The Sidney herald., 1956-02-23

but / do think as you have stated,
that the time has come when
another look should be taken al
the type of controls our various
governmental agencies supposedly
exert over the rail systems, so
that somewhere, sometime, a halt
will be called to this prerogative
now exercised by the rail lines of
hating or curtailing any service
they so desire without fear of any
repercusSions from the boards and
agencies and commissions which
r by law supposed to approve
such changes.
/ think Mr.. Barrett very aptly
punctuates the basic situation.
Regardless of what the prevailing
public understanding may be, it
now appears that the railroads
can, without consulting the state
railroad commission, eliminate or
curtail service. In point is an ap-
peal by the board of railroad
commissioners, at this writing
awaiting decision by the Montana
supreme court, from the action of
the Great Northern in 1853 in
taking off passenger trains be-
tween Havre and Williston, N. D.
Since that time the Milwaukee
has taken off two ns-Montana
passenger trains. There have been
other reductions in service, but
there seems to be little the rail-
road commission can do about
It but resist in the courts.
Last summer a senator from one
the rural counties told me that
railroad representative had in
,erred to him that unless the
abroad got more freight from its
branch line in the county, the line
night be abandoned, with a re-
heavy tax loss to the
What the rail spokesman
allied to mention was that this
branch line is a feeder for long,
haul traffic and hence contributes
'ut of proportion to the branch
inc haul, to the general revenue
# the railroad.
Not having ridden the Great
Northern or Milwaukee mainlin-
rs very recently, l don't know
What the situation is there, but
he Northern Pacific is effective
y diScouraging me from using
IS trains. For example, to
ide on the North Coast Linn
coaches - and they are
inc coaches indeed - one must :,
ave a seat reservation, and not
frequently it turns out that
ne same space has been sold to
or three persons. And if you :
a Pullman reservation, you l
lay have to wait a day or more I
efore there is a yes or no. G
So on Montana trips where pub c
2 transportation is indicated, I 6
de the buses. They are more :
kelly to be on schedule, especial =
in cold weather and during the
nristmas holidays, and on the
they save me time.
In the economics of railroad
6, many of the local trains are
It justified and the railroads
n hardly be blamed for want
g to get rid of them. This ap-
les to freight as well as pas
niger traffic. But in view of the
.uation, the railroads are not
in their efforts to
ackle or destroy highway COM
tition. The railroads themselves
crate truck and bus affiliates
d, within proper restrictions in
2 public interest, that is what
ey should do if it means bet
service.
In operational mechanics the
lroads are making notable
1t is certainly good
VS. in Montana that the North
/ Pacific plans to convert its
locomotive shops at Liv-
'ston to diesel maintenance.
e expansion program there
Is for $3.50, 900, but what ulti-
tely will be more important to
'lngston is the payroll. Nearly
rear and a half ago I reported
nors of this program, and /
glad it is now Undertaking..
you may be aware, there Is
ttroversy about railroad freight
as they affect Montana.
In general, has been so for
rs. Although a railroad rep
antative has told me that the
ntana Citizens Freight Rate
ociation is misguided, misin-
ned and i'll advised, it does
that something is wrong
lewhere. Perhaps the funda-
ltal difficulty is that our Mon
a railroads are helpless vic
Of a nationwide rail, freight
competitive system that is