Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-20
TWO PLANS TO LINK
EAST BY GIANT RAIL
COMBINES OFFERED
/. C. c. Asked to Sanction
Moves Proposed by B. & 0.
and Van SweringenS.
EACH MERGER INVOLVES
1900 MILES OF TRACK
Eastern Line Would Acquire Half
score of Other Routes to Ex-
pand Present System.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
TWO attempts to bring about huge
scale railroad consultations in Eastern
trunk line territory have been initiated
before the Interstate Commerce Com
mission. The first was that of the Bal
tirnore g. Ohio Railroad, which yester-
da asked the commission to approve
steps it may take to expand its present
system by the acquisition of half a
score of other trunk lines. The second
came today and was made by the Van
Sweringen interests.
Even. the vast size of the pre-
vious railroad amalgamations pro-
jected by the Cleveland group was ex-
ceeded in today's proposals, which
named for complete or partial concen-
tration not only the several important
rail systems commonly identified as Van
Sweringen property, but also half
score other lines, some now owned by
hostile and opposing railroad organi-
cations.
Systems Are Named.
Specifically, the commission was asked
TO find that the public interest would
allow the grouping or unification" OF
the chesapeake & Ohio Railroad. q
main Van Sweringen stem, with the
Erie, Nickel Plate, Pere Marquette and
Hooking Valley systems, all now Van
Sweringen-owned, while in addition
should be added the Wheeling q Lake
Erie. only partly Van Sweringen-owned
and five lines now entirely independent
the Virginian, the Lackawanna system,
Bessemer g. Lake Erie, Pittsburgh &
Shawmut and the Pittsburgh, Shawmut
&c Northern The single rail system TO
be thus created would operate, roughly
$4,000 miles of line and would repre-
sent capital investment Of 81, 500 900,
O00
Further, the commission was asked
to secure for such a huge enterprise
the right to buy one-fourth interest
in the Delaware g. Hudson. Lehigh d
New England, Montour Railroad, Pitts
ourgh, Charters g. Youghiogheny, Char
tiers Southern, Bonogahela, Pittsburgh
and West Virginia lines east Of the Ohio.
and the west side belt Of Pittsburgh.
The systems named were all treated as
bridge or terminal properties, and 1t
was suggested that the New York Cen
trail, Pennsylvania and Baltimore 81 Ohio
would also acquire quarter interest in
the properties.
The Baltimore & Ohio requested per-
mission to purchase the Buffalo, Roch-
ester a. Pittsburgh. the Detr0t, Toledo
g. Ironton, the Chicago, Indianapolis
& louisville, the Wabash, the Ann
Arbor, and the Buffalo g. Susquehanna
Railroads. 1t also asked permission
for complete acquisition of the West
ern Maryland, the Reading the Gen.
trail Railroad of New Jersey and the
Lehigh g. Hudson River.
Ready to Take Short Lines.
AS to the Pittsburgh and West Vir-
girlia lines west of the Ohio, the Van
Sweringen group was slated to take a
third interest, in partnership with the
New York Central and the Baltimore
tS Ohio. The Detroit & Toledo Shore
Line was suggested for half-and-hali
division between the new merger and
the Baltimore 81 Ohio.
Coupled with the specific listing OF
larger roads was declaration that the
Chesapeake & Ohio, il allowed to pro-
ceed with so extensive a linking, would
stand ready to acquire, If the commits
line railroad in the territory covered
excepting such short lines as might be
assigned to other systems.
The commission also was requested
70 approve the acquisition by the Balti-
more e. Ohio of fourth interest in foui
other railroads (the Lehigh g. New Eng
land, the Montour Railroad, the Pitts
burgh g. West Virginia and the Pitts
burgt, Charters g. Youghiogheny) and
a half interest in the Detroit and Toledo
Shore Line Railroads.
The petition said that with tn!
completion of the purchasing program
outlined the Baltimore g. Ohio woulc
operate 1894 miles of trunk-line rail-
road, with a capital investment oi
S2,I92, 600, 900.
THE applicant believes it imprac
ticable, if not impossible, to submit
terms and conditions on which thes'
properties would be acquired" the Var
Sweringen petition said, until tht
commission first determines to what ex
tent such acquisitions will be in the
public interest and prescribes rules ane
regulations under which the applicant
may proceed to contract for the acqui
Sitions.
IF the commission will determine t,
what extent the applicant may unif.
these properties into one system, th
applicant believes it will remove rail
road properties in the Eastern territor.
from the field of speculation, brini
about the financial stabiliZation Of thos
railroads and result in bringing int,
fruition the national policy of railroa,
consolidation. The applicant believes
can acquire, and will undertake to ac
quire, to the extent indicated by tn
commission, the properties it propose
to bring into a united system and vii
submit from time to time, for approva
of the commission, terms and condi
tons"
Recasts Eastern Rail Map.
While the program outlined contem
plates the general recaSting OF tn
Eastern rail map on the principle o
creating four systems in the country
Northeast quarter, 1t was expected t
signal a major controversy among tn
railroad groups concerned The Balti
more 81 Ohio has petition for a~group
ing not conflicting with the Van Swer
ingen plan, but the New York Centrs
and Pennsylvania may advance NOR
or less diverging plans. 1t wa
significant that the Buffalo, RocheS
ter & Pittsburgh, now Van Sweringe
owned. was not enumerated in today
petition for inclusion, but a. Statemer
accompanying the petition said thf
this line might be allocated to the Bal
timore g. Ohio and New York Centra
Since o. p and M. j. Van Swer
ingen of Cleveland began, in 1916, tn
acquirement of extensive rail propert.
a Federal statute has advanced tn
program OF consolidating the 161 clas
/ rail systems of the country into
or 20 giant mergers. The Van Swer
ingens, though turned down by tn
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