New-York tribune., 1921-12-11
receiver, it seems right 60 continue
the Katy in the class of weak roads.
Train Loading

ehe Katy IN the class of weak roads.
Train Loading
There is another way of dividing
roads as between weak and strong
roads, and that is to compare the fig
ures showing actual performance, such
as, for instance, train loading or the
condition of cars and locomotives. 1t
is, of course, impossible to set any
standard for the average load of rev
enue freight per train. A coal carry
ing road with fairly good grades should
have an average trainload Of more than
500 tons. road doing little carrying
of coal and largely merchandise bust
/ ness would have a creditable train
loading record if it averaged 900 tons.
Comparing our thirty roads on the
basis of train loading, the Delaware &
Hudson, the Lehigh Valley, the Perc
Marquette, the Pennsylvania, Chesa-
peake & Ohio, Norfolk & Western,
Illinois Central, ST. Paul, Great North
ern, Denver & Rio Grande, Southern
Pacific, Union Pacific and Missouri,
Kansas & Texas show fsvorably. All
OF these roads, however, show a lower
average trainload in September, 1921,
than they did in the corresponding
month of 1920. This is largely due to
falling off in traffic. great many
classes of freight have to be moved
within limited time, regardless Of
considerations of train leading, and for
this reason, when traffic is light. the
average trainload falls off through no
lack of efficiency on the part of oper-
ating forces.
lhe roads that are making COM
paratively poor showing in train load
ing are the Seaboard Air Line, the
Louisville Nashville and the St.
Louis-San Francisco.
While train loading is not under
present circumstances as good test
OF roads earning powers as it would
De under normal times, the condition
OF equipment is most important test
and one the value Of which is appre-
Grated by comparatively few people who
SIMPLY study the financial conditions
ana earning statements of railroads.
Equipment Condition
Of the thirty roads selected the Della
ware Hudson stands out as particu
!arly good. This company had 25s
locomotives in serviceable condition in
September, 1920, and 275 in Septem-
Der, 1921. In 1920 only 147 per cent
were unserviceable and only 12.3 ner
cent were unserviceable in September,
l91l. The company had 121 locomot otives
stored-in white lead, as it is called
/ IN September, 1921
In almost as good shape and show
1920 and 1921 is the Norfolk e. West. est.
ern. with 618 locomotives seryiceable
IN September, 1921, as against sol in
l92o, and with l3 per cent of the total
on line unserviceablc, as against 26 3
per cent in September, 1920. The N.
d w. in September 1921, had 2O3 loco
motives in white lead.
Next in order is the Louisville g.
/ Nashville, with 14.62 per cent unser-
ylceaple in 1921, as against 17.2 in
lead. ""''0
The Seaboard Air Line stands out as
in particularly poor shape. 1t had in
! september, 1921, only 40 serviceable
iocom otlves, as compared with I'll SER
vlceable IN the corresponding month
OF 1870. The unserviceabl locomotives
IN 1921 represented 349 per cent of
tn the total and in 1920 34.5 per cent.
lhe Seaboard had only four locomo-
tlVes IN white lead, and it should be
remembered that with the Seaboard
the period of heavy traffic comes not
IN the earlier fall months but in De-
cember, January and February.
Curlousiy enough, the Burlington,
winch by almost every other test that
can be applied to road shows up as
strong both as to financial results and
operating statistics, shows up poorly
In regard to the condition of it's lcco-
motives. In September, 1921, 28.2 per
cent Of its total number of locomo-
tlves we're in unserviceable condition,
compared with 2e5 per cent unservice-
able in September, 1920. In 1921 the
Burlington had seventy three locomo-
tives in white lead
Other roads with comparativelv
poor showing are the Missouri Pacific,
the Missouri, Kansas & Texas, the
Southern Pacific, the Great Northern,
the Northern Pacific, the Chicago &,
Northwestern ard the Pennsylvania.
The Lehigh Valley is not particularly
good, although it shows far better
condltlon than in September, 1920.
motives in September this wear was
y per cent, as against 3O6 per cent
the year before. This year the Lehigh
Valley had 121 locomotives in white
lead. 1t may be recalled that one ex-
planation of the poor showing of net
that the Lehigh Valley has been max
ing is that the company has been
spending extraordinarily large amounts
TO get It's equipment and its roadbed
in shape.
The figures for unserviceable loco
motives for September, 1920, show
what poor shape the government left
the road in, and the September, 1921,
figures would indicate that up to the
end of that month, even with the ex
traordinary efforts of the management,
they had not got their equipment back
into the high standards which the Le-
high Valley has attempted to main
tain. The percentage of bad order
cars is low compared with many other
roads, but not low as compared with
a really high standard.
Fourteen and two-tenths per cent of
freight cars were in bad order in Sep
tember, 1921, as compared with "a per
cent in September, 1920
The Delaware & Hudson and the
Norfolk & Western appear in all
three strong lists. The Pere Mar
quette, the Chesapeake & Ohio, the
Illinois Central, the Union Pacific and
the Southern Pacific appear in two out
of the three strong classifcations.
jewelers. Fear Competition