The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-10-28
LARGE ORDERS FOR NEW
CARS AND LOCOMOTIVES

! "The orders the railways have placed
thus far this year for locomotives and
| freight cars show that they are using
{ all available resources to increase their
facilities, says the Railway Age The
number OF freight cars ordered this year
tc' October Is was 122, 953 This exceeds
the average annual records of both the
last five and the last ten years. In fact
in only three years Of the last ten were
larger orders placed, namely in 1912, 1913
and 1916. The average number of cars
ordered annually in the ten years ending
with 1921 was LOG, 400, and in the five
years ending with 1921 1t was 64,619.
THE number of locomotives which had
been ordered to October Is was 1872. The
average number ordered annually in the
ten years ending with 1921 was 2,11S.
Thus, orders placed in the first forty one
weeks Of this year do not equal the an
nual average orders of-the last decade: |
They do, however, exceed the average
number ordered annually in tn five years
ending with 1921, which was only 1.4S3.
THE new equipment bought will not, !
OF course, result in equivalent net in |
crease in the amount of equipment in |
service. The average number of lccomo- |
tives retired from service annually in the |
ten years ending with 1921 was 1915. This !
is only Ut less than the total number
ordered thus far this year. The average
number Of freight cars scrapped and re-
tired from service annually in the ten
years ending with 1921 was 76,760. This
is only 1919 less than the total freight
cars ordered thus far this year. Because
Of inability of the railways within recent
years to buy a nurmal amount of new
equipment the number of locomotives and /
cars that ought to be retired is now I'M
usually large.
But two and one-half months of the
year 1922 still remained when these sta
tistics regarding the orders placed this
year were compiled. Substantial orders
are still being placed and probably will
continue to be until the end of the year.
They will provide for normal years net
increase in equipment, but will hardly
make up for any of the large deficiency
in equipment which has accrued within
recent years.
THE comparatively large orders for
and cars being placed evil
IDENTIFY are predicted on the belief of rail-
way managers that traffic will continue
to move in increasing volume
'In the fall of 1920 the railways handled
the largest business that they ever did
in their history. The total number of
cars loaded with freight in the four
weeks ending with October IA, 1922, was
onlv 20 per cent less than the number
loaded in the corresponding weeks Of
1920. but there are VIDE differences in
the tonnages of the various classes of
handled in the two periods.
Study CT these differences may suggest
what future tendencies are likely to be.
MANY people believe that the reason
yhy the railways are now handling such
, large volume of freight is that the coal !
strike has forced upon them an abnormal 4
.onnage of coal and that therefore the
present excess in the demand for trans
,or+atfcn over the supply will be tenn
,orary. The fact is that in the four weeks
y 1922 mentioned the number of car
Dads of coal moved was 10 per cent less
han In the same weeks of 1920. Further
more. shipments of ore was 3S15 per cent
ess, of forest products 5 per cent less,
nd Of coke 80 per cent less. How, then,
res it that the total shipments were
nlv three per cent less?
"shipments of grain and grain products
rere 211a per cent larger than in 1920;
Z livestock 1914 per cent larger and of
carload merchandise II per cent
anger The farmer is sending his crops /
, market and getting his money for them
q fast as he can. He was holding his
rens back in 1920 and not getting his