Semi-weekly interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1881-1905, 1883-09-28
Now Tine Tables arc Mace.


One Of the most laborious things
connected with the management Of q
railroad Is the instituting Of changes
In the time table governing the run
ming Of trains. Instead Of il being
done with pen and paper, as many
may suppose, the entire running ar
raugement Of all passenger and freight
trains. their crossing Of other tracks,
or passage Of other trains, their stops,
and lost time, are calculated by sim.
pie, common pins and spOols Of differ.
ent colored threads. Before a time.
table or schedule Is prepared the time
chart Is first perfected. To prepare a
time chart a large sheet Of drawing
paper is first stretched on smooth
surface and mounted on an easel. The
chart is ruled either for two, five
or en.minute time by horizontal lines
and perpendicular cross lines. The
"time" is marked above the horizon.
tai line and the distances, or stations
and terminals. down the first perpen.
dicular line.
For Illustration, II midnight is the
mark on the fret horizontal line, and
each hour is marked until the twenty.
four. or the following midnight hour,
IL reached on the last horizontal line.
Between the hour lines the space is d..
vided into minutes and graduated as
fne M desired. On a two.minute
chart the space between the hours is
divided into ten minutes time and the
ten minutes time into two minutes
time. The hour lines are made heavy
and the lesser time lines are Of light
er shade 10 distinguish them. The
one terminus OF the road, Milwaukee,
for instance. is marked on the first
line beside the first time mark, IL
midnight. The other stations follow
down the perpendicular line until the
other terminal is reached. Then all
is ready 10 prepare for the running ar.
rangement, provided the pins and
thread are ready. A blue thread
means passenger train, red thread
sfreight train and IL the trains Of 9TH
er roads use part Of the track they are
designated by different colored thread.
II is calculated that the running time
shall be. say twenty FIVE miles an hour,
and for the purpose of illustration, the
tracing Of one passenger train will an.
swer the purpose Of explaining them
all. A passenger train leaves Milwau
kee at 8 A. NJ. A pin is placed on the
horizontal line at the ga. NJ. time
mark and the end Of the blue thread
fastened thereto. II the train runs
without stopping for fifty miles. the
blue thread is stretched over opposite
TO the station at which the stop is
made, land directly under the 10 A. NJ.
time mark another pin is stuck and
the blue thread wrapped about it to
keep il taut. II this is stop. say of
forty minutes, the blue thread is
stretched to the 1910 A. NJ. mark on
a direct line with the same station and
another pin stuck and the blue thread
wrapped. The train starts and the
entire course is thus timed and distrib-
uted along the road. If the railroad
has, say forty or sixty passenger and
freight trains running daily, the time
chart when it is completed looks like a
great spiders web stretched out with
pins. But little work then remains to |
transfer the time and stations to the
timetable and the schedule is ready for
the printer. Milwaukee Sentinel.