Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-01-05
The Block System Of Running Railway
Trains.


The result Of the recent accident on
the New York Central and Hudson River
Railroad. BY which eleven persons lost
their lives through the earelessness Of
brakeman who neglected TO signal an
approaching express train while another
train was standing with hot box on the
same track upon which the express was
advancing, will be that public sentiment
will demand that railroad companies
adopt some one Of the many approved
systems Of block signaling. BY any
system Of block signals railroad is laid
Off into a certain number Of blocks or
sections having signal tower at the
end Of each and by code Of signals
but one train is allowed upon
block Of the track-or that por
ton Of the track between two Of these
signal towers-at one and the same time.
one Of the most fortunate railroads In
the country SO far as accidents are
concerned, is the Long Island Rail-
road, which is mostly single
track road and in the summer
seasons runs as many as eight hundred
trains day. Yet with this large nun
Der Of trains on sin gle track line 1t has
had but few accidents. For number
OF years past, this road has used the
minute glass system Of running
its trains. That is to say, it has sys
TEN OF three minute sand glasses to
regulate the intervals between trains.
At every station on the road. and at
many points where nagman is re-
quired, red flag or light is displayed
the moment train passes, and it is not
taken down until the sand glass Indicates
that three minutes has elapsed. Then
green signal Is displayed for five minutes,
time by the agents watch. ia train ap'
proaches Just after the red flag has been
removed the engineer may proceed, but
the green flag will tell him that he must
IL not far ahead. But the company
runs so many trains that the sand glass
system very often retards trains IN
necessarily. With the block system
which went into effect on this road Jan
island short sections on the main line
trains may run comfortably close to
gether and still no two trains be in the
same block.
BY the block signal system lust put in
der no circumstances will two trains be
allowed on the same block. Ii is tele
graph system No locking of levers is
employed, as, In the Sykes system, where
an operator cannot control his own lever
In this sense the Long Island system is
something like that in use for years on the
New ok division of the Pennsylvania
Railroad. On the Long Island road an
operator in one tower signals to the man
section between Is clear or not. He uses
the bell signal code now in vogue on
many railroads. This road has soma
phore arms for danger signals. If the
second operator replies that the block
Is clear the first man may let train
pass his tower into the section. To be
sure that he gets the right answer the
first operator repeats the message re-
ccived by him back to the operator
ahead, aud if all right operator No. ;
replies with one bell. IL wrong he
answers accordingly. Hence it will be
seen that it is simple impossibility
for trains to collide with or telescope
each other by this system, and consc-
quently accidents will be impossible.
The time is not distant when all rail-
ways will operate their trains by some
one of these block signal systems the
great cost of equipping them Herewith
being the only objection But this is
one which railway companies cannot
much longer make an excuse for not
adopting. as without doubt state laws
will compel them to use this system as
a preventive of the many fatal accidents
now occurring on our great railways.