Perth Amboy evening news., 1912-10-16
HEAVY FREIGHT
TRAFFIC FELT
P. R. R. Take Precautions
Against Shortage of Cars.

The heavy freight tonnage which
the Pennsylvania Railroad are haL d.
ling at present is being moved with
unprecedented rapidity, but accord
ing to officials Of that road, the de-
mand for cars seems unquenchable.
The Pennsylvania is spending enor-
nous sums of money to provide
equipment In good repair, yet new
cars and those from the company's
W shops are swallowed up at once.
1t is significant to learn what the
Pennsylvania is doing to preclude the
possibility of a car shortage on it's
line when the heaviest fall traffic is
offered for movement.
In 1910 the total freight car equip
ment Of all the railroads in the Unit
ed States was 2,297.620 cars. OF
these, the Pennsylvania System east
and west of Pittsburgh and Erie
held by ownership Or lease 263,039-
more than IL per cent Of the total.
The entire railroad freight car
equipment of the United States in
creased 888,148 cars from 1901 to
1910, inclusive. If this increase the
Pennsylv MIA system supplied mere
than 8 per cent.
1t is thus seen that the company
provides more than IL per cent OF
the freight equipment, and in the
past ten years has provided over s
per cent of the increase in the num-
Der of cars.
So eager has the Pennsylvania
railroad beer to anticipate the de-
mands of its traffic that since jan
uary 1. 1912. 1t has ordered 1887
cars to be delivered as soon as they
can be turned out OF the shops.
To insure shippers OF Its lines ade-
quate equipment for handling busi-
ness, the company 10 waging an &C
tive campaign to get the greatest
possible service out of each Of the
263,99O freight cars owned by the
System.
One OF the Pennsylvania precau-
tons against car shortage Is to pre-
vent, as much as possible, the holding
of loaded cars at sea ports. The mo-
ment notice Ia received Of an accum-
ulation of cars loaded with freight
for export, quick steps are taken to
have the cars released at the earliest
possible time. This Is only one Of
the e~xpedients employed by the
Pennsylvania Railroad; in cases
where loaded cars accumulate be-
cause of free storage time in ware
houses, new rules are made to keep
traffic moving through the ware
houses. thereby permitting the
prompt unloading Of cars.
In addition to requesting shippers
to load and unload cars promptly,
and to load them to capacity, the
railroad has announced that unusual
efforts we're being made to reduce the
amount of equipment awaiting re-
pairs and to complete unfinished
work on new cars and locomotives.
There are at present approximate
ly $4,000 employees engaged on the
rush order to put all cars and loco
motives In Al shape, and to get
them out on the road 80 that patrons
can have the advantage of their use.
In the Pennsylvania various shops,
l. 1900 men are repairing freight cars
and 1925 are building new ones;
more than 10000 r repairing loco
motives, while 1850 are construct
ing new one Some $500 men are
working on passenger equipment.
lbC Al @oSAb
deavoring to induce shippers to move
all traffic at the earliest possible time
in order to preclude any danger OF
congestion.
Five vars ago the Pennsylvnia rail
road, as well as other railroads OF
the country. suffered very extraordi-
nard car shortage. and 1t WAS all the
management could do to handle the
traffic with the existing facilities.
Expenses which have been incurred
in the past seven or eight years for
improvement in yards and terminals,
and low grade lines, are now bearing
! fruit in the ability the company en-
joys to move it's freight tonnage with
! the umos freedom, and effors are now
| being made to secure the cooperation
of shippers so that the most may be
| made of these facilities BY securing
| the greatest mileage and loading out
| Of each freight car owned by the rail-
roads.