Semaphore - March 1953

Semaphore [seal]SERVICE WITH COURTESY MARCH 1953 The Magazine of the Piedmont & Northern and Durham & Southern Railways [image of train] IN THIS ISSUE . . . Carolina Boom

SERVICE PAYS DIVIDENDS

One day not so long ago one of our traffic salesmen called on a shipper to ask if the Piedmon & Northern could handle an occasional car for him. The industry was located on the tracks of a competing railroad and had habitually routed nearly all of its traffic via the other fellow's route.

Our traffic representative was received very courteously, but he got no promise of traffic. He got instead an explanation of why "X" Railroad was receiving almost all of the shipper's traffic. That explanation contained such a good lesson to us all that we thought it would be worth passing on.

It seems that a very special conductor worked for "X" Railroad. Each day when he delivered or picked up cars for this industry he would make a particular effort to see that they were handled exactly according to instructions. He would even look up the warehouse superintendent and ask him if there was anything further that he could do to help. In short, he was making himself as useful as possible to the shipper--he was really giving service.

But that wasn't all. When the conductor brought in or took out a car that had been switched to his railroad from another line, he went to see the superintendent and reminded him that his road received no profit from a car when it was just switched, but of course he was aglad to provide just as much service as if his road had received a revenue haul.

"You know," the shipper told our traffic man, "that conductor is so accommodating and such a good fellow that I just don't have the heart to make him switch a car from the P & N or any other railroad."

We know that we have more than our share of conductors, trainmen, agents, and clerks who are doing a first-rate selling job in addition to their regular duties. If we didn't, we wouldn't be where we are today. But it never hurts to remind ourselves of the importance of always being courteous and accommodating in our dealings with freight shippers and receivers and others interested in transportation.

Semaphore

MARCH 1953 VOLUME 9 NUMBER 3

Magazine of the Piedmont & Northern and Durham & Southern Railways

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

CORRESPONDENTS

Elizabeth N. Watt..............Anderson Lennie Fatherstone..........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..........................Spartangburg Katherine Brown...............Varina

SEMAPHORE is a monthly publication dedicated to the promotion of mutual understanding and cooperation between the employees, the patrons, and the management of the Piedmont and Northern and Durham and Southern Railway Companies. Suggestions and material for the magazine are solicited from its readers. Unusual material will be returned upon request, but no responsibility for its handling is assumed. Address all communications to Editor, SEMAPHORE, Box 480, Charlotte 1, N. C.

IN THIS ISSUE . . .

Keeping Track.......................................4 New York Outpost..................................5 Carolina Boom.......................................9 Durham Container Company.................14 Shippers News......................................16 Stamp of Approval................................17 Greenville vs. Spartanburg....................18 Clearance Car.......................................19 Along the Line......................................21

THIS MONTH'S COVER . . .

Durham & Southern Locomotive 200, a full load in tow, was wearing a tall black plume when it rounded this curve between Carpenter and Upchurch, N. C. It had just topped the D & S's ruling grade at Carpenter and was leveling off for the run into Apex with Engineer Walter Williams at the throttle and Fireman Frank Leach firing. Seconds after the picture was made the photographer paid the age-old price of getting too close to a steam engine at work--an eye full of cinders and a lung full of smoke.

Keeping Track . . .

THE FIRE PROTECTION AND INSURANCE SECTION of the Association of American Railroads publishes a newsletter which not only contains fire prevention articles and hints but also manages to get in some humorous words of wisdom. A sampling from the December issue: "Hold on to your youth, girls-- but not while he is driving . . . One nice thing about babies--they don't go around bragging about the clever things their parents say . . . We can well understand why so many fathers worry about their sons--they used to be one themselves."

THE AGE-OLD BATTLE OF THE SEXES has seeped into the railroad industry. Not so long ago British railroads made the discovery that women liked to travel in the exclusive company of other women--a sort of hen excursion. Not ones to overlook a good thing, the railroads inaugurated a special service for women's clubs. All-female excursions to historical and scenic points of interest were arranged for the ladies, and the response was overwhelming. In 1953 Britishers expect to operate more than 75 "for ladies only" trains. Tea, of course, will be served and the conductors will pour.

APRIL IS PERFECT SHIPPING MONTH on American railroads. That's the month in which we take stock of what we are doing to reduce freight loss and damage. Although P & N and D & S train crews can boast of a fine record in this respect, there is always plenty of room for improvement. Rough car handling, as always, is still a formidable enemy of perfect shipping.

AMERICAN RAILROADS paid more in taxes last year to federal, state, and local governments than the United States Government spent for all purposes (except debt retirement) during the first 65 years of its existence. From George Washington to Franklin Pierce in 1853, Uncle Sam spent $1, 269,222,000. Last year the railroads paid taxes amounting to about $1,300.000,000. That is some indication of the importance of the railroads in our economic life today. If they were operated by the government the $1.3 billion would certainly not be income and would more likely be outgo.

THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE featured South Carolina in the leading article of its March issue. The story runs 41 pages, has 37 illustrations, most of which are in full color. Everything from new industry to the Charleston azalea gardens has a share of the limelight. The magazine has a circulation of about 2,100,000.

GRADING HAS BEEN ALMOST COMPLETED on the new section of the P & N's industrial development along Charlotte's New Thrift Road. Although delayed somewhat by bad weather, the project will be completed in time for construction of buildings to begin this Spring. Service tracks are scheduled for early completion.

4 SEMAPHORE

[image: man standing on scaffolding looking down on ctiy]

ALTHOUGH NO CITY SLICER, TRAFFICMAN CULBREATH HAS RESISTED BUYING THE BRIDGE

New York Outpost Big city office handles sales and service for the Eastern territory

RAILROADS, even big ones, often get swallowed up in the immenseness of New York City. The New York Central, the New Haven, the Pennsylvania, the Long Island, the Jersey Central -- these are railroads that New Yorkers come into contact with every day. So far as most of them are concerned they are the most important railroads in the world

Few New Yorkers realize that they could look in the Manhattan telephone directory and find local addresses and numbers for almost every railroad in North America. By dialing two letters and five numbers they could talk to a representative of a railroad serving Louisiana, Arizona, North Dakota or Canada.

Back in the middle twenties the Piedmont & Northern, aware of the importance of New York as a traffic

MARCH, 1953 5