RATION TRAIN NEAR MENIL-LA-TOUR, FRANCE.
It might also be noted that the Director General of Military Railways was appointed custodian of undelivered locomotives ordered by the Russian government from the Baldwin and American Works. In January, 1918, a total of 200 of these Russian locomotives was purchased, and the engines were converted to meet American requirements by a change in the gauge from 5 feet to 4 feet, 8½ inches, and a change in the coupling system to meet our standard. The price of these was $55,000 each. The Baldwin Works turned its 100 over to the Railroad Administration between February 3 and May 20, 1918, and the American Works made its deliveries between February 19 and May 30, 1918.
The combined cost of these locomotives was $11,000,000 and their total rental revenue from the railroads was $2,585,475 up to December 31, 1918, or 23.5 per cent of the cost price, or at the rental rate of 29.8 per cent per annum.
Orders for 90,103 freight cars to be used by the American Expeditionary Forces were also placed with American contractors. Of these the orders for nearly half—40,915 cars, in exact figures—had been placed just before the armistice, and these contracts were canceled at slight cost to the Government. Up to the end of the year 1918 a total of 18,313 freight cars had been shipped overseas, nearly all of these cars being of the 60,000-pound size. Close bargaining in the purchase of these cars resulted in a saving of $15,737,633 under the prices originally quoted.
For the first time in history American locomotives were shipped across the Atlantic stacked in ships on their own wheels. In our normal foreign trade, and even in the early locomotive shipments to the American Expeditionary Forces, both engines and cars had been disassembled at the seaboard and their parts put up in packages for convenient and economical loading on ships. Each of the first locomotives sent to France was crated in 19 packages, while the parts for an ordinary box car were put up in 26 packages.
On October 29, 1917, however, Gen. Atterbury called attention to the fact that the English were shipping locomotives across the Channel on their own wheels and stated that it would result in very great economies of time, money, and man power if such an arrangement could be made for shipments from the United States. Manufacturers of the locomotives, however, advised against this. So did our own embarkation people and the Shipping Control Committee. Efforts were unsuccessful to get car ferries from the Key West and Habana line and from Quebec for the transport of locomotives on their own wheels over the ocean.
Finally, however, after numerous efforts to get ships with large hatches the ore steamer Feltore was loaded with 33 locomotives on their own wheels, packed in baled hay. This steamer sailed May 18, 1918, and its arrival in France resulted in the following cable from Gen. Pershing:
Shipment of erected locomotives transmitted on the Feltore very satisfactory. Boat completely discharged of locomotives and cargoes in 13 days with saving of 15 ship's days in unloading the 33 locomotives erected as compared with same number of locomotives not erected and further saving of 14 days of erecting forces. Observations of Capt. Byron, who came with these locomotives, show that by loading locomotives in double tiers, placing cab parts and tools, now in separate packages, within tender space and fire boxes, 40 to 45 locomotives can be loaded.