RAILROADS: Another Trunk Line?

At present, four great trunk lines connect Chicago and New York—the Baltimore & Ohio (1,014 miles), Erie (998 miles), New York Central (979 miles), Pennsylvania (909 miles). But from the recent attitude taken by President A. H. Smith, of the New York Central, it has been learned that that road contemplates establishing still another trunk line route between the two cities. Recent hearings of the Interstate Commerce Commission have been devoted to the old question of railroad consolidation. The tentative plan of the Commission had been to assign the Central Railroad of New Jersey and the Philadelphia & Reading to the B. & O. system. President Smith of the New York Central, however, made a plea for the acquisition of these lines by his road, pointing out the greater service which could be rendered the Port of New York thereby. If this arrangement were made, a fifth trunk line, controlled by the New York Central and 939 miles in length (shorter than any existing trunk route except the Pennsylvania) could be established. The route would run from Jersey City over the Jersey Central lines to Tamanend, thence over the P. & R. lines to Newberry Junction, and thence on the New York Central system through Lock Haven, Keating, Clearfield, Fall Creek, Rose Siding and Ashtabula to Chicago. Construction of about 95 miles of new track to replace existing lines, owned partly by the Pennsylvania system, would be necessary under this plan.

In the background of this discussion of railroad consolidation is the ancient commercial rivalry between New York, Baltimore and Philadelphia. The proposal to turn over the P. & R. and Jersey Central to the B. & O. would favor Baltimore; to merge the two small companies would favor Philadelphia; to carry out President Smith’s suggestion would favor New York. Undoubtedly the need of the latter for better freight facilities is greater than that of Baltimore or Philadelphia, and if the growth of the three centers continues in the same ratio as that of the past decade, this will be all the more true by 1930.