Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 278, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 November 1916 — WOULD MEAN VAST OUTLAY [ARTICLE]

WOULD MEAN VAST OUTLAY

Change From Wooden Cars to Steel Ones a Matter That Requires Serious Consideration. «• “There are a number of big economic problems connected with the change of the nation's railroad rolling stock from wood to steel, as urged by the interstate commerce commission. It would require something like $400,000,000 to replace with -steel,passenger cars neither worn out nor otherwise unserviceable. This is. a huge sum for riiHrMd expenditure, even If stretchedover a ten-year period under the most favorable financial conditions. A year ago, it would have been deemed impossible of accomplishment. The prosperous conditions of today, with the railroads working to the capacity of their equipment, however, may bring about the change quicker .than was expected. According to the latest available statistics, there are in service upon the railroads of the United States last year, 58,660 passenger cars, of which 9,492 were steel and 4,608 were supplied with steel underbodies. As the average cost of building a steel passenger car Is about $14,000, it will be seen how quickly the money needed for replacement runs into the millions of dollars. In addition to this, there are now In operation something like two million wooden and part-wooden freight cars, the replacement of which with all-steel cars at an average of $1,300 a car makes a staggering sum. Consequently, while the Pennsylvania may soon realize its ambition of becoming an all-steel railroad, it wHI be some time yet before the country becomes an all-steel-railroad nation, although we are now well on the way towards this most desirable end. The recent improvement in business conditions supplies an impetus. —Exchange.