WITHIN THE OVAL

[Music] Listen to that old gal roar. Watch her roll. Isn't that sweet music to a railroader? Maybe you won't admit it, but I'll bet it makes the shivers run up and down your spine. There's something about this railroad game that really gets in your blood. It's the reason why many of our families have been railroading for generations. What is this great railroad we're all so proud of? What makes it tick? Let's find out what it means to us. Let's see what is within the oval. First of all, there is land. Land spread through the richest part of America, about 200,000 acres of New York central property. It is located in 11 states and two provinces of Canada. The area which we serve directly produces 2/3 of the nation's manufactured goods and provides a home for more than 1/ half its people. We are working in a rich territory, rich with people and rich with the good things of this earth. The land owned by our company like this is some of the most valuable real estate in the world. Probably the most important is the land on which our track stands. The central system has 11,000 m of road comprising over 26,000 m of track. Our tracks are on the ground, below the ground, and above the ground. We built them and we maintain them. It's some of the finest track in the world. And it has helped to make our railroad what it is today. Our passengers appreciate the smooth ride we can give them on the water level route. [Music] Next in importance comes our fleet of trains. We can call the role and be mighty proud of the names we all know so well. The Century, Empire, Commodore, Riley, New England States, Mercury, Southwestern, Pacemaker, and plenty of others that are favorites of the traveling public, our customers. Those names mean the last word in travel comfort and dependability. Their long years of dayby-day top performance have made the New York Central first in the hearts of many a traveler. There are many other trains without names, but with such symbols as NY6, NB1, CD4, BF1, BA6, they tell a story of the job we do for our shippers. These and many other hot shots are the backbone of our famous freight service. Shippers count on us to keep schedules and deliver the goods on the advertised. It takes a quail of a lot of power to haul these trains. We do the job with more than 4,000 locomotives in a great variety of sizes and types. Steam, electric, and diesel electric. Power for every purpose. Pacifics, Hudsons, Mohawks, Niagaras, together with an ever growing fleet of diesels. All names famous in motive power history. [Music] For our varnish jobs, we've some 5,000 cars with more coming out of the shops. That is a yard in any man's language. Coaches, MU cars, diners, tavern cars, sleepers, all designed to make it easy and pleasant for people to travel. When you count our system, freight cars, you will reach a figure well over 155,000. Box cars, flat cars, shot cars, hoppers, reapers, and a good many other special types. They are moving over the rails all over the United States, Canada, and Mexico. While we are talking about owning things, don't overlook the thousands of buildings owned by the system. Some are tiny and some are huge. There are stations and shops, towers, and office buildings all over the part of the country served by our railroad. Whether Chevy or skyscraper, each plays its part in working on the railroad. [Music] Yes, this is all very fine. And I know just what you're thinking by this time. The $64 question. What good is all this property without you and me? Now you're talking. Frankly, it wouldn't be worth two hoops without people like us. Incidentally, we wouldn't be much good without all this equipment and property. Did you ever think of that angle? It takes tools to do a job and somebody has to provide them for us. Here's a man who works for the New York Central. He is our president. Keeps the system running. How would you like his responsibility on your shoulders? This seagoing railroader runs one of our tubs in New York Harbor. Ours is the largest railroad marine fleet in the world. Here's another fellow who has an important job. He makes friends for us by keeping our track in good shape. Not all railroaders are men. About 6,000 women are doing a bangup job in a good many different lines of work. This genial gentleman is in a vital spot. As manager of passenger transportation, it is his task to have trains ready when people want to go places. Maybe this job isn't as exciting as running an engine, but it is just about as important. Constant, careful maintenance keeps our trains running and running smoothly. The hand on the throttle is a big factor in keeping our shippers and passengers happy. Constant skill at this job can win us a good many friends. Very little happens that is not first planned on paper. That takes its own kind of skill and training. Our agents are very important in contact with the public and as our salesmen. They keep the dollars clinking in our till. If this man fails, our trains are tied up. He certainly helps to keep them rolling. Butchers on a railroad. Where can you find better ones? Our dining service knows how to win friends among the passengers. Service is a big word in our game. This is the kind that passengers really enjoy. The kind that makes passengers constant customers. You see how it goes. These are only a very few of the jobs and people who bring our railroad to life. Without them, the central would be so much rusting steel. Each is important and each is dependent on the other fellow. Yet, the employee working behind the scenes is just as vital to the success of our business and to the job security of all of us as those who meet the public every day. You can talk about vital industries all you want, but none can beat the railroad for being really important to the nation. Most of the basic industries like coal mining, steel making and a good many others just couldn't exist without the mass transportation service we give them. There is hardly a raw material or a finished product which is not hauled by us at some stage of the game. We not only haul the goods, we haul the machines that make the goods. Our coal handling alone keeps business humming. Over a million car loads a year roll over the New York Central Rails. There is another job we do that is essential to this country of ours. It's moving the United States mail. Our rolling post offices handle thousands of tons each month. Letters, papers, and parcels ride on the head end of our most important trains. Think of the part this plays in keeping industry alive. Yes, we make modern industry possible, but it is a mutual proposition. Their prosperity is our prosperity. As long as these plants are operating, they use what we have to sell. They pay us money. They buy from our other customers. And that means better business all the way around. This money they pay us is for value received. That means good, dependable service. Whether it's in a coach, diner, or box car, we've got to make that service good and very good. It must please our customer, whether he is a vacationer or a shipper. [Music] Our railroad contributes to the welfare of the country in another way. The taxes we pay give our communities a sizable income. As a matter of fact, part of our tax money is paid to communities where we have no station or service of any kind. The more business we have, the more we contribute to the well-being of the area where our railroad operates. [Music] The money we spend for supplies is staggering. We shop for an amazing variety of products and our purchasing department spent more than $170 million for supplies in a recent typical year. Lumber, oil, fishes, water, and a thousand1 other items are purchased every day. It brings trade to our territory. It keeps money circulating where it can be spent on our railroad. That money goes to work creating more traffic for us, more jobs for us. [Music] People