Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-06-19
The
Rambler
Examines
"A Shortage
BY JOHN McKELWAY

Nothing seems to be going
right anymore.
Stumbled on a hearing in
the New Senate office Build
ing and discovered we now
have a critical shortage of
freight cars.
Always thought the rail-
roads had so many freight
cars they could leave them
for months on some lonely
siding off in the weeds. AS
sumed they could afford to
lose a few. Did not realize
anybody connected with
railroads was worried about
their freight cars.
Well, at 10 am. a few days
ago, q bunch of railroad men
gathered in a hearing room
and waited to sound the
warning that unless some
thing is done the last of
those ancient rattle traps
may soon be bumped off
down the line into obscurity.
And what will the rail-
roads do then? They've got
ten rid of all the passengers,
haven't they?
Strange things have been
happening.
In 1850 some studies we're
made, according to infroma-
ton received, that indicated
a total of 1,935,5O0 freight
cars would be required by
1856 to meet what shippers
anticipated would be their
needs. In 1856, however,
there were only 1,744,614
freight cars rolling or left
on sidings.
It is even worse If you
look at May / of this very
year. The number of freight
cars had declined to a record
low of 1,596.222.
To make matters worse,
railroads officially retired"
a total of 87,436 freight cars
last year in what might have
been an attempt to correct
the impression that freight
cars never die.
Only 3o,232 we're built.
o.
WELL, AT 1880 AM, as /,
the railroad men were still
gathered in the hearing
room, a young man came in
and announced that Senator
Magnuson, Democrat of
Washington, was not feel
ing well" that morning, so
the whole show was post
poned until 2:sO pm.
The railroad men did not
seem to mind. They are
used to delays.
Well, at 2:S0, Senator
Prouty, Republican of YER
mont, showed up and got
things moving, He is not one
Of IS Senators backing the
bill to do something about
freight cars but he was nice
enough to listen to the testi-
mony.
Laurence X. Walrath, In
terstate Commerce Com
nilsson, chairman said the
purpose Of the bill was to
grant the commission auth
ority to prescribe per diem
charges for the use of rail-
road freight cars on a basis
that will provide an econom-
ic incentive to the deficit
owning railroads of our Ma
ton to acquire and main
tain their proportionate sup
uply Of freight cars. :"
A little bit later he ex-
lained that by saying ut is
cheaper to rent someone
else's freight car in a peak
loading period than 1t is to
own one, perhaps only to
lose 1t to someone whose
economic motives are the
same"
He did not say this Is a
hell Of a way to run a rail-
road. But it was apparent
that there are some rail-
roads that refuse TO build
they can rent, maybe steal,
the freight cars of other
railroads. Something like
that, anyway.
o.
THEN ALONG CAME the
vice president Of the Burl-
ington q Quincy Railroad,
a man named Eldon Martin.
He said some railroads can
be accused Of "underbuild-
ing freight cars, so long, he
added. as It is cheaper TO
rent them.
He had some interesting
figures. You can rent a
freight car daily for $2.88
and It cost about $4,000 TO
build one. A truck trailer
cnsts aks,t,t "a mn htit ranta