Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-11

remedied.
THE automatic electro-pneumatic system,
to give it its right name. is worked by the
passing of a train over a certain portion of
the track. This portion is connected with
the signals by electricity, and as the loco
motive passes over it a current is made
and the signal arms go UP and remain up
in that position until the train has passed
out of the block. This system not only
covers one, block. but the signals tell
whether train is in the adjoining block
or the next one. If both signals are open
then two blocks are clear. This alone gives
notice to the engineer of how the tracks
are within two blocks. AS the only ex-
pense attached is the electricity and the
cost OF the apparatus for signaling, the
blocks can be made considerably shorter
and signals placed at more frequent inter-
walls. The cost of placing this new system
all over our line will be comparatively
cheap. and If 1T demonstrates its effect
iveness, as we believe it will, II will, no
doubt, be adopted by a majority of the
roads Of the country.
improvements Made Yearly.
Il have been connected with railroads for
many years, and when 1 think Of the i'm
provements made yearly 1t seems to me that
the running of trains must soon arrive at a
perfect system. The day was when locomo-
tive engineers drove their great machines
through the night without the glimmer of a
signal light at a switch or station. 1t takes
gineer, but in the old days his daring knew
no limit. His machine was then crude in
its mechanism, the roadbed was usually
wretched, and precaution against the loss Of
life was SO uncertain as to be of little serv-
ice The misplaced switch was usually
found at night only when the forward
trucks of the engine left the rails. There
was a wildcat system of moving trains on
many of the roads, and the only warning
the public had at crossings in town and
country was found upon a ghastly-looking
cross-shaped board A train would suddenly
swing around curve; Uncle RUDE. half
asleep upon the leather cushion of his one
horse chaise, and ignorant of his danger,
would be caught amidships. and then for
yards around the neighbors would hunt next
DAY Tor such things as tppets and galluses
and other relics of the tragedy. The old
white signboard could utter no alarm. II 1t
could Uncle RUDE might have been picking
pippins in his orchard that fall.
The grimy engineer with his old wood
burning locomotive had, as 1 have said, few
signals of alarms to guide him in his runs
over the rails. There were no electric or
pneumatic contrivances for locking or un-
locking the switches. In their place there
was to be found a stumpy fellow in a red
shirt who carried the keys to the switches
with an air Of supreme Importance. Some
times he would go to sleep after the cattle
train had passed. leaving the switch open
for anything that might follow. There were
no illuminated disks to warn the engineer
that the switchtender had prepared the way
for disaster. The old-fashioned locomotive
would bound along until, it struck the
switch. There would be crash. a flash Of
nre, and two or three days later the country
would get the meager details of the wreck.
Twenty years ago 1t would have been i'm
possible to have made a pretense at hand
ling the business Of today. With the old
system or signaling an attempt to handle
the present business of the roads would have
been followed by succession Of disasters
which would have strewn the country with
wreckage. The progress made in the meth
cd OF operating railroads has been wonder
full. Electricity is the strange agent that is
now gradually taking from the hands of an
army of men the labor of operating switch
es, of flashing signals and guarding cross
ings by means Of bells and gongs.
Automatic Signals.
'Meritorious as the block system is, 1t
proves that man is fallible. 1t was the
purpose Of doing away with manual labor
and thereby reducing the risks Of death
to the minimum that a shrewd Connecticut
man as early as 1886 turned his attention
to the practical application Of electric au-
tomato signals. All the earlier automatic
signals depended for communication be-
tween the block stations upon a wire
strung upon poles, and as q train might
break apart and leave portion OF its
cars obstructing the track when 1t had ap-
parently cleared the block system, and as
by a violation Of the rules the engineer
OF a second train might enter a section
before the first had cleared it, the track
circuit was proposed and was brought to
an unexpected degree Of practicability. In
this system the electric current is con-
Quoted by the rails of the track and any
metallic connection between the right-hand
and the left-hand rail may be made to so
alter the strength Of an electromagnetic as
to change a signal from safety to danger
The signal stands at safety so long as the
current Is uninterrupted: but when pair
Of wheels enters the section and affords the
requisite metallic connection the greater
part Of the current is withdrawn from the
electro magnet holding the signal in the
safety position. and 1t moves by the power
Of clock work or compressed air to the
danger position. This system proved cost
ly to maintain. and difficulty was expert
enced in adjusting its mechanism SO that
where danger actually existed. The wire
system was then taken up again and
brought to its present perfection. The new
signal Is not strictly a color signal. al
and all clear is Indicated by white The
case is circular in form and painted dark
THE principle on which this signal is
constructed and operated is that the first
wheel entering the block section sets the
signal at danger and at the same time
breaks an electric circuit in such a way
that under no possible contingency can the
signal again show safety until the train
ates the track instrument which restores
the circuit. The disc assumes the danger
position by gravity whenever the power
exerted by the electric current is with
drawn. In other words, the safety position
of the signal is dependent upon an unin-
terrupted circuit through the magnet of
the signal instrument. 1t is simply and
only the attractive power of electro-mae-
netism which holds the signal at safety,
AN engineer wholly color blind can
make no mistake in reading the signal
even If his engine be plunging through the
darkness at furious speed. When the sig
nal stands at danger the center is red and
the surrounding surface dark; but a color
blind person even then, it is claimed would
experience no difficulty in correctly reading
the indication, as he would be compelled
to note the absence of white in the center.
and only after clearly seeing white would
he have a right to proceed.
THE arrangement for day and night sig
r ais is perfect. For the day signal reliance
is placed on the aperture and disc Night
signaling is accomplished by subsidiary
aperture just above that used during the
day. Behind 1t is placed an ordinary sig
nal lantern, and a red glass disc carried
by an extension Of the same arm that car
ries the danger signal by day provides the
means for showing the danger signal at
night.
InterlOcking Switches.
Another thing the great exposition has
proved to our road is the undeniable useful
ness Of the interlocking switches. We were
about the first road to adopt the system and
naturally feel a pride in its substantial suc