also are important to us. Our trains make it possible for Americans to enjoy the finest transportation in the world. When they travel, it means more business for all our other customers. We all know that courteous, efficient passenger service helps to bring us much of our freight. Most people like travel on a train and to protect our own jobs, we must make them keep on liking it. What about the future? What do we hope to do? How will it affect us? We want more freight and more passengers. We can get that business if we can give the service that people want and need. There's a tremendous amount of income ready to be picked up and put to work. New industries located on our lines. Greater expansion in the cities we serve. More people working and more supplies needed. It forms a snowball that gathers size and speed as we work together. People stayed home during the years of World War II because it wasn't easy or popular to travel. Many of them saved money with the idea of taking trips when things got better. Well, things are better now and they are making those trips. The question is how many of them can we get to ride on our train? There are other ways to travel and the air, bus, and steamship lines also want the business and they are working hard to get it. It's up to us, all of us. One of our jobs is to figure out how to get more loads for our freight cars. We've got to keep a steady stream going into these cars and rolling over our railroad in order to keep us at work. That's a responsibility we all have to share. All the agreements and contracts in the world won't mean a thing unless the business keeps on coming. As an example of what is in store for us, let's take the construction industry. In this field, there has been a tremendous development. Uncounted thousands of houses and other buildings are needed all over the country. We will haul more and more materials for both private home construction and industrial buildings. We have a perfect setup for it and the best possible equipment to handle the load. Whole new industries are growing up along our tracks. We will help to build them and we will serve them after they are in operation. Vast areas of new homes are developing and these activities need what we have to offer. Again, we will continue to serve. The people who live in these homes are potential passengers and shippers. At this point, you're probably wondering how we're going to get all this business. What is the company going to do to help us bring in the revenue? Well, that's a fair enough question. And here are some of the answers. Let's take new equipment first. In the first four post-war years, more than $250 million was spent or committed on the central system for new cars and locomotives of the very latest types. The 820 passenger train cars purchased in this program constituted the largest order for passenger equipment in railroad history. These new cars are attracting new business and teaching people that rail travel is comfortable travel. This new equipment is just what the passengers ordered. By means of a special survey, we asked many thousands of passengers to tell us what features they would like in post-war passenger equipment. From that point on, we analyzed their needs and incorporated many new ideas in the design of our cars. We are doing our best to give them what they ordered. [Music] We learn more about the needs of shippers, too, and a great number of new freight cars is the result. More than 25,000 new freight cars were received or ordered by the central system in the first four postwar years. Our management feels that people are not going to ride or ship on our railroad unless we give them what they really want. You don't spend money for things that don't please you. And railroad customers don't either. [Music] At Toledo, we teamed up with another railroad to build this modern coal and ore handling facility. A layout like this costs a pile of money, specifically more than 18 and 12 million, but it's well worth its cost because it enables us to haul a tremendous volume of coal and ore. [Music] There are a good many other new things coming along and they all serve to improve our operation. that results in attracting new business and produces a better income, better working conditions and better job security. A railroad prospers only when its employees and facilities are kept working. Our engineering staff is working both independently and with various manufacturers to devise new equipment and bring you the latest and finest with which to do your job. Better buildings and better working conditions are included in the program, too. This new railroad YMCA is a big step forward and is typical of several built in recent years. Since improvements like these are costly, there isn't enough money to make them all at once. But such improvements are being planned and made regularly, year after year. We don't have a ferry godmother to build bridges for us and maintain our roads. Ours are paid for out of our own railroads pocket. This curve elimination project at Little Falls, New York, cost $2.5 million. We'll have to run a lot of trains past this point to pay for such an undertaking. However, to compete for the business dollar today, we must take steps like this. New highways, canals, and airports are being built with public money to make competition even keener. The New York Central is undertaking the largest employee training program in its history. It is going to be easier for you to learn more about your job. New employees will have a better understanding of their job when they join the company. In order to make the best possible use of our equipment, in order to further improve the high quality of our service, we must all learn more about the right way to do our jobs. That's the way to get ahead. Several new instruction cars have been making their way over our road. The latest methods in visual education are being combined with practical experience. Motion pictures and slide films are playing an important part in presenting information in an interesting and understandable form. [Music] Another valuable feature of the program is our public relations course. In small informal groups, employees from many departments are given an opportunity to discuss problems that affect the railroad, the public, and the individual employee. From these sessions have come many ideas which have resulted in improved working conditions and more efficient operation. And for those who cannot readily attend the classes, there is a special correspondence course which is sent directly to each enrolled employee. If you have not already signed up, see your supervisor and learn more about it. You will find the course interesting and informative. Here is a typical family talking over their plans for vacation. Chances are they will spend several hundred Why shouldn't part of that money be spent with us? It will if we can give them what they want. This manufacturer is going to spend money, too. He has no particular reason to spend it with us unless we can give him the transportation he wants at a price he can afford to pay. Just what does good business mean to us? Steady work and constant income. It means those trips we have planned for years. Maybe a new car or radio or a dozen other things we hope to buy. It may mean a new home, a better education for our children, a good savings account for a rainy day, and better job security. All these things are the result of good business for our company. And good business for our company depends on good business for other companies. Let's not kid ourselves. If we let customers slip through our fingers, we are letting dollars slip from our pockets. We have a fine railroad with fine equipment. [Music] Together, we can challenge any condition. It's up to us, all of us, to our combined efforts to provide better and better service to make our own future secure. [Music]