-----Original Message-----
From: thompson@... [mailto:thompson@...]

Well, remember, Dave, all the OTHER carriers would have to agree, or
convince the ICC to permit it.

Was that the case with the PFE? GATX?

I don't know that it was a FAT payment, but
if so, the ICC would certainly have had an input.

Did the ICC have any regulatory authority over private car lines? Perhaps
the dollar value of the mileage charge, but I thought nothing else (wasn't
it the FRA who regulated safety features of any cars, public or private?).

But I don't think this is something you can reason through. It is
probably largely history, as Garth Groff observed, and I would concur.

Well, yeah, it is safe to say R.R. mgmt was, ahem, less than visionary. I'm
trying to understand if the reasoning in this particular issue was
financial, legal, or intellectual, especially by the 50's as more and more
specialized cars came into service and car pools can into use. Sounds like
both you and Garth lean towards the later - correct?

Dave Nelson