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1942 Quiz Book on Railroads and Railroading

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Page 9 of 1942 Quiz Book on Railroads and Railroading

FREIGHT SERVICE

206. What railway figure is widely used as a reliable business index?

Many business analysts regard carloadings as one of the best current indicators of business activity. Weekly carloading figures are released each Thursday by the Association of American Railroads and are published in daily newspapers throughout the United States.

207. What have been minimum and maximum weekly carloadings since the World War period?

During the week ended December 30, 1932, in the midst of the depression, carloadings on Class I railroads totaled only 405,301 cars, the lowest since weekly carloading records began to be kept in 1918. The greatest number of carloadings reported for any week was 1,208,878 cars during the week ended October 29, 1926.

208. What is an L. C. L. shipment?

Any shipment of freight which is too small to move on a carload rate is called an L. C. L. ship-merit, the initials meaning literally "less than carload." Such shipments, usually consisting of crates, cartons, boxes, barrels, etc., are handled in package cars with other L. C. L. shipments.

209. How are freight commodity statistics reported by the railroads?

Under Interstate Commerce Commission regulations, each railroad reports carload freight traffic statistics by classes of commodities handled as follows: Group I, Products of Agriculture, with 42 sub-classifications; Group 11, Animals and Animal Products, with 22 sub-classifications; Group III, Products of Mines, with 18 sub-classifications; Group IV, Products of Forests, with 12 sub-classifications; Group V, Manufactures and Miscellaneous, with 62 subclassifications. All L.C.L. (less-than-carload) freight is reported separately as Group VI.

210. What percentage of total freight traffic is represented by each commodity group?

Class I railroad freight tonnage in 1940 was distributed as follows: Products of agriculture, 9.0 per cent of total carried; animals and products, 1.8 per cent; products of mines, 53.9 per cent; products of forests, 6.1 per cent; manufac- tures and miscellaneous, 27.7 per cent; L.C.L. freight, 1.5 per cent.

211. What is the leading freight commodity handled by the railroads of the United States?

Bituminous coal ranks first in carloadings, tonnage and revenues. In 1940, the Class I railroads originated 5,435,748 carloads, consisting of 298,315,270 tons, of bituminous coal. Approximately one-sixth of the freight revenues of the American railroads is derived from bituminous coal traffic.

212. What is a common measurement of railway freight service?

The ton-mile. This represents the transportation of one ton of freight one mile.

213. How many ton-miles of freight service do the railroads perform in a year?

Ton-miles vary from year to year. In 1941, the Class I railroads of the United States performed 475,053,810,000 ton-miles of service-the greatest volume of traffic on record. The volume dropped during the depression from 447,321,561,000 ton-miles in 1929 to 233,977,009,000 ton-miles in 1932.

214. How many ton-miles of freight service do the railroads perform for each individual in the United States?

In 1941, the Class I railroads of the United States performed the equivalent of carrying a ton of freight 3,577 miles (from Bangor, Maine to San Francisco, California) for every man, woman and child in the United States.

215. What is an average freight, expressed in tons?

The carload varies, depending upon the commodity. Average tons per car for important commodities in 1940 were as follows:

All commodities 37.66

Bituminous coal 54.88

Petroleum 27.95

Wheat 46.28

Corn 42.87

Cotton in bales 16.87

Potatoes 17.38

Tobacco 11.26

Apples 16.58

Oranges and grapefruit 17.75

Bananas 10.72

Cattle and calves 11.26

Hogs, single deck 8.03

Hogs, double deck 12.88

Eggs 11.43

Butter 12.57

Lumber 27.51

Sugar 34.83

216. How much do the railroads receive for carrying a ton of freight one mile?

Freight charges vary, depending upon the commodity, the distance hauled and the amount of care and risk involved. Since 1932 the amount received by the Class I railroads for freight transportation has averaged less than one cent per ton-mile. In 1941, the average revenue was 9.36 mills per ton-mile, compared with 10.76 mills in 1929 and 12.75 mills in 1921. Thus, the average level of freight revenue was 26 per cent lower in 1941 than in 1921.

217. Of the total freight car movement, what proportion is loaded and what proportion is empty?

For each loaded freight car moved 100 miles in 1941, the railroads hauled an empty freight car 64 miles.

