Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-31
Cost of Railway epveIonment


hind this shrinkage, my friends, the bank
ers here tell me that it is necessary to con-
slider the development that has taken place
in the mechanical condition of the great
railroads Of the country and note the tend
ency to general rebuilding, heavy equip
ment and increased speed
The coal traffic of the PENNSYLVANIA rail-
road developed the f1fty-ton freight car and
the giant locomotive" said one of the most
prominent financial authorities in New
York, and one Of the sanest philosophers.
That railroad stands at the top. 1t has
the most progressive management we have
in America, and other roads look to 1t for
experimental methods The adoption of
heavier cars and locomotives and longer
trains made ii necessary to relay the tracks
with heavier rails and rebuild the bridges
and culverts. At the same time faster speed
for the passenger service was developed,
which required new engines of great weight,
and they, in turn, required heavier rails to
Withstand the impact of the driving wheels.
All this neceSsitated the rebuilding of the
trunk lines. Practically every railroad in
the United States has been rebuilt, and pro-
vided with almost entire new outfit of
equipment. The expense of this reconstruct
ton has, in many cases, been equal to the
original cost of the road, for everything is
new except the right of way. With the cut
ting out of curves. the lowering of grades
and the elevations of tracks through the
cases have been abandoned and the present
ones are more than one-half new.
Many engineers think the railroads have
gone too far and will be compelled to re-
duce the speed of their fast trains and the
tonnage of their freight trains a meas
ure of economy. l saw in the paper the
other day a statement from a well-known
engineer that an average of twenty rails
had to be replaced every time eighteen
hour train between New York and Chicago
passed the tracks, and you have
doubtless seen the discussion about the ex-
pediency of making rails of nickel in order
to withst and the impact of the heavy en-
gines.
Period of Unprecedented Prosperity.
"All these Improvements have been made
in response to the demands Of an extraor-
binary period of prosperity. No nation In
any period of the worlds history has ever
been SO rich or so prosperous, or has ever
made so much progress in material civili-
cation as the United States during the pres
ent decade. And the railroads Of the coun-
try have been more directly affected by
this extraordinary development than any
other of our corporations because they have
had to haul the raw material and the fuel
and the finished products and carry the
men to transact the stupendous business
that has been going on. They not only
had to rebuild their tracks but they had
their facilities in every respect. See what
they are doing here in New York. The
Pennsylvania, the New York Central and
other roads are now expanding more than
a hundred million dollars, perhaps a hun
bred and fifty millions, within the limits
of the Greater New York to facilitate the
convenience of their patrons and to de-
liver their passengers and freight nearer
their destination.
The increase in rolling stock within the
last five years has been larger than the
entire equipment of all the railroads in the
country ten years ago. Every engine shop
every car factory has been work night and
day to fill the orders. and they have not been
able to supply the demand. The car famine
has become q national issue. 1t has occu-
pied the attention of the President the
interstate commerce commission and the
courts and has been the topic of daily dis
cussion in the newspapers. The railroads
were not to blame any more than the car
factories. The one would have bough,
and the other would have sold enough cars
to handle the traffic Of the country If such
thing had been possible. But, although
the increase In the capacity of the manu-
featuring plants has been unprecedented, il
has not kept pace with the demands, and