Semaphore - December 1953

Semaphore [seal]SERVICE WITH COURTESY DECEMBER 1953 The Magazine of the Piedmont & Northern and Durham & Southern Railways JOY TO THE WORLD [image of two choir girl figurines]

Editorial Page

A WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT

This message is written to you with a sense of both pride and humility–pride because I feel that 1953 has been a year of continuing achievement for both railroads...and humility because I realize that the progress which we have made would not have been possible without the combined talent and energy of every member of our organization.

During the year we have taken giant strides toward finishing the extensive modernization program begun several years ago. In South Carolina we completed the remodeling of the mechanical shops, enabling us to keep our fleet of diesel locomotives at peak performance. In North Carolina we adoped a plan to convert the division from electric to diesel operation during 1954 and to remodel the shops at Pinoca. Last month an order was placed for new diesel locomotives for the Durham & Southern to replace the steam power we now have. That program likewise includes modern shop facilities and attendant efficiency and better working conditions. Our new rail program on the South Carolina Division which was completed early this year has been extended to the North Carolina Division. One-third of the main line mileage of this division will have new 100 lb. rail by the end of the year.

Another step forward is the group hospital insurance plan which we initiated last April. This insurance, provided for you at no cost and for your families at nominal cost, has already proven its worth and has served as a model plan for other railroads.

That success which we have enjoyed over the past years has been made possible by your great ability and by the cooperative support you have given to me and other officers of your railroad. I am very proud of the former and deeply grateful for the latter.

To each of you and your families I extend my sincerest wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Peaceful New Year.

[Signature of W. I. Rankin]

W. I. Rankin, President

KEEPING TRACK [sketch of tail end of train]

CHRISTMAS MAIL always gives American railroads a man-sized job to do. The Association of American Railroads estimates that this year's load will contain about 250 million packages and cards. This is enough mail to deliver one package or card to every person in the United States, Canada, and Mexico every day between December 1 and Christmas.

HISTORY is far from a dead subject if the interest shown in the Piedmont & Northern history is any gauge. Many employees and friends have commented on the series of articles now being published in SEMAPHORE. The latest expression of interest was from the nationally-circulated magazine, Trains & Travel, which would like to reprint the series as soon as it has been completed.

SURE TO BE MISSED when the Durham & Southern converts to diesel next spring is the expert whistling of Engineer Jim Farthing's steam engine. Folks on the south end of the line claim that Farthing can play a steam whistle like it was a tenor sax.

ALL EMPLOYEES will soon get a chance to see how well Mrs. J. C. Goodman (wife of Conductor Goodman) has learned ceramics. Mrs. Goodman, who was featured in the November issue of SEMAPHORE, is making souvenir gifts to be presented to each lady attending the annual banquets of both railroads.

THE COVER of last month's issue was so full of turkey that an error in the caption slipped by the proofreader. Pretty Evelyn Williams was mistakenly re-named Evelyn Williamson. Sorry. The turkey? He weighed in at 43 pounds and dressed (or, more accurately, undressed) at 35. He is now in turkey heaven where Thanksgiving and Christmas have been eliminated.

Semaphore DECEMBER, 1953 VOLUME 9 NUMBER 12

Published by the Piedmont & Northern and Durham & Southern Railway Companies. Address all communications to Editor, Semaphore, P. O. Box 480, Charlotte, N. C.

EDITOR THOMAS G. LYNCH Director of Industrial Development and Public Relations

CORRESPONDENTS

Elizabth N. Watt.........................Anderson Lennie Featherstone...................Belmont Elsie K. Walker ...........................Charlotte Dora A. Whitaker .......................Durham Gladys M. Bottoms .....................Durham Jean Greene ...............................Gastonia Delia H. Brown .......................... Greenville Evelyn Williams ......................... Greenville Sarah Y. Stroud ........................... Greenwood Lucille M. Dameron .................... Mt. Holly H. W. Kay ................................... Spartanburg Katherine Brown ....................... Varina

IN THIS ISSUE . . .

Depression and Recovery .................................. 5 Profile—Vance B. King ...................................... 9 Directors Tour ................................................. 10 Farmers Exchange ........................................... 12 Womble Retires ............................................... 14 Teachers' Day on the Railroad ........................... 15 Banquet Committees ........................................ 16 Along the Line ................................................. 17

THIS MONTH'S COVER . . .

The cover this month speaks for itself. It is the message of Christmas and the great joy it brings to the Christian world. It is our earnest prayer that each and every one of SEMAPHORE'S readers and friends has the nicest Christmas ever and that the New Year will bring them success and contentment.

[photo of train station] STATION BUILDINGS like this one at Donalds, S. C. were constructed of brick with tile roofs. They have stood the test of time and are now almost as good as new. Sturdy construction paid off in low maintenance during the Great Depression.

[photo of old freight warehouse] TERMINALS were well laid out and developed for warehouse operations. The Charlotte terminals, pictured above, have changed considerably since this picture was made but the old freight warehouse, right, still serves the railroad as well as when it was built.

Depression and Recovery

Thanks to the wise and conservative fiscal policies of its management and to the excellent physical condition of its equipment and properties the Piedmont and Northern was able to weather the Great Depression of the thirties with minimum lasting effect. It was a decade that at first plunged suddenly downhill and then turned gradually uphill for nearly seven years. During the ten-year period the railroad lost two presidents—William States Lee, its co-founder and E. Thomason, its long-time executive head. When the forties finally rolled around it was in a period of prosperity which was clouded only by the war in Europe. Here is the fourth chapter of of your railroad's history.

When the 1920's rounded the corner into the 30's there was very little to be thankful for, either in the nation or along the Piedmont & Northern. The Great Depression which had begun with the stockmarket crash in October, 1929, had plunged the American business into the depths of moroseness, and the P & N was fighting its last losing battle for the right to connect its two divisions and build northward.

In 1932 cotton went down to five cents a pound; foreign trade fell off; factories slashed production and some stopped running entirely; new construction came to a standstill; banks went bankrupt; wages hit new lows; and when the depression reached its low ebb as many as 13 million workers were jobless. This was the backdrop for P & N history as the railroad entered its twentieth year of operation.

The decade of the thirties has ben accurately described as the "Age of Roosevelt." It was caracterized by the alphabet agencies—NRA, CCC, WPA, RFC. The New Deal, directed by Roosevelt and his "Brain Trust," interjected hypodermic after hypodermic into the sagging economy until it finally began to show signs of recovery after 1933.

Conservatism pays off

Fortunately for the Piedmont & Northern, its leadership had followed a wise and conservative financial policy during its formative years. Profits had been put back into the roadbed, into locomotives, and into buildings and structures. The excellent physical condition of the railroad, more than any other factor, was responsible for its ability to weather the storm and recover sharply from the effects of the depression.

The railroad's operating revenue sank from well over $2 million in 1930 to a low of only $1.6 million in 1932. This caused a corresponding drop in profits. After 1933 business began to improve steadily and finally passed the $2 million

DECEMBER, 1953 5