The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-01-02
THE RAILROADS HAVE
BEEN VERY HARD
PRESSED
During the Last Year-Busi-
ness Has Been Record
Breaker in 1906.

American railways during the last
year, have made wonderful efforts to
handle the vast increase in business,
according to statistics published in the
Railway Age. In the twelve months
just passed there have been orders
placed for 3.4OO passenger cars, $3.50
locomotives and $1,000 freight cars.
Besides that there have been 5000
miles of new railways built. These
figures show total of nearly three
quarters of billion dollars which
has been expended to take care of the
increase
The total of mileage built is greater
than any other year since 1883 and
the extensive plans for new mileage
in the Northwest promise to make the
coming year the greatest in history
for railroad building.
The most interesting figures, how
ever are those who show the marvel
GUS struggle of the railroads, especial
ly in the West, to handle the excess of
freight. A year ago, there were orders
placed for 341,S15 freight cars in this
country. Canada and Mexico and
3O2,S76 of these cars were ordered
placed from American companies.
In 1906 there were orders placed for
310,S05 freight cars, OF which 25S,SS6
were placed with American compan-
les.
But the orders that have already
been placed for cars next year insure
the building of more cars during 1907
than in any previous year. Everyone
of the contract companies has orders
in for cars which will strain their cap
acity, up to Sept. 1. That will mean
that the contract companies, which
have a capacity of about 100000 cars
year, will turn out as many as 170,-
900 by Sept. 1. According to that
figure, there should be an output next
year of fully $4,000 cars from the
contract companies and the private
shops.
A remarkable feature of the new
orders that have been coming in lies
in the fact that most of the tremend-
GUS expansion is for cars of steel and
with steel underframes About Al per
cent of all the cars ordered last year
were for those of this class. This
class of cars is essential in tunnels
and subways, where no other form of
construction is thought Of The Pull
man company has about completed
the first absolutely fire-proof steel car
for sleeper, and m my of the individ-
ual railway companies have erected
steel sleepers of their own during the
last year.
There has been decrease of 623
locomotives ordered during 1906 over
the engines ordered the year before.
But those ordered have been of much
higher type in power and size. Almost
the last order which has been received
was for an engine of 10 by "a cylind-
ers and weight on four drivers of
100000 pounds.
The coming year will introduce
many large electric locomotives for
use on the eastern lines. The result
may mean a great reduction in the
number Of orders placed for steam
locomotives.
Three great railways are making
great plans for expansion in the North
west, the Great Northern. Northern
Pacific and the st. Paul road. These
companies have ordered an increase
of stock amounting to over $222,OOO,-
600. Most of this money will go into
increasing the equipment and into
building new lines. The st. Paul road
especially will expend great sums in
building new lines through its West
ern extensions. The other two roads
will devote most of the amounts put
aside for building, into putting double
trackage on their main divisions.