Q 264-412. General note.

The principal sources of these series are various issues of two annual publications of the Interstate Commerce Commission: For 19541970, Transport Statistics in the United States, part 1; and for all years prior to 1954, Statistics of Railways in the United States.

No attempt has been made to adjust the figures for the effect of changes in methods of accounting and reporting; hence, the data for the various years are often only approximately comparable.

Although railroads regulated by the ICC are still described legally as "steam railways," most train and switching operations, since 1957, are performed by diesel locomotives, and some divisions of the railways included are electrified. The Commission has also regulated a small and diminishing number of railways of the interurban electric type which are not included in the figures shown here.

Railway operating companies are those whose officers direct the actual transportation service and whose books contain operating as well as financial accounts. Lessor companies maintain a separate legal existence, but their properties are operated by the lessees. Proprietary companies are also nonoperating companies. Their outstanding capitalization is owned by other railway companies. The term "circular" refers to roads (operating or nonoperating) for which brief circulars showing date of incorporation, mileage, and a few other facts were filed with the Interstate Commerce Commission. They include intrastate roads and roads under construction. The term "unofficial" is used to indicate roads for which official returns were not received by the ICC-the figures having been taken from the returns by roads in prior years, and items contained in railway and engineering periodicals and newspapers, corrected in accordance with the best information available.

Switching and terminal companies are those operating separately for joint account or for revenue. Services such as those of switching and terminal companies are mostly performed directly by the line-haul carriers as an ordinary part of their business. Line haul denotes train movements between terminals and stations on main and branch lines of the road, exclusive of switching.

Beginning in 1911, the ICC classified operating companies on the basis of operating revenues. Those of class I had annual revenues above $1,000,000; class II, above $100,000; and class III, below $100,000. Beginning in 1956, the minimum for class I was raised to $3,000,000 and the other two classes were consolidated. Effective January 1965, the classification was changed to the following: Class I, $5,000,000 or more; and class II, under $5,000,000. If the revenues of a company fall below the limit, the company is not reclassified until the decline appears to be permanent. The relative importance of class I railroads has increased since 1911 because of the growth of traffic and the absorption of small roads in larger systems. The ratio of operating revenues of class I line-haul companies to the total revenues of classes I, II, and III was 96.48 percent in 1911, 97.45 in 1916, 98.07 in 1926, 98.76 in 1941, 99.06 in 1945, and 98.21 in 1969.

A collection of definitions of words or phrases frequently used in discussions of railway statistics has been issued by the ICC, entitled Railway Statistical Terms, Statement No. 4119, June 1941. For financial terms, see ICC, Uniform System of Accounts for Steam Railroads.

Statistics of mileage in existence and stocks of equipment, and balance sheet items, pertain to the end of the year indicated. There are no class I railroads in Alaska or Hawaii.

Q 264-273. Electric railways-summary, 1890-1937.

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Census of Electrical Industries, Report on Street Railways and Trolley-Bus and Motorbus Operations.

The census of street railways, which was first taken in 1890, and which was taken at quinquennial intervals from 1902 through 1937, covers all street railways, without regard to kind of motive power, and all interurban railways using other than steam as motive power. The nonelectric railroads included are those operated principally by cable and gasoline engines. Operations of electrified divisions of steamrailway companies are not included. Figures in these series do not include data for motorbus and trolley-bus operations of electric street railways. For motorbus and trolley-bus statistics from census reports, see source.

Q 274-282. Railroad passenger and freight service, 1865–1890. Source: U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission, Railway Statistics Before 1890, Statement No. 32151 (mimeographed), 1932. Before 1890, the principal source of continuous information on railroads is the annual Poor's Manual of Railroads. The figures in the Manual were revised in successive issues. The Interstate Commerce Commission consulted the issues from 1869 to 1900 and evidently took account of the revisions. Earnings and traffic figures are understatements of actual level; mileage covered is shown in the table below. Similar but not identical figures, with the degree of coverage similarly indicated in terms of mileage, appear in Bureau of the Census, Report on Transportation Business in the United States at the Eleventh Census, 1890, part I.

Q 283. Freight service, ton-miles carried, 13 railroads, 1865-1885. Source: H. V. and H. W. Poor, Manual of Railroads, New York City, 1888, p. XXVIII (reprinted with permission, Standard & Poor Corporation).

The roads represented are 7 eastern roads (Pennsylvania; Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne, and Chicago; New York Central; Lake Shore; Michigan Central; Boston and Albany; New York, Lake Erie and Western) and 6 western roads (Illinois Central; Chicago and Alton; Chicago and Rock Island; Chicago, Burlington and Quincy; Chicago and Northwestern; Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul).

