Hisfory Mqde In Flor Cor Stud Shipments

Nfention rvas made in the August 1 issue of The California Lumber Merchant of the history-making arrival in Los Angeles of five carloads of. 2-4-8 fir studs, loaded on flat cars.

Orrie W. Hamilton sent out a bulletin to the members of the Southern California Retail Lumber Association on the subject, claiming great things for stud shipping in that manner in future. The claims for flat car shipping of these studs are : quick loading at the mills; quick and cheap unloading at destination; putting cars back into service in a hurry; perfect condition of studs on arrival. Mr. Hamilton told it this rvay:

"The first rail shipments of studs ever to be made by flat car to any place in the nation began arriving at the Taylor Freight Yard in Los Angeles on Monday, July 20. Without exception every one of these cars arrived in periect order for quick 100 per cent mechanical unloading and for safe storing and handling in retail yards. These cars all met the test and measured up in all respects to our fondest hopes and expectations. Not one piece of lumber was jostled loose or lost in transit. Evet'1' package on the several cars remained square and plumb on both sides and ends and there was very little shifting of the load even though the cars had made a journey of o'r'er 800 miles from the mill over mountain passes to Los Angeles.

We wish all of our members could have been present to have seen the perfect condition of these shipments and to have rvitnessed the unloading of these cars, but we rvill do the next best thing and reproduce a few of the pictures taken of these cars on their arrival in Los Angeles. Besides, 1ve may be able to show you at a later date, the colored moving pictures taken while the cars rvere being unloaded.

"Credit for this history making feat is due entirely to Mr. A. G. Perkins, Transportation Supervisor, Public Utilities Commission of the State of Californiar Perkins has long contended that if cars were properly loaded, and banded and butted together, even though the packages were only 8 feet long. they l'ould rvithstand the jostling and ordinary handling of the railroads and arrive at destinations without delay, and in perfect condition.

"Mr. Perkins had 'ivorked out the details for these test shipments with the railroads and the lumber prodttcers and engineered the loading of these cars. He 'ivas personally on hand to supervise the loading of tl.rese experimental cars and to subsequently ir:spect them at various 1>ttints along the journey to Los Angeles, and he was here to make a joint inspection r'vith our committee and railroad representatives, and to see them unloaded at the consignees' yards.

"Some of the cars took as little as 23 minutes to unload. No hand labor was needed or used to unload anv of these cars other than to strip them of cross ties, longitudinal ties, load bearing and stakes. Some of the packages 'n'ere taken by lift trucks and placed on the trucks for immediate delivery to the job, while tl.re balance rvas stacked high in the yards r,r'ithout danger to employees or customers."

The LUMBER MERCHANT asked Mr. Hamilton for physical facts concerning these flat car shipments and lvas told that the 5 carloads averaged 43,000 feet each; there was an average of 18 packages on each car, the packages were either 15 or 13 pieces l'ide,24 pieces high, lr'ith fu-inch stickers placed in every 8th course. The cars are unloaded with lift trucks, and in most yards the ttnloading can be done from both side of the cars, speeding up the action.

Mr. Hamilton predicts that in the near future flat carloads of studs rvill be made to rnuch more distant territories.

L. A. Counry Building Permits

In the unincorporated area of I-os Angeles County building permits for the montl-r of July numbered 4,092, with a total value of $26,477,425. This was 24/o above the montlr of June, and 22/t, above JulY,1952.

BUITDING BOAR,D - TIIE - HAR,DBOAR.D ROOFING - IATH - R,OCK WOOT - PLANK

ASPHATI SHEATHING - CEIOSIDING

ROOF SIAB

U. S. G. SHEETROGK PRODUCTS TENSIONTITE SCR,EENS

NAITS - RICHKRAFT - ROOF COATINGS rIE WIR.E - SIUCCO & POUTTRY NETTING u.s.G. AcousilcAt TIIE - BOTTS SCR,EEN CTOTH - CAREYSOTE SO-CAI

Vholesalc Distributors l22O Produce Street Los Angeles 2l phone - TRiniry i3O4 Prcmpt lree delivcry ln Los Angefes-Oronge-Riverslde ond Son Bernardino Counfles

Phone: Mlchigon 1854 235 South Alomedo Streel, Los Angeles 12, Cqlifornio