1958 - Saunders See Great Future for Area Served by N&W and for Road Itself

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Roanoke Times - March 1, 1958

Saunders See Great Future for Area Served by N&W and for Road Itself

   The area served by Norfolk and Western Railway has a "great 
future... and I think the N&W will keep pace with it," said Stuart T. 
Saunders, the railroad's president-elect yesterday.
   Saunders' forecast that the future looks "very bright," came 
shortly after the announcement that he will succeed R. H. Smith as 
N&W president who is retiring March 31.
   The immediate future "looks rather tough," he admitted, "but we're 
hopeful the westward movement of coal will be greater after the 
opening of the Great Lakes in the spring."
   He further predicted, "A substantial pickup will come by the 
middle of the year, or maybe a little later."
   Coal, the product which accounts for two-thirds of the N&W's 
tonnage, is "about 20 per cent behind" last year's figures, he said. 
The metallurgical steel industry which uses a large part of the coal 
is off about 53 to 55 per cent.
   However, said Saunders, there has been, "no perceptible letup in 
the electric power industry." another large user of coal. And the 
severe winter has brought on increased sales of retail coal, "now 
relatively small because of oil and gas."
   Overseas consumption of coal, he said, is not off as much. Export 
tonnage for the year is expected to be 10 to 15 per cent under 1957.
   "We would like to diversify our traffic," said the N&W's executive 
vice president. "By that, I don't mean that we want to haul less coal 
. . . but we would like to step up general merchandise so we could 
have more of a 50-50 ratio."
   He called the N&W's gradual policy of dieselization "inevitable."
   Saunders said, "It has been a great experience to work with Mr. 
Smith. He is one of the outstanding transportation authorities in the 
country. I feel that I have been very fortunate in having the 
opportunity to work with him."
   The retiring president is "leaving the property in good shape," he added.
   "With hard word and aggressiveness," he went on, "we can make it 
an even greater and more efficient transportation system."
   Saunders, a civic, business and professional leader, said he likes 
to meet and work with people and read. He said he likes to get 
outdoors but he is not a fisherman or hunter.
  "But I get more pleasure in working than anything else," he observed.

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- Ron Davis, Roger Link