Evening star., 1946-05-27
More Rail Descriptions
Threatened Unless
Coal Is Assured
By the Associated Press

The Nations railroads, re-
leased from Government control,
were striving toward normal
passenger and freight opera
tions today, but a transporta-
ton hangover" may be notice
able for several days.
Even as the roads made their first
efforts to unscramble the snarl
caused by the tWo-day strike, came
warning of possible further disrup-
tions unless continuing supply of
coal is forthcoming.
| The warning came from the Office
of Defense Transportation, which
announced that previously enforced
rs per cent reductions in passenger
service would remain in effect be-
cause of the coal situation. The
ODT also said:
. "Other transportation restric-
tions, such as an embargo on rail-
road freight shipments or further
reductions in passenger service, will
be necessary unless the coal situa-
ton improves rapidly"
Many Problems Arise.
Within hours after the Brother
hoods of Railroad Trainmen and
Locomotive Engineers gave in to
Government pressure and agreed
to call off their strike, railroad
workers were reporting back to their
| jobs and trains started running
again on hastily improvised sched-
ules.
Many complicating problems arose.
/ however, to retard an immediate
return to prestrike standards. These
complications included:
I l. Delays in officially notifying
striking workers of the end of the
strike and ordering them to re-
port for work. Also, many train
crews lived in towns away from
terminal points, necessitating Or
ganization of transportation to
carry the workers to the waiting
trains
2. Thousands of freight cars were
left stranded in yards and on sid
left stranded in yards and on sid
several days would be required to
unscrambled the traffic pattern.
Dislocation in handling of freight
en- route at the start of the strike
had been eased, however, by stop
ping of perishable shipments at
points where the cars could be
serviced.
/ Backlog of Shipments.
/ 3. A heavy backlog of mail, ex-
press and freight shipments had ac-
cumulated during the strike period
and Offices handling such ship
ments were expected to be sWamped
today with these shipments delayed
at their origin.
4. Many travellers had changed
their travel plans. AS result, most
of the trains which were sent out
Immediately after the end of the
strike were lightly loaded. Pas
Senger traffic was not expected to
return to normal for two or three
days.
/ 5. Many of the trains which
started Saturday night and yester-
day did not move out on schedule,
complicating dispatching routine.
At least two days will be required
to get all transcontinental trips
back to prestrike Standards
i In spite of the problems involved,
many railroads said they were again
!, running trains just as If nothing
had happened. Its just like any
other day" said a spokesman for
! the Pennsylvania.
-, Embargoes Lifted.
! The release of the railroads to
private ownership was made effec-
tive at pm, yesterday. The roads
mad been operating under Govern
ment control since May II, where
the strike threatened. A five-day
truce followed the Government
seizure, but members of the en-
gineers and trainmen's unions went
out on strike at the expiration of
the truce.
The embargo on freight and ex-
press was also lifted yesterday by
the ODT. On Saturday, the ODT
had removed priorities for air traffic.
and the order giving mail preference
over passengers on the few trains
that were operating Postal restric-
tions on all mail except first class
matter weighing not more than two
pounds and airmail also had been
removed shortly after the strike
settlement.
The Pennsylvania announced that
special effort had been made to move
out all freight cars loaded with BIZ
luminous and anthracite coal from
the mines.
The Southern Pacific in Los An
geles reported that l 100 freight cars
were en- route to the East last night,
including many cars of perishables
In Chicago. postal clerks estimated
that two to five days would be re-
quired to work off the backlog of
mail. Special mail trains and ex-
ira mail cars on other trains were
being ordered in various parts of
the country to handle the jam. Diff
flculties were experienced in some
areas because railway mail clerks
had been stranded away from their
bases at the start of the strike.