The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-02-12
WORK ON ENGINES
Total of 2,17O Locomotives
Built During Last Year.
Factories Unable to Keep Up
- With Orders Now.
TOTAL or 1880 TO HOME ROADS
Demand at Beginning of Year
Was Very Small.
Period of Active Business Is
Forecast for Future.

There were built in the United
States during 1920 a total of 2,17O
new locomotives, according to re-
sume of the locomotive production of
the past year, published in the Wall
Street Journal.
The locomotive works are unable to
keep up with their orders at the pres
ent time, the article points out,
whereas. at the beginning of the year,
there were very few orders on their
OF the 2,17O engines built in the
American factories during the year,
730 were built for foreign countries,
and 1880 were built for American
roads, the greater number of them
of large size. There were 280 of the
domestic engines, of fifty tons or less,
for use in various industrial lines.
The article says:
"Of the total the American Loco
motive Works built approximately
1870; Baldwin, 1,145, and the Lima
Locomotive company, 295.
Many Orders on Books.
Locomotive companies entered the
new year with several months busi-
ness on their books. a sharp contrast
with the situation that existed a year
4previous. when order books were prac-
tically depleted. Active inquiries at
present are fairly large, aggregating
probably $15,00O,000 for domestic
roads and several million for foreign
systems.
"But altho it is recognized that the
railroads urgently need consider
able amount of new motive power,
many equipment men are dubious as
to whether the buying movement will
begin in the near future. In the first
place it is felt that the roads will
probably wait, whenever possible,
for lower prices before placing con-
tracts. And, to the roads, lower
money rates are also an important
factor in buying.
See Good Business Future.
''When a level satisfactory to the
roads has been reached by both prices
and interest rates, the unanimous
opinion is that the locomotive builders
will begin a long period of active bust
ness.
prices of locomotives are noAw at
the lowest point of several years, but
they are still more than 100 per cent
above pre-war levels. For some years
before the war, locomotive prices ran
from S n to 10 cents a pound-work-
ing order weight of engine. In 1916
the price advanced to more than IL
cents, and in 1917, due chiefly to
higher labor costs, to between % and
"A cents.
High Prices in 1920.
."FIighest prices were reached about
the middle of 1920, when locomotives
due to the high cost of steel and iron
and still advancing labor rate, sold at
close TO % cents pound. Recent BIDS
have been on the basis of about Il
cents, or about 16 per cent under the
high price of 1920.
1.-The foregoing quotations are exclu-
sive of extras and expensive speclaltles
which in many cases added materially
TO the price Of locomotives. For in
stance one large order for Russia was
taken on the basis of 81 cents per
pound but these engines required cop
per journal boxes, and other parts,
adding materially to the expense OF
building. incidentally these same en-
gines are now being offered for sale
by the United States government at
less than half their original cost"
A New Idea for Layman.
To the average layman, the idea of
buying and selling locomotives, like
hogs or beef. by the pound, is new and
novel, but the scale of prices and the
cost of production is such that this mas
become the most convenient method or
setting a value upon them.
IN this connection it is noted that
the Missouri Pacific's application to
the Interstate commerce commission
for a loan of $1,20O.000 from the re-
yolying fund of the government, estab-
lished for the aid of the railroads. has
been approved. and the money is 10
be used in acquiring twenty-five MI
1<ado freight locomotives and fifteen
switching locomotives at total estl-
mated cost OF $2,400,0O0. The COM
pai1y is required to finance about ST.
500 600. Including the entire cost of
five Mountain type and five Pacific
type passenger locomotives at an esu-
mated cost of about S6S0,0OO.
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