The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-03-24
Union Passenger Station Detri-
ment to a Modern City.
Passengers Pass Right Though
and Do Not Spend Money.
FREIGHT TERMINALS.
Merchants Benefited by United
Freight Facilities.
Other Items of General Interest
i'm Railroad World.

A union passenger station is a detri-
ment to city. but union freight ter
minal railway is "A benefit, says the
Railway Age-Gazette. Where there is
q union passenger station many pas
bengers travel straight through without
spending any time or money, which is
a loss to the city. Union freight ter
minals, on the other hand. afford cheap
er switching to the merchants of the
city, and their goods can be delivered
more promptly. A railway covering all
switching zones can do the switching
more quickly and more cheaply than
where these zones are the yards OF
different railways.
A trunk line naturally gives more
consideration to road business than 10
strictly switch business. They are in
ttrested in getting their outbound long
haul stuff lined uD and away on time,
and long haul inbound freight deliver
ed TO connections or placed at unload
ing points; much more interested than
IL handling of a loaded car for an in
dustry on their rails given them by a
CO meeting liY.e; one to be handled a
short distance for a small switching
charge.
switching railway has every in
Centive to handle all cars in turn and
quickly. 1t is d specialist, and ITS
speciality is local switching service The
entire organization from the president
down is right on the ground and IN
close touch with the people and the sit
uatiOn at all times. Immediate super
1lsiOn is constant. and supervision pays
the highest rate of interest, especially
IL crowded terminals where there are
many complexities and a great amount
of business to be done in limited space.
Trunk lines having terminals in cities
OF the hrst-class should have terminal
superintendents. Bv watchfulness cap
able officers can save their salaries
many times over every day.
A union terminal railway need not
handles is under per diem, all cars
must be hurried. only from two to six
days being allowed to get them placed,
U1loaded and returned empty to the
delivering line. If switching line does
not handle cars promptly, all the profit
of the switching service is lost In pay
ment of per diem to the owners of the
cars. The majority of cars on trunk
forced to hustle to escape the % cents
& day.
Many industries complain that their
shipments are punched. A union ter
minal railway avoids this to a large
extent by systematic switching; hand
ling cars in rotation. The records of
any union terminal railway compared
with trunk line terminals, in the same
section of the country. will show that
there is less punching and more prompt
movement by the switching line.
A union terminal railway, being able
to handle carloads to destination quick
~ and Cnedply. pleaSeS Shippers anu
receivers and promotes the growth of
the city. Good service is the surest
guarantee that a railway will increase
its usefulness and it's revenue. 1t is
fast getting to a point where good ser
vice is the best advertisement of a rail-
way.
Where movements are made quickly
there are few stray cars, fewer mis-
takes and less liability of theft, and
men work better. Activity is contagious.
Where a set of men are ahead of their
" ork or right UP with 1t all the time,
whether in an Office or shifting freight
cars in the yard. they work more quick
ly and with a better spirit than when
showed under.
A union terminal company may be
looked upon as the fountain head of the
different railways branching out from
a city. Such a corporation can better
deal with the people. 1t is more likely
to expand and keep its facilities ahead
of the needs; has more power with the
community and can get necessary con-
cessions from municipal officers more
readily than they can be got by indi- |
vidual railways working independently.
City officers will recognize the benefits
of a union terminal as compared with |
Independent terminals.
A railway doing switching must ex-
pand its facilities and organization, and !
must keep ahead of the switching ne