Railroads

3916

Railroads

 

the tower or control point; they are elec-
trically controlled and their use permits the
tower-man to operate a switch and give
proper signal indications-so that an engine-
man may be instructed to enter a passing
track and allowed to do so without stopping
and without the necessity of train orders or
other instruction. Two-direction signalling
has been installed on many roads. Applied
to a double, three or four track line, it may
be used to permit the movement of trains on
any track in either direction. Thus, by using
both tracks of a double-track line for a few
minutes for northbound traffic, a passenger
train may be run around a slow-moving
freight train without requiring the freight
train to stop and wait on a siding for the
passenger train to pass. At a busy terminal
served by four tracks it is possible to use
three or even four tracks for inbound trains
in the morning and three or four for out-
bound trains in the evening. Such possi-
bilities have been found in many instances
to represent vast savings in capital expendi-
ture by avoiding the necessity of adding
trackage.
The block signal system is not an absolute
preventive of accidents, since an engineman
may sometimes take a chance and run by a
stop signal or his mind may fail to register
the signal indication. Accidents caused in
this way have developed an agitation in favor
of the automatic stop or of automatic train
control. Such an arrangement has been in-
stalled on the subway lines in New York, the
elevated and subway lines in Boston, and
other rapid transit lines, the first permanent
installation having been made on the Boston
Elevated in 1899. Each home signal has con-
nected with it, alongside of the track, a trip-
per, which is thrown up when the signal in-
dicates stop and is down at all other times.
When up, the trigger engages the projecting
handle of a valve mounted on the car trucks,
and if a train passes the signal at the stop
position the valve on the train is opened,
applying the air brakes automatically and
bringing tJie train to rest in a short distance.
Speed.—The speeds of railroad passenger
trains have over an extended period of years
shown relatively little change, the tendency
having been lather to cut down excessive
speed in the interest of safety. In recent
years, however, in consequence of the effort
to make railroad passenger travel more at-
tractive, the time of limited trains has been
reduced, the result having been largely
brought about by elimination of delay as

much as by increased speed on the road. The
year 1934 marked the introduction of stream-
lined aluminum trains, ^hich afforded com-
fort in riding and at the same time were cap-
able of attaining a speed of 120 m. an hour.
In 1933 the speed of freight trains advanced
to 15.7 m. an hour.
Railroad Management.—The form of the
various railroad organizations has become
fairly well standardized, on the whole, on
the same general plan. The railroad receives
its charter from the State; inasmuch as it
is a corporation, it has possibly a chairman
of the board of directors and certainly a
president. The latter reports to a board of
directors and through them to the stock-
holders. The directors, beside choosing the
president, elect the vice-presidents, the secre-
tary, treasurer, comptroller, and the general
counsel. The operating department is charged
with getting the trains over the road and, in
general, of conducting the transportation
service. On most roads it is also charged
with providing and maintaining the roadway
and structures and the cars and locomotives,
It is usually under the direction of a general
manager. To facilitate efficient operation, the
road is divided into divisions each in charge
of a superintendent, who is responsible for
the operation of the 100 m. or so of main
line and the related branches under his juris-
diction. The engineering or maintenance de-
partment is represented on the division by the
division engineer; its head is the chief engi-
neer. This department is responsible for the
construction of new roadbed, buildings, and
structures, the installation of new bridges,
signals, etc., and for their maintenance* The
mechanical department is represented on the
division by the master mechanic, and is
headed by the general superintendent of
motive power. It maintains the cars and lo-
comotives and is in charge of the round-
houses where the locomotives are turned, in-
spected and repaired, and of the shops where
the motive power and rolling stock are given
more important repairs.
Two main plans of correlating the work of
the engineering and mechanical departments
with that of the operating department have
been worked out—the divisional and depart-
mental. Under the former, which is the more
common, the division superintendent has
charge of all three branches of the work on
his division, transportation, maintenance,
and mechanical. In the departmental scheme
of operation the work of each of the three
branches pf operation is divided territorially,