The section foreman is responsible to the railway company for all tools and other supplies issued to him. The systematic use and care of tools will greatly increase their efficiency and prolong their 1154 service, and it is evident that the foreman can not better serve his company than by instructing his men in the proper handling and care of tools. Hand cars and push cats should be oiled regularly, the axle and other boxes kept tight, and the cars kept always ready for service. Hand cars should not be used to carry steel except in emergencies, and then only a light load should be taken, the rails being placed on both sides of the car so as to balance. Both rails and ties should be transported on the push car.
Shovels figure largely in the tool account chargeable to track repairs.
On most sections this account is unnecessarily large, owing to the many improper uses to which the shovel is put. A shovel should never be used to hold up the end of a tie for spiking, nor driven into a tie in place of a pick to pull the tie into its trench in the track. As soon as the edge begins to turn, it should be straightened, and, if necessary, trimmed with a cold chisel. Proper care will often double the life of a shovel. Claw bars should never be used to pry up the track, and, above all, in frosty weather, as the claws are then easily broken, and are always difficult to repair.