200,000th Car

A blue, yellow and green box car rolled off the assembly line at Pullman-Standard's Bessemer, Ala., plant and onto the waiting track of the Southern Railway System. The vivid and unusual paint job signaled that Southern's No.550555 is the 200,000th car built at the Bessemer plant since it opened in 1929.

The 200,000th freight car produced at Pullman-Standard's Bessemer, Ala., plant was delivered to Southern Railway during special ceremonies at the railroad's new Birmingham passenger station.

Southern's president, W. Graham Clay tor, Jr., accepted delivery of the car from George L. Green, Pullman-Standard president, in Birmingham, Ala., August 6. Then, after a brief ceremony at the Southern depot, the two presidents held a press conference and led a tour through Southern cars on exhibit: a "Silversides" aluminum gondola, a "Big Boy" box car, and the Exhibit Car-with its graphic story of Southern's history and progress. .' ~

Of the 200,000 cars built at Bessemer, Southern Railway has purchased some 39,000 or nearly one-fifth of the total output-at a cost of over $342 million.

"The car on which we are taking delivery," Mr. Claytor said, "is part of a 1,000-car order, estimated to cost some $17 1/2 million. You at Bessemer are also currently building for us 550 70-ton gondolas at an estimated cost of over $7 million, and 50 100-ton covered gondolas, estimated to cost $1 1/4 million."

The cost of a gondola in the 50-car order is about $24,500 a car. A comparison of that figure with the price of $2,090 that Southern paid in its first order of 50-ton gondolas back in 1937 points to the rising cost of living.

The 50-foot box car stands just over 15 feet high. In its more than 5200 cubic feet of space it can carry more than 70 tons of freight. Features of the landmark car include 10-foot-wide doors, cushion underframe that helps protect cargo from impact damage, nailable steel flooring, and anchors in all side posts for securement of steel lading straps to hold cargoes in position during shipment.

"Of course," Mr. Claytor said, "it took two cars then to equal the capacity we are buying today in one car, so the comparable 1937 price was more like $4,200 per car. However, even on that basis, the amount we must pay today to buy a ton of hauling capacity is about six times the amount we had to pay before World War II.

"Most businesses experiencing increased costs of that magnitude simply raise their own prices and pass the higher costs along to their consumers. But for various reasons, including the competition of other transport modes--especially the increasing 'do-it-yourself' ability of shippers to supply their own transportation needs that simple expedient has been only of limited value to railroads. .

" As a consequence, the revenue per ton-mile which Southern Railway receives today is not six times higher on the average than it received in 1937. In fact it is not four times nor even two times higher. The amount which Southern Railway received last year for hauling a ton of freight one mile was actually only 24 per cent higher on the average than we received in 1937, and is actually 18 per cent less than ten years ago."

Southern Railway also received the 100,OOOth box car produced at the Bessemer plant. It was delivered in December of 1951.

Southern's first purchase of cars from Pullman Standard was in 1937, eight years after the Bessemer plant opened. Why the long wait? The reason is that the year 1929 signaled the beginning of the great depression lasting much of the next decade. Southern's business, along with that of all other railroads, took a nose dive.

Mr. Claytor explained: "Between 1929 and 1932, our freight business fell from eight and one-third billion ton-miles to four and one-third billion ton-miles, a drop of nearly 50 per cent. Passenger traffic fell by more than 50 per cent.

"Our gross operating revenues fell by about the same percentage-from about $143 million in 1929 to less than $73 million in 1932. Thats less than our net income before taxes of some $761/2 million last year."

The railway didn't need more freight cars; the problem was to find enough business to keep running the cars that it had. Hundreds of freight cars stood idle on sidings earning nothing and accumulating only rust and depreciation; trees actually grew through the cracks in the wooden floors on some of the cars.

In a luncheon address, the Pullman-Standard's president, George Green, saluting Southern for the contributions it has made to the economic life of the Birmingham - Bessemer community, made it clear how times had changed in the years since. From 1961-69 Southern's purchases amounted to $205,466,554.

W. Graham Claytor, Jr. (left), Southern's president, accepts delivery of the 200,OOOth freight car from George L. Green, Pullman-Standard president.

"That means that for the past ten years this one railroad had been pouring into the economy of this community more than $20 million a year for new freight equipment," Mr. Green said.

Forty-one years have gone by since Pullman-Standard built the railway carbuilding complex at Bessemer that has become the most productive facility of its kind in the world. Southern Railway is proud to be part of that story.

Two events in that story indicate that history often repeats itself. It was Southern Railway that also received the 100,OOOth car produced at the Bessemer plant. That car was accepted by the railway in December of 1951. Southern can now look forward to taking delivery on the 300,000th car.