The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1926-04-26
OF
GRAIN CARS IS
REAL PROBLEM
Some Solution May BE Offered
al Meeting of Regional
Advisory Board

Members of the Northwest Regional
advisory board will face knotty
problem when they meet Tuesday in
the Twin Cities and the manner in
which they solve it is of Importance
to every elevator operator in the
state, according to Frank Milhollan.
chairman of the state railroad board.
who, together with other board mem
bers, will attend the meeting.
The problem is that Of preventing
congestion of grain cars at Staples,
Minn., and other sampling points dur
ing the peak Of the grain movement.
The matter has been studied at length
by the boards joint terminal grain
committee. of which Milhollan is a
member, and it is probable that Il
method of solution will be offered at
the meeting. Milhollan indicated.
The trouble, he said, arises from
the fact that thousands of cars of
grain are billed to Staples and other
points to be sampled and re-dircctcd
from there. BY this method grain
dealers are enalSled to determine
whether they can best dispose of the
grain at Duluth or Minneapolis.
Terminals Cl0gged
During the peak Of the grain sea-
son, he said. when it is important that
the maximum use be made of every
| available car. many carloads Of grain
are permitted to remain at Staples
and other points three or fonr days
, before orders areN issued regarding
their ultimate destination. The result
he said, is that the terminals are clog
gcd with such cars and loaded grain
| cars are backed up for hundreds Of
!, miles because they cannot get through
| the neck of the transportation bottle
thus created. In past years. he said
! cars have been held up at points as
| far west as Mandan because they
could not get past the congestion al
, the Staples terminal. The problem
!, faced by the board is to save to ship
! pers the advantages Of sampling and
re-r0uting their cars and at tho same
! time lift the burden from the rail
roads whose cars now arc being made
| storehOuseS on wheels.
! IN a joint letter directed to r. J
| Coleman as chairman Of the Joint
! terminal grain committee the Great
Northern. Northern Pacific and 500
line railroads announced that on May
/ l6, 1926, they would discontinue the
practice Of sampling grain at outside
| points "unless some satisfactory plan
can DC put lHlO eIIecl Wnlcn cAH
overcome this delay an expense"
Much Expense and Delay
! The railroads explain that the
| original intention was to place grain
ears on sampling tracks for few
!, hours to permit samples TO be drawn
| The cars would then move to iestina-
tion, the samples being sent to des-
! tination by passenger train.
"The practice Of holding cars foi
orders which are not given until the
samples are graded has grown to such
! an extent that the benefits originally
planned are lost, and in addition a
great amount Of expense and delay
is added" the letter declared.
! Pointing out that 81 per cent Of the
cars loaded with grain passing Staples
were ordered ''hold" and that large
proportion of grain passing other
sampling points also was ordered
held. the letter pointed out that ii
i would require an outlay Of $20.113,-
| 500 in additional trackage and switch
ing power.
with this sampling discontinued
the letter said, "solid trains Of grain
can be made up at the different ter
minals and junction points to run
through to destination. The only
switching required at diversion points
will be to switch out cars on which
diversion orders were received prio,
to their arrival at that point"