Q 284-312. Railroad mileage, equipment, and passenger traffic and revenue, 1890-1970.

Source: All series, except series Q 293-294, see general note for series Q264-412. Series Q 293, 1913-1970, and series Q 294, 1911-1956, American Railway Car Institute, New York, Railroad Car Facts, annual issues (copyright); series Q 294, 1957-1970, U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission, Transport Statistics in the United States, part 1, annual issues.

Q 285, mileage constructed. Miles on which operations were begun during the year. Figures exclude relocated road or road constructed to shorten distance without serving new territory.

Q 286, mileage abandoned. Miles on which operation was permanently abandoned during the year, the cost of which was written out of the investment accounts or was scheduled to be written out at the end of the year.

Q 289, track operated, first main track. Equivalent to miles of road operated. Figures exceed those for series Q 287, road owned, in most years because of two or more roads operating on same line under trackage agreements.

Q 300, average tractive effort. Figures represent the force in pounds exerted by locomotives, measured at the rim of the driving wheels.

Q 301-303, passenger-train cars. Includes coaches and parlor, sleeping, dining, club, lounge, observation, postal, baggage, express, and other cars, as well as cars serving a combination of purposes.

Q 311, passenger revenue. Excludes revenue from services such as handling of excess baggage or mail; sleeping and parlor or chair car reservations; dining and buffet service on trains; station, train, and boat privileges; parcel rooms; storage of baggage; or other miscellaneous services and facilities connected with the transportation of passengers. Passenger revenue depends upon the established tariffs (the published schedules of rates and fares) and includes extra fares on limited trains, additional railway fares for the exclusive use of space, mileage and scrip coupons honored, or revenue from the transportation of corpses.

Q 312, revenue per passenger mile. Represents figures for series Q 311 divided by those for series Q 307.

Q 313-314. Railroad revenue passenger-miles per car-mile and per train-mile, 1890-1970.

Source: U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission, 1890-1965, Revenue Traffic Statistics, December issues; 1966-1970, Transport Economics, June 1970, and unpublished data.

Figures for revenue passenger-miles per car-mile for 1908-1919, and for passenger-miles per train-mile for 1890-1932, were computed by the National Bureau of Economic Research from figures for passenger-miles, car-miles, and train-miles presented in Statistics of Railways in the United States.

Q 315. Passenger train-miles per train-hour, 1936-1970.

Source: U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission, 1936-1957, Passenger Train Performance, December issues; 1958-1968, Annual Report, 1968 and 1969; 1969 and 1970, Transport Economics, June 1970, and unpublished data.

The train-hour figures upon which these figures are based are reckoned from the time a train leaves its original terminal to the time it arrives at its final terminal. Time spent in stopping to take on and discharge traffic and other delays on the road is included.

Q 316-318. Railroad freight revenue ton-miles per loaded car-mile, train-mile, and mile of road, 1890-1970.

Source: See general note for series Q 264-412.

Q 319. Freight train-miles per train-hour, 1920-1970.

Source: U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission, 1920–1955, Freight Train Performance, December issues; 1956-1965, Annual Report, 1967 and 1969; 1966-1970, Transport Economics, June 1970, and unpublished data.

For explanation of train-hour figures, see text for series Q 315.

Q 320. Freight car-miles per car-day, 1921-1970.

Source: U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission. See general note for series Q 264-412; 1956-1962, Annual Report, various issues; 1963-1965, Transport Statistics in the United States, 1967; 1966-1970, Transport Economics, June 1970, and unpublished data.

Q 321-328. Railroad mileage and equipment, 1830-1890.
Source: See source for series Q 274-282.

Equipment data pertain to the ends of fiscal years. See also text for series Q 274-282.

Q 329. Miles of railroad built, 1830-1925.

Source: 1830-1879, U.S. Bureau of the Census, Tenth Census Reports, vol. IV, Report on the Agencies of Transportation in the United States, p. 289. 1893-1925, Railway Age, vol. 104, No. 1, SimmonsBoardman Publishing Corp., New York, January 1, 1938, p. 66 (copyright).

For a more detailed discussion of the problems of estimating miles of railroad built, see E. R. Wicker, "Railroad Investment Before the Civil War," and the "Comment" by George R. Taylor and by Charles J. Kennedy, in Studies in Income and Wealth, vol. 24, National Bureau of Economic Research, New York.

The Tenth Census report (pp. 289-293, 300–375) contains materials on history of construction which includes figures on mileage built and existent, by groups of States, for individual companies, annually from 1830 to 1880. Somewhat similar data appear in Bureau of the Census, Report on Transportation Business in the United States at the Eleventh Census: 1890, part 1, pp. 3-5, 54-107.

