| Show Railroad Situation Still Alive Alive- Alive re i in ien en n pear ere re The me railroad situation in inVernal inVernal Vernal is still very much alive G B Aydelott president of Denver and Rio Grande West West- Western Western ern Railroad Company made this emphatic assertion Thurs Thurs- Thursday day of last week in speaking before a joint meeting of Ver Ver- Vernal's nays nals Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs City and county officials and businessmen also were present ACCOMPANYING Mr Me Ay delott who resides in Den Den- Denver ver were John Ayer Jr vice president in charge of opera opera- operations also of Denver Denver andEr- andEr and Er- Er Ersel sel G Deakins Craig district freight and passenger r agent Following his talk the rail rail- railroad road president conducted a question and answer session seS lon and permitted an exclusive in- in interview in with The Vernal Ex press Mr Aydelott pointed out that the big question was could a railroad into Vernal be financially justified THE SPUR would be ap ap- approximately proximately miles long from Craig to the San Fran Fran- Francisco Francisco cisco Chemical Co phosphate plant at Brush Creek and would Involve a river crossing and two crossings of US Highway 40 He said that his company has taken just a cursory look at the project project but no DO survey has been made He gave gave a ro rough gh estimate of the cost at per mile or a total of about 15 mil mU- lion llon The president said this would take allot alot of phosphate rock for a lot of years to pay for the project even it iff the k The The The-in interest p eri-p payments ent J alone would exceed yearly yearly he pointed out IT IS IS CUSTOMARY he he said for Industries intEr interested sted in a railroad to provide the funds and then recover recover them by obtaining refunds on their fr fright freight ight charges He disclosed that Tex Texas S SG G Gulf lf Co operating a potash mine in Moab put up the 8 million for the railroad tine line there and will recover by freight charge refunds He also said that although the theline theline line has been operating for a year no potash has yet been carried due to underground difficulties Mr Aydelott also said that from to 1000 freight cars would have to be purchased at each HE POINTED out that the railroad officials were in Ver nil nal principally to visit and clarify the situation He said there was a possibility that Union Pacific Rail Rail- Railroad road that runs through Rock RockSprings RockSprings Springs Wyo may be in- in interested Interested in the Vernal pro pro- project jest The president expressed the opinion that coal is another commodity that will come in Continued on page 8 I al I r I Continued Continued from page 1 strong despite nuclear pow er In a brief exchange of re- re remarks remarks marks with Roy Nelson pre pre- president of American Gilsonite Co who also was present he learned that the gilsonite firm sells tons of gilsonite per day to the railroad for fuel MR AYDELOTT said that 1 8 11 y rY of the route to the west en- en encountered en countered country so rough it would double the cost of construction Early in his remarks the pr president said there was no question but that a railroad into Vernal would be good for forthe the country and would in- in increase in crease employment The tax collectors also would h have ve a 11 great time he said with a smIle He credited D L Scotty King president of San Fran Fran- Francisco cisco Chemical Co with talk talk- talking Ing up the railroad He also said that the company has done an outstanding job in technical progress lIe pointed out that the de demands mands for fertilizer are grow grow- growing ing rapidly MR AYDELOTT said he hemet met in New York City re- re recently recently with officials of Stauffer fer Chemical part owners of ofSan ofSan San Francisco Chemical Co and the officials disclosed that for the first time the de- de demand demand mand for fertilizer couldn't be tilled fined The railroad president con con- considered considered there was a good good out out- outlook look for thIs kind of commod Ity Ue lie said no one is ready yet yetto to tl talk shipments but the situation is still alive Among other problems he cited the of the railroad brotherhoods unions and the gov government DENVER AND Rio Grande has 2188 miles of railroad he reported Duncan King an official of ofSan ofSan San Francisco Chemical Co said that his local firm is situ situ- sted geographically for the midwest market He said that If 11 the railroad were built his firm would ship fertilizer instead of the raw commodity In referring to the two mill two mill power recentlY granted by Bonneville Power Adminis- Adminis Administration it was pointed out that gIving unfair tion to Monsanto Chemical Co would close down some other IndustrIes It was re- re reported re ported that will lose 75 million mimon per year on the trans action Mr Aydelott asked for sug suggestions I on other commodities that could be hauled from this area I IT WAS POINTED out that II gilsonite already is being I hauled Among suggestions were limestone asphalt lumber am as I pulp and chIps It was report report- reported ed that about sheep per year are transported in inand inand and out of the area The transportation of peo peo- people pie for local recreational act was aired by Mr Aydelott lott said that hauling bauling passengers ers was a losing financial pro pro- proposition proposition position The president said sald that ap- ap approximately ap proximately two million tons of freight per year both In and out of the area might be con con- considered sid red as a minimum for fin fin- financial ancial feasibility SINCE THE railroad first considered the possIbility of a Vernal spur In 1960 the esti esti- esti estimated mated cost has risen by 4 mi million Mr Aydelott said I L Y secretary secretary- I manager of Vernal Chamber lof of Commerce presented the I railroad officials with copies of the Chamber Industrial de development brochure listing local facilities and mineral mineraI resources sources and two made locally ceramic dinosaurs as Later Mr Aydelott emphasized emphasized sized that venture capital was the big problem In construct construct- constructIng Ing a railroad to Vernal He opined that perhaps a separate ate company could be set up to handle the project HE ALSO pointed out that several months of would be necessary be be- be before fore work would starts start and said that the project had been discussed for four years al al- al already ready lIe He said that Stauffer Chem Chem- Chemical ical had expressed Interest In Inthe inthe the pr proposed posed railroad Stewart Ashton introduced the speaker and the other rail rail- railroad road officials HOMER ASHTON dent of Heber Rotary Club also was a guest Aaron Hansen Introduced Eddie Oaks the JunIor Rota- Rota Rotarian Rotarian rian for the month of May Mr Hansen said he be was a outstanding scholar and ath lete lele at UIntah High 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