Semaphore - December 1953

mark again in 1936. But in the Fall of 1937 another recession occured which lasted nearly a full year, causing business to drop below the $2 million mark once again. By 1939 things were humming again revenue wise and the P & N was destined to enter a long period of prosperity and growth.

Consolidation of P & N-D & S

As an economy move during the depths of the depression the Piedmont & Northern and the Durham & Southern were further integrated. Prior to 1931 the Durham & Southern, another Dukebuilt railroad, had been operated independently except that E. Thomason, vice-president and general manager of the P & N, also served in a similar capacity for the Durham & Southern. In that year consolidation of managerial functions including accounting, traffic solicitation and maintenance was completed and the two railroads have been operated jointly since. The general offices for both railroads were then in Charlotte.

After a distinguished career with the Duke Power Company and as president of the P & N from 1921 W. S. Lee died on March 24, 1934. The loss of Mr. Lee was keenly felt from one end of the railroad to the other and he was not easily replaced. However, the day-to-day operation of the railroad had long been entrusted to Vice-President and General Traffic Manager E. Thomason. It was logical that he should succeed Mr. Lee as president, and he was duly elected by the board of directors on March 31, 1934.

An up-and-coming assistant of Mr. Thomason's, W. T. Gill, was elected to succeed him as general manager. Mr. Gill ultimately became vice-president and general manager and held this position when he died on January 28, 1941.

Strong traffic organization

The traffic department of the railroad has always been one of its most importamt assets. Under the leadership of Mr. Thomason and J. S. Cureton the organization was steadily rebuilt after World War I until it became a highly effective sales and service organization. After outstanding service as a traffic manager J. S. Cureton, an active participant in

[photo of Traffic Department Officials, spans both columns] TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS gathered for this picture around 1930. They are, kneeling: G. H. Box, M. C. Watt, F. E. Williams, C. B. Irwin, R. A. Hand, Don Lumpkin, Chandler Houston, W. E. Atkinson; standing are W. F. West, Ed King, R. R. Vaughn, S. M. Howard, L. F. Crenshaw, W. T. Gill, C. D. Turner, D. K. Jackson, E. Thomason, C. T. Brown, J. S. Cureton, H. R. Roby, and W. I. Rankin, now president. Agents of class I stations are included in the group photograph.

6 SEMAPHORE

the extension hearings before the ICC, died in April, 1934. During his career he was agent, general agent, general freight and passenger agent, and traffic manager. He was succeeded as traffic manager by W. I. Rankin.

At that time Mr. Rankin had been connected with the railroad for nearly 20 years. Prior to his appointment as traffic manager he was freight traffic manager. He entered service with the Piedmont & Northern at Charlotte on January 1, 1915, and was promoted to agent at Mount Holly, North Carolina, in March, 1916. He served as agent at both Spartanburg and Charlotte before being appointed commercial agent at Anderson in 1922. He was transferred to Charlotte as commercial agent in May, 1925, and later in the same year was promoted to general freight and passenger agent with headquarters at Greenville.

Traditionally the headquarters of the traffic department had been at Greenville. However, in 1938 the department was consolidated with the general offices in Charlotte and has remained there ever since. From Charlotte it serves both the P & N and the D & S.

The loss of Mr. Thomason

Mr. Thomason died on March 7, 1937, only three years after becoming president of the railroad. It was a bleak day for the P & N for on that day it lost the man who had nursed it to life and seen it through its formative years.

To succed Mr. Thomason the railroad reached all the way up to Canada to draft the services of its old friend and former chief engineer, Frank H. Cothran. Mr. Cothran became president on April 1, 1937.

The man who guided the destiny of the railroad for the next decade was a native of Millway in Abbeville County, S. C. He began his engineering career with the Seaboard Railway in 1899 and was later instrumental in locating and

[photo of Frank Cothran] Frank H. Cothran President, 1937-1948

constructing a number of railroads, including the Coal and Coke Railway (now a part of the Baltimore & Ohio) and the South & Western Railway (now the Clinchfield).

After distinguishing himself in the railroad constructing field Mr. Cothran joined the Duke organization in 1911 and went to work immediately on engineering work in connection with the location and construction of the P & N. After completing this work in 1914 Mr. Duke sent him to Canada to work with such Duke enterprises as the Alma & Jonquieres Railway, Duke Price Power Company, Ltd., and the Quebec Development Company.

More work in Carolina

In 1916 Mr. Cothran returned to North Carolina and became engineer in charge of the Bridgewater construction project —the work involved in controlling the upper Catawba and creating Lake James. He was back in Canada in 1923 where he

DECEMBER, 1953 7

stayed until he became chief engineer of the P & N between 1927 and 1929. This was during the effort to connect up the two divisions and extend the railroad. He returned to Canada after this twoyear period of service as chief engineer.

Mr. Cothran brought to the P & N a wealth of engineering experience and a reputation in mining, railway construction, and hydro-electric power development which was unexcelled. This knowledge proved invaluable in the years ahead.

Throughout its history it has always been the policy of the Piedmont & Northern to help build the communities it serves by constructing and maintaining extensive warehouse facilities in the larger cities. When the railroad was constructed in 1911-12 large warehouses for lease to commercial firms were established in such cities as Charlotte, Spartanburg, Greenville and Anderson. In addition, the railroad has acquired various properties along its right-of-way which are used for industrial development.

Industrial development

During the summer of 1937, shortly after Mr. Cothran became president, the P & N launched an experiment in Charlotte which has proven successful above all expectations. In that year Mr. Cothran, assisted by Mr. Gill, made arrangements to purchase a tract of 121 acres of farm land on the western fringes of Charlotte. The P & N Realty Company was created as a subsidiary firm and given the responsibility for developing this property.

