Evening star., 1939-10-13
Railroad Spending
Tops 80 Millions
As Trade Rises
Contracts Cover Wide
Ronee Of Industries;
Jobs Increased
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
CHICAGO, Oct. 13.-America's s
railroads, given the "highball' by
an upsurge in business, have pulled
the spending throttle and are pour
ing more than $80,000,000 into their
property to keep the Nations trade
and travel moving.
How much this will mean in Jobs
Is incalculable, railroad men said.
Contracts are scattered over a wide
range of industries, much of the re-
pair work can be done by crews
maintained by individual lines, and
the steel mills, sources of new rails,
are rolling at capacity.
Nor is this multimillion- dollar
squirt caused by tagging operations
and depreciation during slump
times. Streamlined fleets of trains
have been built up during depres-
sion years and the roads have spent
millions to keep their systems oper-
ating properly when income was low.
Preparedness Stressed.
Railway Age, the carriers trade
magazine, reported $50 100000 worth
of contracts for supplies md work
were placed during September. New
building and modernization pro-
grams, many of which won't be
completed until next year, more than
equal that figure.
The industry wide program of
preparedness to handle any size load
nf hI1cir,ncc ~
month in Washington when rail
leaders announced immediate action
to put their cars and locomotives in
shape.
Preparedness was described by j.
L. Beven, president of the Illinois
Central System, in a speech to busi-
nessmen as "the best insurance
against the possibility of Govern
ment-ownership" of the carriers.
The Pennsylvania Railroad is
spending about s20,0Oo,OOO over its
regularly scheduled expenditures.
This will pay for $500 new freight
cars, 20 new electric locomotives,
three new streamlined passenger
cars, streamlined modernization of
100 passenger cars, repairs to 1880
hopper gondola and boXcars and
10000 tons of new rail.
5000 Men Added.
Five thousand additional men
have been put on for the Pennsyl-
vania repair work.
The Santa Fe system, operating
through the Southwest to the Pacific
coast, has allotted S21,00O0OO this
year for $1,000 tons of rail, $500 new
freight cars and for reconstruction
and repairs.
Next month the Rock Island lines
will place into service two new
seven-car rocket" trains between
Chicago and Colorado, costing a
total of s1,200,000 The lines have
received court authorization to spend
$4,375 900 more on 20 Diesel switch
engines, 1000 new boxcars and for
rebuilding old boxcars.
The New York Central systems
program calls for $l0,OOO,O0O worth
Of rail and freight equipment.
The Illinois Centrals s92OO,000
spending plan will include purchase
OF 1900 coal cars, 1000 box cars, 10
Diesel electric switch locomotives
and 1900 tons of new rail for 1910
delivery.
The Milwaukee Road received
court authorization to buy 10 loco
motives and 1000 box cars for S.
350,000 and will soon contract for
10000 tons of rail and track fasten-
ings for the 1910 program. In
addition, 1000 cars now are under
construction.
Freight Cars Ordered.
Five hundred new freight cars
are being built by the Chicago e.
Northwestern. In conjunction with
the Union Pacific and the Southern
Pacific Lines, it is arranging to
spend S4,000000 during the next
year for two new streamliners for
service between Chicago and the
West Coast
The Burlington Railroad will add
three 4,O00-horsepower Diesel elec-
trio locomotives, capable of more
than 100 miles an hour, to it's fleet
next spring. The road also has
scheduled construction of 10 steam
locomotives and purchase of 100
fiat cars and $50 steel hooper cars.
More than $3,00000O will be spent