Evening star., 1937-02-21
OUTLOOK BRIGHT
FOR STEADY RISE
IN RAIL LOAD|NGS
Late Fall Expected to Bring
Total of Nearly Million
Cars Month.
BY ]. G. DONLEY.
Il DISPATCH to The Star.

NEW YORK, February 20.-The
outlook is bright for railroad freight
traffic for several reasons. So far
this year, for the seven weeks for
which reports are available, the rail-
roads of the country have loaded
656, ,196 more cars OF revenue freight
than they did in the like period last
year.
That represents an average gain of
90, ,742 cars Of revenue freight per week.
Total traffic for 1886 increased 4,599,-
173 carloads over the total for 1885.
If we spread that gain evenly over the
So weeks of the year, we find an aver
age weekly gain Of s7.676; so that, to
date, 1887 is scoring larger average
weekly gain than 1886.
The seven weeks gain in freight
traffic at the outset of this year is
already nearly equal to the gain for the
full year 1885 over 1884, for total
loadings two years ago were only
658,174 cars above the total for the
previous year.
Past Records Scanned.
One rather reliable reason for ex-
pectins higher freight movements in
the near future Is the record OF past
performances on q seasonal basis. II
Is time for the Spring rise in trafac
to get going. Going back over the
reports Of the car service division Of
fyoa Ascnciafioy, ~ ApoAr;rop Doilroo de
we find that in only one year out of
the past 10 years has the freight
movement in March failed to set q
weekly high above the highest week
in February. The exceptional year,
which goes to prove the rule, was
1933-and scarcely a man now alive
has forgotten how exceptional that
year proved to be in more ways than
one.
And from March on there is usually
slow improvement in traffic, with
slight ups and downs, until the peak
movement of the year is reached
usually in September or October, but
occasionally in August. During the
years 1923 to 1929. inclusive. it was
quite the usual thing for freight car
loadings to hit q million-car weekly
pace in May or June and hold around
that level right through until the
early part of November.
Reached Last In 1929.
But the railroads have not seen a
million-car week since the week of
November 9, 1929. The low point OF
the depression was reached in the
week of December %, 1882, when total
carloadings were only 405,30l. Last
years peak week more than doubled
that figure, with 826,l55 cars loaded
in the week of October II. Before
the end of last year, loadings had de-
clined to below the 600, ,000-car mark
the upturn this year bringing the
weekly total back to close to 100000
cars for the latest week.
It seems likely that in the late Fall
of this year, which always brings the
peak freight movement, weekly car
loadings will rise close to the million
car level, even If they don't quite make
it, A great deal, Of course, will de-
pend upon the crops. If drought and
dust storms take q heavy toll Of grains
again this year, the weekly level may
fall short of the mark.
One Of the strong reasons for look
ing for an even larger upturn In
freight shipments this year than last,
however, is the high recovery mo-
mentum attained by the heavy goods
industry, particularly iron and steel.
CCopyright. 1879