The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1882-08-12
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A RAILROAD ON A BOARD.
Trains OF Silk Traversing Pencil Marks
for Minutes.

Trains OF Silk Traverslng Pencil Marks
for Minutes.
f'roa he .Nsr York San.
The process of making up the new
winter timetable of the New York Di-
vision Of the Pennsylvania Railroad was
witnessed the other day by 4 San repor-
ter. Mr.. Charles Watts, the train mas.
ter Of the division, arranged it before it
was submitted TO Superintendent Nc
Crea. Mr.. Watts laid out the trains by
means of silken cords upon an immense
board representing all the stations Of the
division and all the minutes in twenty.
four hours. Along the top and bottom
of the board are the figures for the hours
and minutes with ruled lines reaching
from each figure on the top TO the cor
responding figure on the bottom. Down
the sides of the boards are the names Of
the stations, with similar lines connect.
ing them. II is not known that there
is any other board Of the kind having
lines for the minutes. There are many
with five minute lines, and some with
lines for each two minutes. But so
many trains are run on this division, ,es-
pecially for short distances out from
Philadelphia and from New York, that
4 minute is an important factor in the
timetable. During a period OF about
an hour in each afternoon three fast lines
leave Jersey City for Philadelphia, and
before, between, and after them way
trains are run 10 New Brunswick or
nearer points.
The frs, thing Mr.. Watts did was to
put in the threads to represent these
lightning expresses. These were all OF
one color. They were wound around 4
pin at the minute Of departure, and car
ried down the board in a slaniing direc-
tion to the pin at the moment of arrival
in West Philadelphia. These fast line
threads cover only a small area Of the
board, but slow way train makes
very obtusc angle, and stretches far
across the rows of minutes. The time
of departure of these fast trains had not
been altered, but he wanted TO get lit
more speed out OF one or two OF them,
if possible. In saving three minutes
with one of them he experienced con-
siderable difficulty. He ran his thread
thirty miles over one section Of the
board before he could pick up minute.
He was taking into consideration his
knowledge of things not shown on the
board. For instance, he knew Of GER
tain heavy grades that defied better time
than had been obtained during the sum-
mer Then there was draw bridge in
another place, and slow run through
and just beyond Trenton, and At other
points. There was one thing however,
that he could not take into account, i'm
portant as il was. That was the posi-
bility OF high winds. He said tina, a
stiff breeze opposing fast line and strik-
ing the coaches At an angle rather than
directly ahead will delay train several
minutes.
There was more difficulty about ar.
ranging the New Brunswick and other
way trains. They must be kept so many
minutes ahead OF the fast lines. One OF
them started out several minutes ahead
of one OF the fast lines. He strung an
other colorcd thread from the pin At the
mark Of the minute of departure to the
pin at the minute OF arrival The thread,
being obliged to cover greater area OF
minutes than the fast-line thread, drew
near and dangerously nearer TO its rapid
neighbor. They looked as il they would
run into one another on one block OF
the road. Mr.. Watts hurried it up a
little by drawing it little straighter,
and thus removing the point at which
the threads crossed, until he got down
to the line marked South Elizabeth,
where he knew there was another track
for the New Brunswick train to make.
her way on, and there the pink line Of
the lightning EXPRESS crossed the other
line, and shot ahead without having
been nearer than six minutes TO the way
train until they each took a track TO
themselves. Next the thread Of Tren-
ton train was stretched, and it also was
approached by fast line thread only a
short way out on the road. He arrang-
cd il so as to reach the neighborhood OF
Menlo Park at a safe distance ahead Of
the fast line, and then he tied the thread
to pin on one minute line and stretch
ed IL straight across TO another pin few
minutes later in the day. Thus he in
dicated siding on which the train rest
cd until the fast line should rush past,
and the way train could draw out and
run behind the fast line.
"But where are your freights ?" the
visitor asked, adding, "I don't see a
freight train on the board"
"No," said Mr.. Watts, eve never
schedule them. We run them all as
wildcat trains. That is, they have no
regular set time to run on, but do the
best they can."
"They run mostly at night, l sup
pose"
"No, they run at all hours, often get
ting n roadway for long runs and often
being obliged to steal along between
scheduled trains from siding to siding.
The engineers have their time tables and
understand their work so that they make
the best of their opportunities but ]
have known freight train to lay by two
hours within twenty or thirty miles oi
Jersey City waiting for clear roadway" "
b%Success does not consist in not
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