Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1922-10-05
f. v. D. RAIL CAR
ECONOMICAL
ONE IN OPERATION BY NEW. OR.
LEANS LOWER COAST RAIL
ROAD PAST TWO YEARS
REDUCES COST OF
SERVICE
(Clintonviile Gazette)

The operation OF an EWD rail car
since November 8, 1920, by the New
Orleans & Lower Coast Railroad on
a run between AIgiers and Buras
Louisiana, at steady and substantial
profit, has proven to the officials of
that road the practicability and the
efficiency of gasoline railway equip
ment.
A steam train was formerly op-
Grated on this sixty-mile run st a
steady loss. During the war the con.
tinuance of steady losses appeared
to be inevitable, so the morning train
on this particular run was discontin-
ued entirely. After the war the Of
ficials of the line decided to re-estab-
lish the service, using gasoline equip
ment. They purchased chassis from
the Four Wheel Drive Auto Co. of
Clintonville, Wis, and built. a body
for it with seating capacity of 80
passengers, in their own shops. 1t
was completed and installed so that
the car was placed in service on No
yember 3, 1920. Since that time the
car has made one round trip daily
except Sunday, between Algiers and
and Buras. In making this run the
speed of the car ranges up to a max
lmum of 35 miles per hour and the
entire run of sixty miles, including
time for stopping, is made in about
four hours.
The average of about fifteen cents
per mile is necessary to operate the
gasoline sar. This includes fuel, oil,
repairs, replacement parts, salaries of
n1otorman and conductor, insurance,
etc. The cost of operating the train,
consisting of a steam locomotive and
two coaches over the same run was
Alb cents per mile. This cost is COM
puted on the same basis as the cost
of operating the motor car. Neither
of these figures includes the main
tenance of right f-way, but it stands
to reason that the heavy locomotive
with two coaches would do more
damage to the right of-way than the
motor car, which weighs only about
six and one quarter tons. In other
words, the motor car saves 26.8 cents
per mile and if the cost of right OF
S1oo I11%o al, IoI
saving would probably be consider
ably more. Figuring on a 302-day
year with 120 miles of travel to the
credit of the motor car each day, one
can readily see that the saving thru
the use of the motor car mounts I'D
into the thousands of dollars per wear.
Since the inauguration of motor
car service on this run the patronage
of the line has increased to such an
extent that the addition to the equip
ment Of other cars has neen necessary.
However, instead of going back to
the use of a steam train, the officials
of the road purchased a trailer chas-
sis from the Four Wheel Drive Auto
Company and have built body for
it. By changing the seating arrange
ments in the motor car, the two-car
train now seats ffty-two passengers
and has baggage and mail compart-
nrent and a toilet. With this addition
al equipment a more complete service
is given and the comfort and conven-
fence of passengers is increased.
In operating their motor equipment
the New Orleans & Lower Coast Rail
road have adopted the policy of aav-
ing man spend a short time each
night going over the equipment after
it has been placed in the shed and
seeing that everything is in ship
shape. This plan not only insures
safety to the passengers and elirnin-
ates delays through breakages on the
run, but it adds much to the life Of
the equipment.
Although operating conditions vary
on different railroad lines, such facts
and figures as given above are fast
convincing railroad operators that
railway motor equipment has an i'm
portant place in the success and pro-
ftable operation of the country's rail
roads