Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-09-16
AUTOMOBILES ON Railways
Literary Digest.


along tamely in freight cars. Why not mt them
with Hanged wheels and let them speed away un-
der their own power? It is the opinion OF a writer
in Engineering and Contracting that much OF our
freight could be handled prohtaby on sn1all lilles
in this way, and he pointed to the use OF Mexican
railway lines by American automobile trucks as
an instance of what can be done. ii railway man
ayers were alert enough, he says TO reaiiZe ina,
this new instrument OF transportation IS aoapted
to rails as we'll as to ordinary roads, we shouio
not see what he terms failure" in the econom-
les of traction.
WHY not automobilize our railways" he
asks And he goes on to say:
Twenty years ago when the trolley car began
to cut into the passenger receipts OF railways, the
loss Of business taken as phosophicaiiy as
il it were an act Of Cod Had steam railway
managers been quick to seize the new invention
OF electric transportation, we should TO-DAY nave
few independent interurban trolley lines and more
economic transportation.
Now we are witnessing similar failure on
the part of all railway managers-electric as well
as steanl--to seize the newest instrument OF trans,
portation Motor trucks are already stealing
much of the short-hau freight traffic. Why not
automobze the railways?
Because Carranza would not permit American
troops to use Mexican railway equipment some
genius in our army temporarily transformed mo-
tor trucks into railway rolling stock by fastening
detachable steel hanges to the motor truck wheels
Thus the trucks were driven over the railways
where there were railways available The change
from rail vehicle to dirt road vehicle is quickly
made, and thus the problem of automoblng one
railway system was speedily effected in part.
"Innumerabe rail lines carry only few trains
daily and the trainloads are not great at best
There is every reason to believe that much OF the
freight traffic over such lines could be more
cheaply handled by motor trucks adapted to run
on rails as we'll as on roads.
THE one great economic principle that Ameri-
can railway managers have always treated with
scant consideration is this: Every equation OF
unit costs should contain every element in the
total cost, and should be solved for minimum
unit cost In transportation the total cost is not
the rail cost alone, but includes delivery to the
rail terminal at one end and conveyance to the
destination at the other end as we'll as the hand
ling and fixed charges at all terminals.
Railway managers have always had their eyes
conferred on what they regarded as being their
part of the transportation cost-the rail part
They have very largely ignored the part of the
total cost that is now much greater in the aggre-
gate than the cost of rail haulage. Does not
broader vision dictate complete change in rail-
way policy? May not the pressing and perplex-
ing problems of furnishing adequate terminal ia
cities in large cities be solved by acknowledging
the terminals?
why will it not be economic to tranfer nearly
all freight from cars to motor trucks outside the
limits OF large cities the trucks into the cities
on rails, remove their temporary wheel fanges,
and thus enable them to run over paved streets
to their destination
Railway managers, wake up! Come out of
your narrow path, and beyond its extremities,
into all the highways of transportation. View
transportation in its entirety your real field OF
action, and you will add more to human wealth
than you have already added-which is vast
deal" s. 49,.
ia, hoe he foil