According to the Bureau of the Census, information was received from every railroad known to exist in 1880. The letter of instructions from the Superintendent of the Census to the railroads said: “In cases... in which the records have been lost, the officers of such companies and roads are requested to obtain . . . this information in the best form possible. The recollection of officers and employees long in the service of a road may be used . . . if more reliable data be not accessible."

The Railway Age obtained its figures at annual intervals from individual railroads and from State railroad commissions.

It is not clear just when a mile of road would be reported as built. Construction of some lines extended over several years. Each annual segment may have been reported when finished, or nothing may have been reported until the whole line was completed. The year of physical completion may have differed from the year in which traffic was first carried. In such cases, the mileage may have been assigned to either year.

The Census Bureau figures pertain only to miles in operation in the census year. The figures for any year are, therefore, understatements to the extent that mileage constructed in that year may have been abandoned by June 1, 1880 (the date of the 1880 Census).

The change from year to year in miles operated, series Q 321, or miles owned, series Q 322, is sometimes used as a measure of miles constructed. The annual change in miles operated, however, is also affected by acquisitions of trackage rights, as a result of which the same line may be counted in the operation of two or more railroads. The changes in miles operated and in miles owned are affected by abandonments during the year (regardless of when constructed).

Q 330. Miles of railroad operated by receivers or trustees, 1894-1970. Source: See general note for series Q 264-412.

Q 331-345.

Railroad freight traffic and revenue, 1890-1970. Source: See general note for series Q 264–412 except series Q 331, 332, and 338, 1964-1970, from U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission, Freight Commodity Statistics of Class I Railroads in the United States, annual issues.

Revenue-tons and ton-miles exclude the movement of a railroad company's materials and supplies on its own lines. A carload is a shipment of 10,000 pounds or more of one commodity from one shipper to one consignee.

Tons originated are tons identified as not having had previous line-haul transportation by other rail carriers; such shipments include import traffic and traffic from outlying possessions of the United States received from water carriers at the port of entry, and finished products from transit points. Ton-miles are computed by multiplying the weight of each shipment by the distance it moves and summing the products.

For definitions of class I, II, and III roads, see general note for series Q264-412.

Q 333, products of agriculture. Includes not only raw farm products but simple manufactures such as flour, corn meal, cottonseed meal, cake, and linters. On the other hand, such products as vegetable oils, sugar and molasses, canned fruits and vegetables, and manufactured tobacco are included in series Q 337, manufactures and miscellaneous.

Q 335, products of mines. Includes coke as well as coal and other raw minerals.

Q 336, products of forests. Includes not only raw forest products but lumber, shingles, lath; box, crate, and cooperage materials; veneer and built-up wood.

Q 343, freight revenue. Includes revenue from the transportation of freight and from transit, stop, diversion, and reconsignment arrangements upon the basis of tariffs. Excludes revenue from such activities as switching of freight-train cars; water transfers of freight, vehicles, and livestock; movement of freight trains at a rate per trainmile or for a lump sum; storage of freight; demurrage; grain elevators; stockyards; or other miscellaneous services and facilities connected with the transportation of freight.

Q 346–355. Railroad property investment, capital, income, and expenses, 1850-1890.

Source: See source for series Q 274-282. See also text for same series.

Q 356-363. Railroad property investment and capital, 1890-1970. Source: See general note for series Q 264-412.

Q 356, investment, book value. Figures represent recorded value, in the accounts of carriers, of land, fixed improvements such as roadbed and track, rolling stock, maintenance machinery, etc., owned by them. Figures include property held under contract for purchase. Q 357, depreciation reserve. Figures represent the accumulated accounting allowance for loss in service value not restored by current maintenance. The loss in value is incurred in connection with the consumption or prospective retirement of physical property in the course of service from causes against which carriers are not protected by insurance, which are known to be in current operation, and the effect of which can be forecast with a reasonable approach to accuracy. Q 361, funded debt unmatured. Funded debt is debt maturing more than one year from date of issue.

Q 362, net capitalization. Figures represent railway capital outstanding, series Q 358, minus stocks and debt of railroad companies held by other railroad companies.

Q 364-366. Railroad capital expenditures for additions and betterments, 1921-1970.

Source: Association of American Railroads, 1921-1950, Railroad Transportation; 1951-1970, Yearbook of Railroad Facts, 1971.

Additions comprise: Additional facilities such as equipment (rolling stock), tracks, buildings and other structures; additions to such facilities, such as extensions to tracks, buildings and other structures; additional ties laid in existing tracks; and additional devices applied to facilities such as airbrakes applied to cars not previously thus equipped.

