The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1921-01-25
MORE ENGINES
is RAIL Need
Budget Set Aside $105,0 600, 900
for 1900, but This Is Short
Of Requirements.
EFFICIENCY CAMPAIGN IS ON
Efforts Directed Toward Quicker Re-
pairs and Plans to ProIona Locomo'
tive Llfe-FalIing OF in Pro-
dvction of Engines.

New York. -Expenditure of more
than S105.000,000 for 1900 new loco
motives for American railroads will
not meet urgent transportation needs
this year, according to d statement
issued by the Association OF Railway
Executives IN its bulletin entitled
more Transportation" Quicker re
pairs on disabled locomotives and ef.
forts 10 Increase the years Of service
OF each engine are badly needed.
ain the program for utilization OF
the $300000000 revolving loan fund
provided for in the Transportation act"
says the bulletin. there are loans TO
some thirty-two companies amounting
10 $29,000,0O0 10 enable them 10 &C.
QlIre $50 freight locomotives and 277
switching locomotives. that Will cost
SjS000,00o. Even II this is maxi.
mum possible program for Increase Of
motive power at this time, pending
The availability OF new locomotives,
more service must be obtained from
ii+F lOlNtIDi4NtN We AANt.
Heavier Loading Needed.
IAN immediate reduction In the
number OF locomotives now unfit for
service is obviously an essential par,
OF the more transportation" program.
Heavier loading may be achieved, car
movement may be increased. hut sde-
qnale means to haul the traffic is IN
dlspensable.
ION sppt. is. Of all locomoufes,
~ per cent we're ont Of service for
'ePalrs requiring over - hours. and
o. per cent for repairs yHquiring less
lhan a hours As a basis for com.
porison, although the repairs gere
kept or a different basis at tha, time,
in September, 1917. 1873 per cent q
freight locomotives were In shops for
repairs. or awaiting repairs
1T must be agreed that the nun
Der Of locomotives out Of service for
repairs IS too many It Is too ms1y
even II here were In service AL tAe
locomotives needed. Rut since there
Is shortage ~ locomotives Il Is all
the more necessary that the last ounce
n effort should be exhausted TO re.
duce The percentage OF locomotives out
Of service.
The average number OF locomotives
acquired yearly Nv Class roads In
the four years ended June 80. 1916.
was 2,554. and the average number
retired 207l. showing an average an
nual increase In the number In service
Of 4S3. In 1917 aud 1918 the locomo.
tlves acquired totaled 495l. In the
same years 2,400 locomotives were re
tired. This shows an Increase in the
number Of locomotives in service Of
1875 n year, but this apparent in.
cease was due to reduction In the rata
of retirement.
Drop In Production.
"In 1919 the three largest locomo
i've building companies constructed
only 946 locomotives for standard
gauge roads In the United States. This
compares with an average of zoos
locomotives built annually by these
companies for the roads during the
| preceding eleven years. The compa
niles In question supply three-quarter,
Of oil locomotives used by Glass /
! roads"
Telling of the success OF the other
features Of the more transportation
program the bulletin says:
Average daily movement of freight
cars has been increased from %;
miles in February to 26,l miles IN
July, and incomplete statistics for An
] gust Indicate q still further improve
ment, Average loading per freight
car has also been largely increased
/ The average for all roads for
/ was 99G tons. but for