Pennsylvania Railroad Information
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PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD INFORMATION MAY luued from the General Offices, Broad Street Station, Philadelphia The Future of Air Transport from a Railroad Viewpoint AN INTERVIEW WITH w. w. ATTERBURY, PRESIDENT, PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD (Reprinted by permission of "The Saturday Evening Post") "Aviation Comes Out Of A Tail Spin," by Wesley Winans Stout, the leading article in "The Saturday Evening Post" for May 8, 1926, recapitulates the chief facts regarding the devel opment of commercial aviation in Ameri-ca, and particularly the impetus received from the recently projected plans for the wide extension of the air mails. Included in the article is the following interview with General Atterbury, setting forth his views respecting . the progress of air transport, its scope and adaptability, particularly with reference to the mail and ex press services in this country: No ONE knows the future of air the future. It will, I believe, create transport. Twenty-five years a new field chiefly of its own. In ago no one knew the future of motor deed, to the limited extent to which cars. Virtually everyone, including it is now being used in this country, the railroads, failed completely to it actually is creating such a field. anticipate the development of the Instead of being a competitor of the, automobile and its extraordinary railroads, I think it will prove a effect on the social and commercial valuable ally in co-operation with life of the nation. I, for one, hope them as an auxiliary form of service. that we shall not repeat the error Moreover, it seems to me not only with air transport. possible but probable that the rail I do not think of air transport as roads will themselves find it desir a competitor of the railroads in any able to utilize aircraft directly, just important degree, either now or in as they now are findi ng it desirable May, I926 2 PENNSYLV ANl1 RAILROAD May, I926 INFORMATION 3 to make use of motor trucks and busses despite continued high cost. But such traffic always will represent only a negli of such a train as the Broadway Limited, European railroads ever developed a gen on the highways to supplement the service there is a tangible prestige to the traveler eral train service comparable in conven on their rails. gible fraction of the total carried by rail. The bulk of traffic will continue to move in riding it. ience, adequacy and comfort to that which Nation Unified by Railroads links most of our larger cities by one-night by rail because of the vastly greater In the Passenger Field Journeys. I economy. That the United States is one vast The twenty hours from New York and I mention these matters for the purpose Scope of Air Transport economic unit, the greatest economic unit eighteen hours from Philadelphia are of making perfectly clear my ability to in history, is due to our rail transportation Traffic analysis of the government littl'e more than an overnight ride. The consider air transport entirely apart facilities more than to any other one fac owned and operated air mail shows that, airplane today might cut the time in half, from competition, with rail service. I tor. Our country and its people continue without selling effort, air transport has but it still would be an overnight journey, am exceedingly anxious to see it en to grow rapidly in wealth, purchasing attracted business in the following order: necessarily in much less comfort and couraged to develop along proper lines power, living standards and numbers. The Banks, bond houses and other financial serenity. No doubt we shall have air pas and in proper co-ordination with the demand-the necessity of the times-is institutions; export and import houses; senger routes in the proximate future, but railroads. for greater speed in transportation and manufacturers and distributors operating I think the vast bulk of passenger travel The Pennsylvania Railroad, which uses communications. That we are able each on a national scale through dealers or will continue to move by rail. The limited the air mail for some of its official corres year to afford new luxuries is one of the \ branch agencies; publishers and adver growth of air passenger traffic in Europe pondence, has been most happy to co inevitable benefits resulting from trans tisers conducting nation-wide sales cam is not a criterion, of course. The relative operate with the Government in the de portation. Luxuries, in turn, become ne paigns; transport and communication smallness of European countries, and the velopment of the New York-Chicago-San cessities. The most striking instance of I corporations, and lastly the general succession of national boundaries, custom Francisco air route. Our part is getting this in history is the story of the motor public. houses and passport annoyances are ob the mail at the New York end to and from car. In short, whatever in the shape of mail stacles which we escape. Nor have the the air terminal at New Brunswick, New It is not discouraging to admit that air or express can, for business reasons or per plane operation is expensive today. So sonal luxury desire, justify extra charge were railway and motor car operation in for speed, can be solicited by air transport. their infancy. Like progress may be ex This, however, also indicates how highly pected in aeronautical engineering. specialized the air field must be by com parison with the total of rail-borne Luxury and Speed Demands transportation. Air transport is just beginning to wean I Experience with Extra Fares itself from military service. It scarcely has had a chance to give more than a flash I know from our own experience that of what it can do. Generous acknowledg- 1 the charging of an extra fare on a passen ment of what may be discovered or de ger train, with the accompanying extra veloped in the near future, however, does · speed and luxury, inevitably is followed not prevent proper conservatism in mak by increased traffic on that train. A very ing the statement that air transport will large proportion of all passenger travel remain probably for a considerable time between New York and Chicago and New an extra-high-cost transport, drawing its York and St. Louis moves by extra-fare patronage partly from the luxury desire trains. The first were inaugurated in 1881 and partly from the demand for extra between Chicago and New York. The speed that marks as peculiarly American effect was an immediate increase in our whole social and economic structure. travel on those trains, and the increase That we shall-perhaps more quickly than has been particularly notable in recent we now realize-come to look upon it as a years. THE "BROAD WAYS" OF EARTH AND AIR Apart from the added speed and luxury Airplane of the United States Mail Service circling abov e the tracks of the Pennsy lvania Rail necessity seems to me extremely likely, road. The train shown is the "Broadway Limited," the Pennsylvania's twenty-hour extra fare de luxe express between N cw York and Chicaa:o. 4 PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD May, I926 May, I926 INFORMATION Jersey. Though this is only a small part of It is my thought and that of my asso the total work, it is an essential one, and ciates that the railroads should not stand "B urbanking" in Railroad Service we are doing it whole-heartedly. We wel in the way of this, but should encourage BY JULIEN L. EYSMANS come the establishment of other routes in it, and our management has so placed Vice President in Charge of Traffic our territory and additional opportunities itself on record. to co-operate. Wherever an air service may Anything which stimulates invention, Addressing the members and guests of the Denver, Col., have junction with the Pennsylvania, we industry and commerce necessarily in Chamber of Commerce on "Pennsylvania Railroad Day," desire to make this junction effective in creases the general volume of trade and April 23, 1926, Mr. Eysmans, said: the practical interchange of traffic. traffic throughout the country; and in this larger prosperity the railroads, like .I, It would be a delightful experience to dentown, N. J., later extending to N, Should Embrace High Grade Express all other economic agencies, have their come here on almost any mission and, York Bay at South Amboy. It weigh I will go a step further and say that the share. They should play the part of lead lacking a mission, it would be pardonable eleven tons, burned cord wood and carri Pennsylvania Railroad management is ers, never of obstructionists, in the. march I• to find an excuse. You have a beautiful its water supply in a whiskey hogshe not only willing but desires to see the air of progress. For all we know to the con city in amagnificent setting, perhaps the on a tiny flat car. It developed about t service broadened to embrace high-grade trary, air transport may em brace the most inspiring of any large city in Amer horse power of a small automobile oft express traffic. The ten new air routes will most important field of progress which ica. As for your climate and sunshine, present day. The standard heavy freig be privileged to carry express or any other this generation is to see. I can only say that the best way to appre locomotive now used by the Pennsylvar traffic they can obtain as long as they per Nor must we forget our national de ciate them is through the sudden trans Railroad weighs nearly 200 tons; carri form the mail service properly.