Betterments comprise improvements of existing facilities through the substitution of superior parts for inferior parts retired, such as the substitution of steel-tired wheels for cast wheels under equipment, the application of heavier rail in tracks, the strengthening of bridges by the substitution of heavier members, and the application of superior floors or roofs in buildings.

Q 367-377. Railroad income and expenses, and interest and dividends, 1890-1970.

Source: See general note for series Q 264–412.

Q 367, operating revenue. Includes revenue from freight, passenger, and other transportation and incidental services.

Q 368-370, operating expenses. Includes current depreciation. Q 371, tax accruals. Taxes imposed by any form of government whether based on an assessed value of the property, on amounts of stocks and bonds, on earnings, income, dividends declared, payroll, number of passengers, quantity of freight, length of road, rolling stock, or other basis. Tax accruals do not include special assessments for street and other improvements, nor special benefit taxes such as water assessments.

Q 372, operating income. Figures represent net revenue from railway operations, series Q 367 minus series Q 368, less tax accruals, series Q 371.

Q 373, net operating income. Figures represent operating income, series Q 372, minus net payable balance of equipment and joint facility rents. The equipment rents deducted at this point are those for equipment leased for less than one year, or interchanged. They are usually on a per day or per mile basis.

Q 374, net income. Figures represent net operating income, series Q 373, plus other income, minus miscellaneous deductions and fixed and contingent charges. Fixed charges are mainly rent for leased roads and equipment (i.e., equipment leased for one year or more), and interest (except contingent interest).

Q 377, interest accrued on funded debt. Figures include interest not paid during year on debt in default of interest; they exclude interest on debt owed by the issuing company, or on debt incurred for new lines, extensions, additions or betterments, accrued before such property is completed or comes into service.

Railroad Transportation; 1965-1969, Yearbook of Railroad Facts, annual issues.

Q 388-390, fuel received. Figures include not only fuel for operation of trains but fuel for station, shop, or other use, except that figures for 1964-1970 include only the operation of locomotives and

motorcars.

Q 391, new rails laid. Figures include both rails laid in replacement and rails laid in additional tracks, new lines, and extensions, except that figures for 1917-1926 include only rails laid in replacement. Q 392-393, cross-ties laid. Figures for 1917-1926 include only ties laid in replacement. Of the total ties laid in 1927, 78,340,000 were in replacement. Treated ties are those which have been subjected to some preservative process, e.g., creosoting, before being placed in the track.

Q 398-399. Railroad employees and compensation, 1890-1970.
Source: See general note for series Q 264–412.

An employee is defined as a person in the service of a railroad, subject to its continuing authority to supervise and direct the manner of rendition of his service. Persons such as lawyers engaged to render only specifically defined service for specific cases and not under general or continuing retainer are not classed as employees. For 1890-1914, the number of employees represents the number on the payroll June 30. Thereafter, the nature of the figures included for the smaller (class II and III) roads is not clear in the source. For class I roads they appear to be averages of 4 quarterly counts, 1915-1920; and of 2 quarterly and 6 monthly counts, 1921; beginning 1922, they are averages of 12 monthly counts.

Q 400-409. Railroad accidents and fatalities, 1890-1970.

Source: U.S. Federal Railroad Administration, Accident Bulletin,

annual issues (formerly issued by U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission), and related monthly reports.

Reportable railroad accidents are divided into three groups: (1) Train accidents, (2) train-service accidents, and (3) nontrain accidents. Train accidents are those arising from the operation or movement of trains, locomotives, or cars which result in a reportable death or injury and more than $750 damage to equipment, track, or roadbed; or a collision, derailment, or other train accident, with more than $750 damage to equipment, track, or roadbed. Train-service accidents are those arising from the operation or movement of trains, locomotives, or cars which result in a reportable death or injury but not more than $750 damage to equipment, track, or roadbed. Nontrain accidents are those which do not result from the operation or movement of trains, locomotives, or cars.

Q 410-412. Pullman company operations, 1915-1968.

Source: U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission, Statistics of Railways in the United States and Transport Statistics in the United States, part 2, and, beginning 1963, part 1, The Pullman Company (Sleeping Car Companies), various annual issues; except series Q 411, 19151921, U.S. Office of Business Economics, Survey of Current Business, January 1939, p. 18.

Figures for series Q 411 exceed those in series Q 310, parlor and sleeping car passenger-miles, mainly because travel of railroad employees etc. (for which railroad companies receive no revenue) is not included in series Q 310; but if Pullman accommodations are paid for, the travel is included in series Q 411.

The number of Pullman employees, series Q 412, is the number on the payroll at the end of the year. The Pullman Company ceased operation in 1969.