Under the guidance of the Realty Company the property was laid out in an orderly development and a number of building sites were graded and prepared for new warehouses and manufacturing companies. This project, begun in a modest way, has since developed into the big Thrift-Tuckaseegee Road industrial development which is now home for 43 plants and warehouses.

During the decade of the 30's the P & N continued its full electric operation. Its main-line trackage was 129.6 miles in length and its total trackage, including yard and side tracks, was 192.8 miles. Equipment used during this period consisted of 17 electric locomoties, 278 freight-train cars, 19 passenger cars, and 17 units of work equipment.

Texile industry grows

By the end of the decade the P & N served 60 cotton mills in the rapidly developing Piedmont Carolinas. However, in spite of the large number of textile mills served, freight traffic handled by the railroad was fairly diversified by this time. Passenger revenue represented only a small fraction of the railroad's total operating expenses.

As the thirties turned into forties memories of the unsuccessful effort to extend the line and the Great Depression faded into the past. Ahead lay a bright future which was darkened only by the black cloud of war which engulfed Europe. Like all the segments of the railroad's life the next ten years were destined to be filled with both sadness and gladness.

MAGAZINE WILL BE BOUND

In conformance with the past practices employees may submit the 12 issues of SEMAPHORE published this year to the editor for binding into book form.

The deadline for submitting the past issues is February 1. Please arrange the copies in order beginning with January and ending with December. Send them to Editor, SEMAPHORE, P.O. Box 480, Charlotte, along with a slip of paper containing your name and address. The bound volume will be returned shortly thereafter.

8 SEMAPHORE

Profile

[photo of Vance B. King] Vance B. King Purchasing Agent

RAILROADS have long been one of the nation's biggest shoppers. Thousands upon thousands of items ranging from locomotives to nuts and bolts are required to keep the freight moving. It it no wonder, then, that the man in charge of purchases and supplies has become an important department head in most railroad organizations.

Since October 1, 1950, Vance B. King has been the purchasing agent for the Piedmont & Northern and Durham & Southern Railways. All purchases and supplies are under his able jurisdiction, and he has the responsibility of administering a department that is constantly in close contact with other departments of the railroad and with the hundreds of firms that supply the things railroads need.

Vance King was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, on March 8, 1907. By the time he was nine years old his family had moved to Charlotte and he now calls the Queen City his home town. His first job of consequence was with the railroad he still serves. He started at the Pinoca Shops in 1925, quickly worked his way up, and in 1928 was transferred to the general offices as material and supply clark.

Promotions came fast

On April 1, 1943, he was promoted to chief clerk of purchases and stores and was promoted again to his present position on October 1, 1950, succeeding W. A. Thomason, who retired.

Mr. King is married to the former Miss Mabel Thompson and lives at 1423 North Independence Boulevard. Their daughter, Joan, is now a junior at Central High in Charlotte.

Through the years Purchasing Agent King has developed an interest in both photography and writing. His ability as a writer is well known at Hawthorne Lane Methodist Church, where he has edited a weekly Sunday School class paper for ten years.

When Mr. King became purchasing agent three years ago he brought to his job a thorough understanding of railroad purchasing procedures and has since perfected an organization which has played an important role in the success of the two railroads.

DECEMBER, 1953 9

DIRECTORS' TOUR 25 Directors and Officials give South Carolina Division a quick and approving inspection tour

EARLY this month a group of 25 Piedmont & Northern Railway directors, officials, and several other interested persons boarded a special train in Spartanburg and inspected the railroad between Spartanburg and Greenwood.

The special tour was arranged by President W. I. Rankin on December 3, in order to acquaint members of the board of directors of the substantial industrial progress along the division and to bring them up to date on the physical condition of the railroad. The tour included stops at the Lee steam plant of the Duke Power Company near Pelzer and inspection of a number of facilities at Greenwood.

Directors James C. Self, Sr., and James C. Self, Jr., were hosts to the directors at Greenwood. There the group boarded a special bus and visited the Harris plant of Greenwood Mills, the modern 179-bed Self Memorial Hospital, and the big new Durst plant of Greenwood Mills. The latter is the newest addition to Greenwood Mills and is now beginning the production of cotton print cloth.

Luncheon was served to the directors and officials in the hospital cafeteria. Guests were taken on an inspection tour of the $3,000,000 completely modern institution. Self Memorial Hospital was built by Mr. Self and is operated by the Self Foundation for the benefit of the citizens of Greenwood County and the surrounding area. Hospital Administrator W. W. Lowrance was in charge of the tour.

During the afternoon the group had an opportuity to visit one of the hundreds of modern houses erected for employees of Greenwood Mills and spent the better part of an hour looking over the new Durst plant. The building is a single story structure which measures about 1230 feet in length and is approximately 356 feet wide. It covers about 10 acres of land.

After completion of the tour in Greenwood the group returned via train to Greenville.

On hand for the tour

Directors making the trip included: J. W. Arrington, Jr., vice-president, Union Bleachery, Greenville; F. J. Blythe, president, Blythe Bros. Co., Charlotte; N. A. Cocke, president, Duke Power Co., Charlotte (also vice-president, P & N Railway); Frank Dowd, president, Charlotte Pipe & Foundry, Charlotte; Alester G. Furman, Jr., partner, Alester G. Furman Co., Greenville; R. E. Henry, retired textile executive, Greenville; W. P. Ligon, vice-president, Reeves Bros. Inc., Spartanburg; W. S. Montgomery, president, Spartan Mills, Spartanburg; C. C. Pearce, Jr., president, Pearce-YoungAngel Co., Greenville; W. I. Rankin, president, P & N Railway, Charlotte; James C. Self, president, Greenwood Mills, Greenwood; and James C. Self, Jr., treasurer, Greenwood Mills, Greenwood.

10 SEMAPHORE