The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1933-12-21
PRINCE PLAN WOULD
REDUCE NUMBER OF
PASSENGER TRAINS
North Coast Limited, Empire
Builder and 0Iympian
Would Be Consolidated
SCHEME HITS BISMARCK
Idea Is to Run De Luxe Train
Over St. Paul Road to
Terry, Montana

Washington, Dec. n. - B - The
'hree luxurious passenger trains from
Chicago to Seattle, were termed un-
In underlying studies Of tho
Prince plan Of railroad consolidation
submitted to Joseph B. Eastman, fed
.ral coordinator Of transportation.
One of the studies outlines the pos
slbility for savings In operation Of the
Great Northern railways Empire
Builder" the Northern Pacific's
North Coast Limited" and the Chi
ago. Milwaukee, st. Paul and Pa
cities "Olympian."
The other delves into savings
through rearranging the freight han.
dling situation In the Seattle-Tacoma,
and Portland areas.
The passenger train study shows
the three trains travel 4,9l8,74O train
miles per year between Chicago and
Seattle with an additional II $40 miles
Tor connections from Tacoma and
East Auburn.
It points out that, II parallel service
from st. Paul, Mimi, to st. Cloud,
Mimi, and from st. Paul to Fargo. N.
D., were eliminated, saving Of over
81 600. 900 year would be effected.
Would Reduce Service
However" it adds. the most I'm
portant matter in connection with
passenger operation under coordina-
ton, Is to connect the Pudget Sound
cities with the Twin Cities and Chi.
cago with one instead Of three traus-
continental trains via which ono
De Luxe train and present Great
Northern Fast Mail train should b
operated In each direction daily
The proposed route would b via thu
st. Paul from tho Twin Cities to Ter-
~, Montana: via the Northern n.
cific. Terry to Logan, Montana, and
via the st. Paul to Seattle. Thu Great
Northern would be eliminated q q D.
Luxe service line.
The plan contemplates consolids-
ton and coordination Of tho 0Seat
Northern. the Northern Pacific, the
Chicago. Milwaukee, St Paul and pa.
cific. the Chicago Burlington and
Quincy, 500 Line. Minneapolis and
st. Louis, the Chicago Great Western.
rhe Spokane. Portland and Seattle.
Spokane International, the Duluth,
South Shore and Atlantic, tho Duluth.
Winnipeg and Pacific. Green Bay and
Western and Duluth. Missabe and
Northern.
Two Big Freight Routes
The plan carries q map OF two pos
sible through freight routes. The
first route would start In the Seattle
area using the st. Paul from Seattle
tn st. Paul via Maiden. Ore, and the
cecond using the st. Paul from Seattle
to Lind: the Northern Pacific from
Lind to Deer Lodge, Mont. and the
st. Paul from Deer Lodge to st. Paul.
The studies are the first Of series
delving into the railroad situation west
Of the Mississippi river.
The Prince plan Is named for Fred
erick Prince. Boston financier, who
employed J. w. Barriger. III, now
chief railroad examiner for tho Re-
construction Finance Corporation, to
work out plan OF consolidation. He
gave no indication what action might
grow out Of It.
It was said that between Puget
Sound and the eastern slope OF the
Rocky Mountains are the main lines
ct three transcontinental roads aggre-
eating 2,493 miles OF track maintained
and equipped to accommodate widely
advertised De Luxe passenger trains
drawn by some Of the heaviest loco
motives used In the United States and
but 9l5 miles or IS per cent Of the
main line mileage runs through pro-
ductive territory and much Of the lat
YER consists Of parallel mileage.
Would Bring Consolidation
Were the plan carried out thers
would b consultations Of facilities
st Bellingham. WASH, Everett, Wash,
Snohomish, Wash, Portland, Tacoma
and Seattle.
Capitalization Of railroad shops n
the district: abandonment Of carfloat
operations between Seattle and Bell
ingham; abandonment Of the North-
ern Pacific's Bellingham and Wicker
sham-Sumas branches and its maiu
line from Covington to Gle Elum,
WASH, as well as numerous Other
changes.
st. Paul's Everett Cedar Falls
branch would be abandoned and the
Longview, Portland, Northern either
abandoned or turned back to the lun.-
Der interests which the report says
originally sold 1t to the Union Pacific
Northern Pacific. st. Paul and the
Great Northern for $4,000 This
latter road, it IS claimed, is unneces-
sary because Longview Is located d.
rectly across the Cowlite river from
the jointly operated double-Facl
PORTLAND. Seattle line.