Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-12-06
RAILWAYS RAISE
THEIR EFFICIENCY
BY BIGGER LOADS
Roads Have Effected Enor-
nous Economies in Recent
Years, Says Railway Age
Gazette,

Louis ID. Brandeis scientific man /
agement'' schemes for saving the rail- +
roads a million dollars day pale into
insignifcanee when compared with
what the roads have actually accom-
plished by their own efficiency and
to save themselves from bankruptcy,
according TO the Railway Age Gazette,
which publishes in its current issue q
compilation to show the enormous
economies the.rairoads have effected
in recent years 10y increasing their
average loads per freight train
''On of the most effective ways OF
improving railroad efficiency says
the Railway Age Gazette, " is to in
crease the number of tons Of freight
per train lit hen shows that out OF
thirty-five important roads whose an
nual reports for the fiscal year 1919
are available, twenty-tight have sue
eeeded in increasing their trainload
as compared with the previous year. in
spite Of declining freight traffic, bring
ing the average for the> thirty-flNe
roads from 482 tons in 1914 up to 5Oi
tors in 1915, or a gain of twenty-five
tons, and that the railroads of the
United states as "A whole increased
| their average tarinload of freight from
! l7q.S tons in 1894 to 307S tons in
1904 and 45lS tons in 1914
Operating Cost lower.
In other words the Railway Age
| Gazette says, ito have handled the
ttraffic OF 1914 with the average train
of 1894 would have required running
600,000.0O0 train miles instead OF
638, 900, 600" or $50 per cent more
than the train mileage actually run III
1914. Even the average loading OF
307.S tons in 1904 would have required
running 100000 train miles IN
\ 1914 instead Of 63S,000,0o0. In 1884
the railroads of the United states ham
died S0,335, GEO, 900 tons Of freight one
mile and in 1914 total Of 288,335,'
! 00O, 600 one mile, This is an increase
Of 259 per cent, but it was handlee
with only ~ per cent more train mlles
The 1914 ton mileage represents al
increase OF 65 per cent over that OF
1904, which was 174522, 100000, bu
1t required an Increase Of only Ia
: per cent in train miles.
THE average cost Of operation PEI
j train mile for all trains, as shown b,
the Interstate commerce cOmmisaiol
reports. was Sl.31 in 1904 and Sill
in 1914. The cost per train mile j
freight service is considerably hlghe
than the average for both freight an'
passenger service. While It is impos
S sble to state exactly the cost OF oper
] alton for a freight train mile I IS eVl
dent that a saving Of 962000,000 trail
miles means a saving of hundreds .
millions Of dollars annually in oper
Q ating expenses,
= Cars Bigger; Trains Larger
r "Handling greater tonnage with
9 out a proportlonate increase IN IN
= number OF trains has been for man
: years one Of the most vital factors !
/ enabling the railroads of the Unite
Il states to stand as well as they hay
=, an almost continuous redueelth {
rates in connection with constants
increasing expenses, This has pee
accomplished both by using large
j cars, By loading more tons OF tfelBi
n into q car and by running more car
o per train. The amount Of the II
j. crease in tons per train from 1914
1914 alone is greater than the tot'
average tons per train OF the rallWas
:. in most other countries. OUTSIDE
" Canada and Mexico, Germany Is "
fonly countries in the world whos
1 railways come anywhere near ours
e Ftran loading. The heaNy Tram loa'
f. ing is the principal element IN maxim
= possible the low freight rates eharBt
# and high wages paid IN the unitI
!. states as compared with foreign coui
= tries
The Railway Age Gazette points o.
+ that increasing the tonnage OF
y train adds so little to the transport
IS tion expense that It is more than OF
set BY the reduction In the numb
Of trains run, and that \ is aliho
true that revenues are measured
ION miles and expenses by tram mli'
NJ Why Railways Complain.
!" I'm view Of this showing Of savin
in operating expenses, the questl'
j naturally arises as to why so 1nal
m railways are complaining that Tn
te are in a bad plight financially. II
n. IS due partly to the fact that |
III economy In operation secured by
o. creaslng trainloads is partly offset
the increase in investment and Fix
az charges that it is necessary TO INC
al in order TO effect this economy 7
II investment in reductions IN grad
or and curvature. in heavier rails, me
by powerful locomotives and longer 8
on ings and passing and yard tracks
n greatly increased total inter
ne charges. But the greatest increi
no in outgo has been caused by
heavy advances in wages. The "a
roads in 1914 paid over 1900 00O,t