218. What is the "average haul" of freight?

The "average haul" is the distance which the average ton of revenue freight is carried by the railroads. In 1940, the average haul of all revenue freight on all railroads as a system was 351 miles.

219. What is a car-mile?

The transportation of a car one mile, known as a "car-mile," is the unit of a car movement employed in computing train service costs and efficiency.

220. How does a railroad company keep track of its wandering freight cars?

Every railroad has a Car Record Office which, by means of daily reports from agents, keeps a Sorting United States mail in a railway Post Office car. Railroads have been the nation's principal mail carriers for nearly a century. complete up-to-date record of the movements of all freight cars on its own lines, regardless of ownership, and all of its own cars on "foreign" railroads.

When a car moves from one railroad to another, the agent at the point of interchange reports the fact to the Car Record Offices of the railroads concerned, including the railroad which owns the car. Thus the location of every freight car is known to the Car Service organizations and its movements and wanderings become a matter of permanent record.

221. Has the speed of freight trains been increased?

The average speed of freight trains in the United States was 62 per cent faster in 1941 than in 1920. In 1941 the average distance traveled per train in each 24-hour period was 396 miles, compared with 247 miles in 1920. These figures represent the average time required for the movement of all freight trains between terminals, including all stops and delays enroute.

222. How rapidly can modern air brakes be applied to a freight train?

The rate of emergency brake action in the modern "AB" brake is 930 feet per second. Thus, brakes can be applied throughout the length of a mile-long train in less than six seconds.

223. Do the railroads need as many cars now to handle a given amount of traffic as they did during the World War period?

No. Due to the fact that the tractive power of the average locomotive is 45 per cent greater, the capacity of the average freight car is 20 per cent greater, the speed of freight trains is 60 per cent greater now than then, and because of other improvements in railway plant and operations, the railroads could now handle the 1918 freight traffic with several hundred thousand fewer freight cars than were then required.

224. What percentage of the nation's railway freight traffic is moved in scheduled trains?

It is estimated that from 89 to 90 per cent of the freight handled by the railroads of the United States moves in scheduled trains.

225. How much progress have the railroads made in the reduction of losses of and damages to freight shipments?

As a result of increased railway efficiency and the cooperation of shippers in the use of better packing methods, loss and damage payments per carload of freight handled were reduced 78 per cent from 1921 to 1940.

226. How many carloads of fruits and vegetables are transported annually by the railroads of the United States?

In 1940, the railroads of the United States transported 960,753 carloads of fruits and vegetable for distances ranging from a few miles to more than 3,000 miles. A large part of this movement was under refrigeration.

227. What is an interchange point?

Any junction point where freight or passenger cars are transferred from one railroad to another is an interchange point. All cars and other equipment thus transferred are recorded and reported each day.

228. What is a connecting line?

A railroad which has a physical connection or connection by means of a switching line, with another railroad is a connecting line. Each railroad keeps a record of traffic originating on its own lines and traffic received from connections.

229. What is perishable freight or express?

Many freight and express shipments which require special care in transit to prevent freezing or spoiling are known as perishable shipments. Perishables include fresh meats and other packing house products, fresh fish, eggs, dairy produce and a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. Most of these shipments are handled in refrigerator cars in which temperatures can be controlled.

230. How many carloads of foodstuffs and fuel are delivered by the railroads daily in New York City and vicinity?

The railroads deliver approximately 4,000 carloads of foodstuffs and fuel in New York City and suburbs every twenty-four hours, on the average Like alert racing thoroughbreds at the post, these powerful titans wait for the "go" signal. A century of engineering research has gone into the production of the modern steam locomotive.

231. What is meant by the terms consignor and consignee?

The shipper of freight or express is the consignor, and the person or firm to which the shipment is made is the consignee.

232. What is a bill of lading?

A bill of lading is a receipt given by a freight agent for property received to be transported. It is a contract between the shipper and the railroad, covering the shipment from point of origin to point of destination.

233. What is meant by demurrage?

A consignor or consignee is usually allowed two days' free time in which to load or unload a carload of freight. Thereafter a demurrage charge is made by the railroad for each 24 hours the car is held. On the fifth demurrage day the charge is substantially increased.

