The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-10-26
Big PROBLEM TO
HANDLE AUTOS

Detroit, Oct. 26,-will the railroad
companies be able to handle the trans
portation business of the automobile
factories during the coming winter Is
a question which anxlously is asked
these days by h trafI1o managers or
the big automobile companies at De-
troit from which point a good, share of
the worlds cars are dispatched by rail
to dealers and customers everywhere.
1t is estimated that 1t will take 100, 900
freight cars for the Detroit automobile
business alone during the coming year.
OF this big amount it is estimated
the Ford Motor Co, alone will use 3d.
600 freight cars. This n company
used more than $4,000 freight cars dur
ing the season just past and it is
figured that it will need more than
twice as many cars during the coming
twelve months
The car shortage encountered by the
trade last winter is still in the minds
of automobile manufacturers, How
ever, last winter was an exceptionally
severe one from every standpoint. A
winter like it this year, however, would
work untold havoc.
Already traffic managers are hearing
rumors of lack of cars. In explanation
the railway companies are pointing to
the heavy crops in the west which must
fields.
This year there probably will be
about twice as many automobiles to be
transported by rail- as there were last
year. Almost every automobile COM
pany has planned to increase it's pro-
duction during the coming year Con-
~sequently many more freight cars will
be needed The biggest automobile
company OF them ALL, the Ford Motor
company, has more than doubled the
capacity of it's factory which this sea-
son built $4,000 cars.
should the winter prove anything
like aa severe as that of last year,
many of the automobile concerns are
bound to suffer because OF lack OF
shipping facilities. This is the general
| opinion OF the traffic managers of the
most Important companies.
Traffic Manager Hogue of the Ford
Motor company does not have quite. the
I situation to face in regard to obtain.
ing freight cars for his company as DO
the trafic managers of other compan-
les. He explains that with the per-
| fectly equipped assembling plants of
throughout the country, it is possibge
to ship cars in k-nocked-doWn shape in
| almost any type of freight Car. Speciai
| freight cars are only required by the
| company when shipping assembled
cars. Other companies have to stick
| almost exclusively to the large auto
mobile freight cars.
The only type OF shipments made by.
the Ford Motor company which re-,
quires the regulation style automobile
freight car are those to foreign coun-
tries. In, this instance about six Fords
can be loaded into one freight car. nm
the knocked down style of shipment
the Ford company can do wonders in
the way of conserving freight1car space
as was demonstrated recently when
$40 automobiles were packed In twenty
four freight cars and shipped TO the
| Kansas City assembling. plant.
But wen with it's excellent system OF
| shipping and utilization of car space,
any dearth OF freight cars is bound TO
hit the Ford company along with the
| rest.
Railroad companies recognize the sit
| uation as holding serious possibilities
or to forestall the condition which
| seems almost certain to come with the
first severe storms OF winter.