The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-08-13
WAR ON THE CAR STEPS.
Why 1t Should Be Done Away Wit
Altogether.

Why It Should Be Done Away With
Altogether.
The Railway Age has begun a war on
the railway car step. 1t says:
when the first primitive railway was
built in this country somebody thought it
would be cheaper and handler to attach
steps, so that passengers could get on or
off wherever the train might accommo-
datingly stop, without the trouble of
drawing up to platform, and the fashion
once started has been followed I'M
til now there are in the United
States not far from $4,000 cars,
passenger, baggage, mail and ex-
press, which are dragging around four
times as many-l40 0OO-sets of steps
that are costly to build and maintain, are
a constant source of danger, discomfort
and delay, and serve no purpose that
could not much better be accomplished
by having station platforms at a level
with the platforms of the cars. The ele-
waited railways in New York first demon
strated the needlessnesS of steps for cars
on the American plan of having end doors,
as had from the first been demonstrated
on all European railways, where the
doors open at the side. The Illinois Cen
trail railroad company had the enterprise
TO extend the principle of no steps to
surface roads by building special cars
and high station platforms for its
worlds fair train service, with
the result of handling great num-
bers of passengers with eXtraordi-
nary celebrity and safety, and the same
progressive management is now prepar-
ing TO abolish the use of car steps in its
extensive suburban train service by ele-
waiting its station platforms, as is de-
scribed elsewhere in this issue. 1t has
had the principle in highly successful
operation for nearly year on its express
suburban service, the steps having been
removed and the platforms widened out,
and If it were building new cars for
| that service it would build them
without steps. For remote stations on its
local service where it is not yet ready to
provide new station platforms it adopts
the simple device of having trap doors
over the steps, which can be thrown back
when the steps are to be used-an eXpe-
dent that would facilitate the gradual
adoption of the high station platform
principle on all roads allowing them to
apply it at first only at the principal Ia
tons. There is so little to be said for car
steps and so much against them that their
longer retention in this day of i'm
proved methods begins to be a cause
( for wonder, when one thinks about it.
About the only arguments that can be
advanced for their use are the cost of
| building elevated station platforms, and
the possible inconvenience to trainmen of
stopping in the exact length of the plat
form. The pecuniary objection is answered
at once by the economy in car construc-
tiOn and the saving in damages for injury
to passengers by the present dangerous
method.
The Age gives ten indictments against
! the car step;
l. Danger to passengers getting on and
! OFF when train is in motion.
2. Loss of time in loading and unload
! ing thereby greatly lengthening train
! schedules.
3. Discomfort and injury to aged and
] intirm passengers, ladies and small chill
| dren in climbing steps.
| 4. Expense of building and maintaining
say 100000 sets of car steps in the United
| States.
5. Danger on double track roads from
/ passengers getting oil on wrong side
| 8. Loss of space on car platforms.
! :. Opportunity TO tramps and train rob-
! bers to steal rides
! S. Nuisance of passengers simultan-
! eously leaving and entering car on same
! side, preventible by two platforms.
/ 9. Temptation to brakemen to exhibit
| unnecessary ardor in assisting attractive
! ladies on and on
| 10, announcement to careless engine
/ men to run past stations and make pas
| SengerS walk back