Railroad Operating Costs, Arranged to Include the Operations of 1911, Vol. 2

Excerpt from Railroad Operating Costs, Arranged to Include the Operations of 1911, Vol. 2: A Continuation of Studies in Operating Costs of the Leading American Railroads

Such a criticism is eminently just and under it the authors of this compilation must lie for some time, as it is manifestly impossible to complete in a short time such extensive studies covering so many comparisons of various items of costs and to include in these comparisons even all the larger roads. Nevertheless, the work is progressive and is progressing.

In presenting this, the second volume, the authors feel that they can claim that they have advanced somewhat along the paths marked out. The text is recrystallized from a portion of the original material, strengthened and amplified by a great store of new matter, the result of close study since the first edition was prepared; also the arrangement of matter has been materially changed in several respects.

The highly important classification of Maintenance of Equipment is treated of in four chapters instead of in one, as in the first volume. The three additional chapters on Freight Car Maintenance, Locomotive Maintenance and Passenger Car Maintenance embody the results of very careful research, and it is believed that the information thus presented will be of high value, especially as the charts illustrating Locomotive performance for the four years 1908-1911 (inclusive) cover thirty-sub leading roads, many of which were not mentioned in the first volume. Five charts reflecting Passenger Car performance on forty leading roads are shown in place of two charts of fourteen roads in the first volume.

In the chapter of Maintenance of Way and Structures, a new and important unit of cost determination has been introduced, viz., the Locomotive Tractive Mile, which is believed to be a far more logical unit than that which has been employed previously.

The eighth chapter on Fuel Costs is entirely new. The text contains much of what is believed to be wholly original information with respect to locomotive performance under a great variety of conditions and according to various types of structure and classifications. It is not known that such records have been produced before and the information therein presented is at once important and progressive. Those who are interested in the conservation of our natural resources will be pleased to observe in what manner and to what degree better locomotive performance will serve to reduce coal consumption, while the facts adduced will be of interest to the builders of locomotives and superheating devices. This chapter is illustrated by eleven charts wholly original in their character and subject matter.

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