Year: 1874




a new and important railroad movement
is on the tapis. 1t is understood that the
management of the New York Central and
Lake Shore Railroads are contemplating
the formation Of joint company, with a
view 10 having exclusive freight tracks all
the way from Chicago to New York and
Boston. The extra two tracks between
Albany and Buffalo are nearly complete,
and the plan is to continue the extra double
tracks from Buffalo to Chicago. When
this is done it'll be possible to carry freight
at very much cheaper rates than it can now
be handled on the Baltimore and Ohio Rail-
road, notwithstanding the shorter distance
on the aforementioned railway. 1t is be-
lieved that the freight can be transported
OH an exclusive freight track at rates not
very much above those charged OH the Erie
Canal. The trains are to be run at the rate
of eight miles an hour which is the rate that
gives the least wear and tear Of track and
cars. On a uniform time table, the freight
track not being hampercd by passenger
trains or trains of unequal rates of speed,
an incalculably large amount of business
can thus be done. Under such an arrange
ment it would be possible to run trains that
would be less than lialf mile apart.
Now, as the distance from New York to
Chicago is about 900 miles, if we allow
that under such regulations as the above
4 |, l,o af +o,,
twenty cars per mile, we should have the
enormous aggregate, on the two tracks,
of 5000 trains constantly in motion. Such
a stupendous amount of business as this
charges to point far below anything now
thought of. Under uniform time table it
would be possible to throw open the freight
business to general competition and take
private cars npon the line in the same way
that private canal boats are taken upon our
canals. This would give free trade in
freight in its most perfect form. With
ouadruple track it is believed that the
Central Railroad could defy competition
and carry freight at one-third the charges
of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and
the immediate effect of the change
would be the ruin of the Erie Railroad.
The way this grand scheme is to be car
ried out is as yet undetermined. but it is in
contemplation, we are assured; in fact 1t is
forced upon the New York Central by the
exioencies of the situation. Of course, i'll
taking this departure, the New York Cen
tral will cut loose from all connections with
other trunk lines, and will undoubtedly
force the Pennsylvania Central into SINH
lar arrangement, which would give these
two roads the practical monopoly and COM
nlete command Of the freight business, at
the same time meeting the growing demands
of the country for cheap freight.


The cost of this vast improvement would
be commensurate with its Importance, but
after all would not amount to such sum
as to be impossible for such powerful
corporation as would be formed by the
combination Of the New York Central and
Hudson River and the Lake Shore and
| Michigan Southern Companies. The first
|


named company, with the lease OF the
Harlem Road and its additional tracks now
nearly completed between Albany and
Buffalo, has practically q''adruple track
from New York to Buffalo, and of the
whole distance between Buffalo and Chicago
-54t miles-the Lake Shore and Michigan
Southern Company has now 32s miles OF
double track. There remains, therefore,
but 219 miles of single track to be laid to
make that section double-track railway,
and but 551 miles more of double-track to
complete the quadrnple track from New
York to Chicago AT the latest prices paid
for honest and economical constructions
this work could be done for 2o,0O0, oOo'
The united capital ofthe two roads amounts
to $130,42S, 800, and the funded debts oi
the two roads are about $64, 000,00o. An
addition of SOS, 900, COO to the latter would
make the aggregate liabilities of the com
bined company amount 10 s2ae, ooo, Voo,
which. With the new tracks proposed ano
present length Of main road and branches


would make an average indebtedness pei
mile of single track Of less than S}s. .tRe.