The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1958-08-14
Council Will Protest
Plan To Drop Trains
Union Official
Wins Support in
Fight Against Cut

Bluffton will join the growing list
of towns to protest the request of the
Nickel Plate railroad to abolish pas
senger train service on its Cleveland
St. Louis line.
Village council voted unanimously
Tuesday evening to file their protest
with the Public Utilities Commission
OF Ohio. Lima, Findlay, st. Marys
and several smaller towns have al
ready filed protest resolutions with
PUCO.
The resolution came after John Kel-
Ter, representative of the Brotherhood
of Railroad Trainmen, had presented
the position of the operating railroad
unions which are opposing the rail-
roads request
Requests to abandon the Cleveland
st. Louis runs were filed simultan-
eously with public utility regulatory
boards in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois
last month by Nickel Plate officials.
Railraod officials claimed at the
time their losses in recent months
approximated a half-million dollars.
During a visit in Bluffton last month
they said their operating costs are
$3.50 a mile, while their yield has
averaged only S1.21 a mile.
Income from the Bluffton station in
the last six months of 1857 totaIed
only 81, ,207.8O and only 331 passengers
boarded or left the train here.
Say Railroad is Lax
Mr.. Keller said the caliber of serv-
ice provided on the two trains which
are being considered for removal has
declined in recent times because of
company policies.
He said the problem of providing
good service in competition with 9TH
er media of transportation is "a chal-
lenge not met honestly and fairly
by the Nickel Plate road.
Passenger service on this line "un-
til recently was among the better in
the eastern United States" Mr.. Kel.
Ter said.
As examples of the decline in
{. service he cited:
!. 1. Use of s'inferior" coaches.
2. Removal of all dining car serv-
ice from the entire $40 miles run
between Cleveland and st. Louis.
Louis.
8. Scheduling at incOnvenient
hours.
4. Failure to accommodate ex-
ursiOn groups and other large
parties hoping to travel on the
road.
Until several months ago some OF
the Nickel Plates top passenger
coaches were used on this line, but
they have now been taken from this
run and rest, unused in railroad
yards, or were switched to other runs
In their places are some Of the
oldest equipment owned by the com
pany, clean, but not so comfortable
and convenient as the modern equip,
ment which is no longer routed over
this run.
MIR. Keller said that 1t actually
takes IS minutes longer for the pres,
ent NKP trains to make the 30-mile
run between Findlay and Lima than
it did some years ago. He said the
one hour consumed between the two
cities is the same as the time met
by the long-defunct Western Ohio in
terurban road
Union officials have suggested that
restoration of good equipment, active
promotion of passenger service and
Improvement of scheduling would help
bring passenger traffic back to the
railroad.
/ F. Arnold. general chairman for
the BRIT on the Nickel Plate line,
charged recently in a union publica,
ton that the line had discouraged pas
senger service evidently for the pur,
pose of reducing revenue SO they
will have an impressive record to SUBJ
nit to the Commission"