Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise., 1938-11-11
STREAMLlNERS
INCREASE PAS
SENGER TRAFFIC


train operating in this country has
produced additional passenger traf-
fic and substantial earnings for the
railroad placing it in service, accord
ing to a report prepared by Coverdale
and Colpitts, consulting engineers,
for the Edward G. Budd Manufactur-
ing Company.
The Denver Zephyrs, of the Burling-
ton Lines, produced the highest ratio |
of earnings of any train of this type
in the year ended June 80, the report
shows. Building up gross revenue
of $2,088,938, these Zephyrs earned
a net of $1,568,831. This represented
75.1 per cent of the gross, or $2.O7
per train mile.
Other equally significant findings
included the development of the
Zephyr service between Chicago and
the Twin Cities, where service was
started with twin three-car trains in
935, and grew to two seven-car trains
by 1888 because of increasing demand
for accommodations.
There are now 76 high speed trains
in operation on which modern lux
ury" equipment has been introduced
in the past four years, the report stat
ed Of this number, "a are of light
weight, stainless steel construction.
The Hiawathas of the Chicago, Mil
waukee, St. Paul and Pacific, produc-
ed gross rvenue of $1,337,8 Net
earnings amounted to 1922 per train
mile, or TAI per cent.
Particularly Indicative of the grow
tn in popularity of "streamliners", is
the record of the Santa Fe Ell Capt.
tans, speedy transcontinental all-coach
trains. Going into service in Feb
ruary, 1888, they produced $4,000
revenue in that month; $4,000 in
March; $4,000 in April; $s3,000 in
May, and $101 900 in June.
In fleet operation, the Burlington
Zephyrs produced $4,O32,763 gross
revenue for the year. The net earn
ing was $1.2S per mile or CTS per cent
of tn gross earnings.
The Santa Fe, with the largest fleet
of streamlined trains, actually had
only one of these, the Super Chief,
in operation before the beginning of
1893, but those trains still produced
1 ~, q
net earning of $1.27 per mile. The
ratio of net earnings to the gross
was 61.3 per cent.
The Rock Island Rocket fleet of six
trains showed $1,242,614 in gross
earnings for the year, despite the fact
they were not placed in service until
the early fall of 1887. Net earnings
showed $.S4 per train mile, or 62.7
per cent of the gross.
The five North Western Union Pa
cific streamliners produced $3,154,-
1913 gross revenue. Net earnings a
mounted to $1O8 per train mile, or
1876 per cent.
The City of San Francisco and the
Forty-Niner, North Western Union
Pacific Southern Pacific operated,
showed $1,O69, ,2O6 gross, net earnings
of $.56 per train mile, or 58.5 per
cent.
The Daylight trains of the Southern
Pacific, running between Los Angeles
and San Francisco, showed $1,580,871
gross, with a net earning of 1921 per
train mile, or 69.3 per cent.
The report pointed particularly to
the growth of traffic on the Santa Fe
Super Chief. This new lightweight,
stainless steel Super Chief was placed
in service between Chicago and Los
Angeles in May, 1887. In February,
1888, second train was added to pro-
vide twice-a-week service. Revenue
for the period January l to June 80
1887 was $238,581; from July 1 to
December 81, 1887 it grew to $780,
286, and for January l to June 80,
1888, to $4S8,O72.
The report points out that informa-
ton given is not entirely comparable,
one railroad with another, because of
varying conditions in the territories
served, operating conditions and
length of time trains have been in SER
vice. The report is based on informa-
tion provided by the railroads.
From the opinion of railroad Off
cials, the report said, "it is clear that
a large proportion of the traffic on
these trains has been newly created.
"The outstanding facts, however,
which the statements in the report re-
veal in striking manner, are the great
popularity and the high degree of fl
nancial success attained in the opera
tion of lightweight, high speed stream