have been introduced which
vastly expedite movement, making the
Union and Southern Pacific the holders
of the high record in this respect. The
mile run per car per year is:
Loaded: Empty;
For all railroads ............. $500 1850
On Union Pacific. .............. 1851 29S0
On Southern Pacific .......... 1912 29lO
In the transportation of perishable
products this faster car movement Is
especially important, besides making
possible better service to all shippers.
The car clearing house, under which
all cars owned by separate lines of the
Union and Southern Pacific are pooled
and handled as of common ownership,
has also aided in getting more efficient
use of equipment. Cars under this
system can be quickly moved to places
where they are most needed.
High Records Required
Carefully kept records show the use
made of cars and locomotives, and Of
ficers making a poor showing in this
respect are held strictly accountable.
Special care has for some time been
given to the loading of cars and loco
motives so as to utilize tonnage ca
pacity and tractive ability to the full
est extent To keep all equipment up
to the high state of efficiency made
necessary by heavy traffic demands
ST., ,000,0 00G was spent by the Union and
Southern Pacific lines in the past year
for rolling stock repairs. These are
all factors in the showing made as to
mile run per car on these lines as COM
pared to other roads.
Yard facilities for handling increased
traffic have more than kept pace with