|
Gale B. Aydelott (July 22, 1914 – February 16, 1991), better known as "Gus Aydelott," was an American railroad president. He headed the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad for nearly three decades. == On the Grande == Aydelott became president of the Rio Grande with the death of Judge Wilson McCarthy in 1956. He was 41 years old, and had been with the company since graduating from the University of Illinois in 1936. Judge McCarthy cast a long shadow over the property, having been one of its receivers from 1934 until it emerged from reorganization in 1947, at which point he became president of the road. Aydelott would serve as president from 1956 through 1977, at which point he was promoted to chairman of the board of directors. W.J. "Bill" Holtman succeeded Aydelott as president. Aydelott retired from the Rio Grande in 1983. Professor Don L. Hofsommer writes in ''Railroads in the Age of Regulation'', "Aydelott rose through the ranks . . . learning the necessity of continually maintaining and upgrading railroad properties . . . . He completed dieselization, ordered more rolling stock, and insisted on new and heavier rail for the main routes . . . . At the same time () energetically sought to guard the company's frontiers - - a difficult task, given the strong railroads bracketing the Rio Grande." Hofsommer quotes Aydelott as of 1963, the Rio Grande President saying "We are proud of what we have done as a separate road, and we think we can continue to do a better job for ourselves and our territory by staying that way." To do this, Hofsommer notes, Aydelott "required that the Rio Grande pay special attention to the needs of customers, who had a choice not only among rail carriers, but, more importantly, also among the various modes of transportation." Aydelott focused on keeping his sales forces constantly in touch with their shippers, and his operating department moving Rio Grande trains expeditiously. In these efforts he was very successful, Hofsommer noting "The Rio Grande . . . gained a favorable reputation among shippers by following this path." Aydelott himself became one of the railroad industry's "most respected leaders." In 1963, the company joined Trailer Train (now TTX Company), instituting trailer-on-flat-car (TOFC) service over the Rio Grande. According to a ''Trains magazine'' article in April, 1965 the company operated seven named freight trains: ''Rock Island Merchandise Special''; ''Lumber Special'' via Denver; ''Red Ball Extra''; ''Midwest Merchandiser''; ''SP Forwarder'' via Pueblo; ''SP Forwarder'' via Denver; and the ''Advance''. While the company's freight traffic continued to grow, private passenger vehicles and commercial airlines eroded the company's passenger traffic. As a result, May 28, 1967, was the last run of the Rio Grande's ''Prospector''; July 27, 1967, was the last run of the Rio Grande's ''Royal Gorge'', and in March 1970, the Rio Grande's portion of the ''California Zephyr'' was cut from daily to thrice-weekly service. Under Aydelott's administration the Rio Grande formed a holding company, Rio Grande Industries, in 1969, to diversify and expand into other fields. These grew to include real estate development, industrial contracting and insurance. By the time Aydelott stepped down as president, Rio Grande Industry's annual income topped $305 million, most of it derived from the railroad's freight traffic. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gale B. Aydelott」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|