234. What is meant by "per diem"?

"Per diem" is a Latin phrase meaning "by the day." It is used by the railroads to designate the amount per day which is paid by one railroad to another railroad for the use of a freight car. The present per diem rate is $1.00, with certain penalties for tardy reporting. Payments for the use of cars owned by private car companies are generally on a mileage rate basis instead of a per diem basis, the mileage rate varying with the type of car.

235. What is a tariff in railway service?

A tariff is the railroads' published price list from which there can be no deviation. It shows the charges which the railroad can make for transporting various classes and types of commodities, between specific points, for switching cars and for performing various other services. It also contains rules and regulations governing railway service.

236. How do American railway freight charges compare with those of foreign countries?

The average revenues per ton-mile on the railroads of the United States and Canada are the lowest in the world with the single exception of Japan, where labor costs are far below those of this country. Average revenues in several important countries are as follows:

Country Year Ending Average Revenue
per ton mile (in cents)

Great Britain¹ Dec 31, 1937 2.406

Denmark³ Mar 31, 1939 2.231

Italy³ Jun 30, 1938 1.689

Australia³ Jun 30, 1938 2.128

Germany³ Dec 31, 1938 2.309

France² Dec 31, 1937 1.953

Union of So. Africa³ Mar 31, 1940 1.378

Norway³ Jun 30, 1939 2.678

Sweden² Dec 31, 1939 1.425

British India² Mar 31, 1938 1.003

Canada² Dec 31, 1939 0.909

United States¹ Dec 31, 1941 0.936

Japan³ March 31, 1937 0.679

Footnotes
¹ All railroads, privately owned and operated
² All railroads, both-state and private lines
³ State operated railroads only
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237. What is meant by freight classification?

The numerous kinds of commodities, articles or goods are classified for the purpose of applying freight rates. It is not practical for the railroads to publish specific rates on all of the thousands of different articles or commodities between the thousands of shipping points in the United States.
Tariffs are greatly simplified by dividing such articles into classes and establishing rates for the various classes. These are called class rates, and the several groupings of articles are called classifications.
238. What are the three freight classification territories?

In the making of freight classification, the United States is divided into three geographical territories: the Official Territory, east of the Mississippi River and north of the Ohio and Potomac Rivers; the Southern Territory, south of the Ohio and Potomac Rivers and east of the Mississippi River; and the Western Territory,which is west of the Mississippi River.
239. What are joint freight rates?

Joint freight rates are rates which apply to shipments moving over the lines of more than one railroad, revenues from which are divided between the interested railroads on an agreed basis.
240. What is the difference between a class rate and a commodity rate in freight service?

A class rate is a published freight rate applying to any one of many articles in a certain freight classification. A commodity rate is a special published rate That applies to a specified commodity between certain points.
241. What are the heaviest freight shipments on record?

The heaviest freight shipment on record was a 488,200-pound steel oil refinery fractionating column, or "bubble" tower, shipped on two flat cars over the Frisco and Kansas City Southern railroads from St. Louis, Mo„ to Smith's Bluff, Texas, in June, 1938. In March, 1940, the Southern Pacific Lines transported a 430,000-pound "bubble" tower, on three flat cars from Alhambra, Calif., to Baytown, Texas. In March, 1935, the Delaware and Hudson, Western Maryland and Pennsylvania railroads transported, on a single freight car, an electrical converter weighing 367,000 pounds from Schenectady, N. Y., to Washington, D. C.
242. What is the purpose of the car seal in freight or express service?

The car seal is used to prevent or to detect illegal entry into a car. Each seal is numbered and bears the name of the railroad by which it is applied. A record is kept of each seal issued.
243. What is meant by pick-up and delivery service?

The transportation by the railroads or their agents of packages, cartons and other L. C. L. (less-than-car lot) freight shipments, to and from manufacturing plants, stores, warehouses and other places of business not located on railway tracks is known as pick-up and delivery service, or collection-and-delivery service. Pick-up and delivery service has the effect of extending railway freight service to the doors of shippers and consignees in many American cities.
244. When was pick-up and delivery service established in the United States?

Although there are isolated instances of store-door pick-up and delivery dating back to 1867, the present widespread pick-up and delivery service was inaugurated on a few lines in the Southwest in 1931, and extended to Western lines in December, 1935, and to Eastern and Southern territories in November, 1936.

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