|
Trains Magazine 1967 March Highballing then and now
Trains Magazine 1967 March
March 1967Volume 27 Number 5
NEWS - - - -3
PROFESSIONAL ICONOCLAST -5
RAILROAD NEWS PHOTOS8
STEAM NEWS PHOTOS12
A GLIMPSE OF GRACE18
RAPIDO -20
PHOTO SECTION25
WHO'S OUT OF STEP?35
SWIFTEST TRAIN IN THE WORLD 38
MEET MATTAGAMI'S MOGUL - 47
Railway post office 50Second section 54
Of books & trains 52Running extra 55
Interchange 56
COVER: Hogger of Exposition Flyer, by John Swatsley; hogger of Rapido, by James A. Brown.
THOSE WHO TRY FAIL
YET another volume has been added to the research literature which concludes that the American railroad passenger train is succumbing to terminal cancer. Southern Pacific asked the Stanford Research Institute to examine post-World War II travel trends in the West, take the pulse of the train in particular, and suggest policy alternatives for management. The hardbound 81% x 11-inch, 57-page result - The Future of Rail Passenger Traffic in the West by Ely M. Brandes and Alan E. Lazar - essentially regionalizes a previously documented economic fact (i.e., varnish has been dealt a mortal blow by forces within and without railroading); but in so doing, its authors take a roundhouse right at the "if-they'd-only-run-good - trains - they'd - get - the - business" camp and even tweaks the nose of sponsor Espee.
The most damning figures in the book stem from a cost study of rail, bus, and air service in the San Francisco-Los Angeles corridor, and they pit a 3.6-million-dollar Coast Daylight (3-unit diesel, baggage-mail car, 8 coaches, 1 triple-unit diner, 1 dome-lounge, and 1 parlor-observation) against a $32,000 Greyhound and a 4.8-million-dollar Boeing 727 jet. The train loses hands down to its rivals because of high labor cost, high capital investment, and low utilization. Like the train, the bus makes only one trip a day, but only the driver mans it whereas 15 employees are aboard No. 98 at any given time. The 6-employee jet makes seven trips per day, giving it an advantage over the train of more than 11 to 1 in labor input and well over 2 to 1 in capital efficiency.
Those who deplore Southern Pacific's negativism on passengers (and their numbers are legion, judging by our mail) get cold comfort from Messrs. Brandes and Lazar. The latter divide 11 major rail passenger carriers of the West into three groups - those who want passengers (AT&SF, CB&Q, GN, NP), those who in effect aren't sure they do
All pictures are of the actual item. If this is a railroad item, this material is obsolete and no longer in use by the railroad. Please email with questions. Publishers of Train Shed Cyclopedias and Stephans Railroad Directories. Large inventory of railroad books and magazines. Thank you for buying from us.
Shipping charges
Postage rates quoted are for shipments to the US only. Ebay Global shipping charges are shown. These items are shipped to Kentucky and then ebay ships them to you. Ebay collects the shipping and customs / import fees. For direct postage rates to these countries, send me an email. Shipping to Canada and other countries varies by weight.
Payment options
Payment must be received within 10 days. Paypal is accepted.
Terms and conditions
All sales are final. Returns accepted if item is not as described. Contact us first. No warranty is stated or implied. Please e-mail us with any questions before bidding.
Thanks for looking at our items.
| 
