The Big Pull

U.S. railroads now face the war's worst jam. In his message to Congress last week, President Truman said: "Troop move ments on the nation's railroads will be come increasingly heavy from now on. I ask for full public cooperation in preventing any aggravation of this burderion domestic transportation, for it would slow down the rate at which soldiers can be reunited with their loved ones." But the President had described the picture in the mildest of terms.

Many of the 2,000,000 soldiers in U.S. camps are already shifting to the West Coast. Troops from Europe are already arriving and moving toward their homes --with their parents, wives and sweethearts going to meet them. By the end of the month many of the same men will be moving over western roads toward the Pacific. And these movements will mount like a swelling flood.

The Schedule. The outlook, as far as Washington officials could see it at the moment :

P:For troop movements and furloughs, the Army now uses half the Pullmans in the country (total 8,753) and one-third of the coaches (total 39,244). To handle the load at its peak, some Office of Defense Transportation officials thought 4,000 to 5,000 more passenger cars would have to be taken from civilians.

P:In the first quarter after V-E day (to Aug. 8), an estimated 280,000 men will come back from Europe each month (to speed westward, go to various camps, scurry home on furloughs). In the second quarter (to Nov. 8) the figure will run around 395,000, possibly reaching a peak of 500,000, then tapering off to 270,000.

P: When the movement is in full tide, 25 full troop trains a day will be shuddering over the rails into San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle (at Midwest terminals they will be made up from 140 trains daily).

How to Do It? The job looked almost hopeless, but ODT and the railroads were not just sitting around in tears. Last week, Defense Plant Corp. was prevailed upon to finance the building of 1,200 more troop sleepers and 400 boxcar kitchens--double the number now in use. If steel is available--and this was a big if--the new cars should be ready in the fall. But they may not be ready in time for this year's transportation crisis.

Another move: tall, grey-haired Colonel John Monroe Johnson, ODT boss, recommended that the Army release 50,000 experienced railroad men to help in shifting the fighting men to the West.

The roads faced one other tough situation: for 1945 they would need 60,000,000 ties, but production at its current rate indicated they would get only 30,000,000. Ties have to last longer.

Last year, when passenger travel was above the saturation point, the railroads made it by the skin of their teeth. Now the Army counted on some 20,000,000 "more moves" of troops around the U.S. within the next ten months. Said Colonel Johnson: "On paper the job's impossible --but we're going to do it." Then he added: "How--I don't know."

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