The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-08-07
KEEPING TRACK OF CARS
Work Of the Car Accountants Office
in This City.
RENNIB SYSTEM DESCRIBED
Interesting Method Of Recording Cars
Owned by tho Company and Those
That Pass Over tho Road.
Magnitude Of the Work.

Few people have an ldea OF the 'aSt
ness of the work carried on In the car
accountants department or the Deia-
ware. Lackawanna and Western rail-
road which office was moved to this
city from New York when w. r. Haii-
stead was made general manager Oh
the road and the headquarters located
in this city.
A reporter of The Tribune was shown
through the office yesterday afternoon,
and the system that is used In keeping
the record of cars explained by X. Il.
Rennie. head OF the car accountants
department, who has held that posi-
ton for the last fourteen years. While
working as a record clerk In the COM
pany's office In New York. he invented
the system which is now in use and
which Is recognized to be the best In
the country.
Description Of the System.
The office employs about forty hands.
Some are engaged in keeping the record
Of cars owned by the Delaware, Lacka-
wanna and Western company, While
others keep the record Of cars that come
on the Delaware, Lackawanna ana
Western lines which are owned by other
corporations. All agents at stations on
the Delaware, Lackawanna and West
ern lines send in a daily report giving
a list af all cars received or delivered
to other roads: also on this report the
destination of each car Is given and Is
known to the office clerk to be loaded
or empty by plus or minus sign, which
Is opposite each car. On account OF the
time and room 1t would take to enter
into book the name Of the station
car is taken from or left at, cipher Is
used. each station being known by the
number Of miles 1t Is distant from Ho-
boken. Following is an example Of
how the record of car Is kept:
If a car owned by some other COM
pany should come on the Delaware,
Lackawanna and Western line from the
Grand Trunk railway at Black Rock,
n. Y. destined for Hoboken, 1t would
be entered in book as &c to Ala" the
letter G being the cipher for the Grand
Trunk road. and 414 for the station of
Black Rock, 1t being that number of
miles from Hoboken. The next move
would be the conductor taking the car
from Black Rock to East Buffalo and
4O5 would be placed under 414 with the
plus or minus sign after each move to
show whether loaded or empty, and so
on until the car would reach its desti-
nation. If a Delaware. Lackawanna
and Western car should be delivered to
the New York, Chicago and st. Louis
railway at East Buffalo. 1t would be en-
tered as "4O5 to A." the number being
East Buffalo and the letter A being the
cipher for the New York, Chicago and
st. Louis railroad. If the New York,
Chicago and st. Louis should give this
to another western road, say the Chi
cago. Hamilton and Dayton. it would
be reported to the Delaware, Lacka-
wanna and Western by a postal card
by the road making the delivery and
entered In the book as "a to H" and
SO on until the car was returned home
Thus the owners always know what
road their cars are on.
Cars Of Other Companies.
AS soon as a car owned by another
railroad leaves the Delaware, Lacka-
wanna and Western lines the number
Of miles made on Delaware, Lackawan-
credit and at the end Of the month each
road Is paid accordingly The record of
cars owned by the Delaware, Lacka-
wanna and Western company are kept
In the same manner with this excep-
tion: Mr.. Rennie has what Is known as
the duplicate record" Besides keep
Ing the record in a book a large case
supplied with small tickets. Is situated
In the center of the room and record
Kept In the same manner on tickets.
each road having separate box sup
piled with tickets. The advantage de-
rived from this Is that by counting the
tickets in any of these boxes the exact
number OF cars on any road can be told
Immediately. A report is sent in by
shops owned by the company each day.
and the day car enters and leaves
shop is entered. If car owned by an
other company Is repaired at any of the
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western
shops bill for repairs Is sent to the
company which owns the car and set.
Elements are made each month. This
work Is looked after by Mr.. Runyon.
VINO acts In the capacity Of repair ac-
countaM. Mr. Rennie said that at anv
time ne can give the location of an,
Car owned by the Delaware, Lacka-
wanna and Western company.
About 10000 cars are daiIv ,ooroa
al.er ny this department, and as the
,hiieage made by each car every month
mas to be figured up, It Is apparent
even to an outsider that there must he
an excellent system to take care of this
vast amount Of work. Besides the a 4.
0Ss cars owned by the Delaware. Lack.
awan1a and Western there are about
as many more belonging to other com.
panies, which pass over the road in the
course OF a month, and which have
to be kept track of with the most pre.
else accuracy. There are about forty
connecting roads which are continual
ly taking or delivering cars. and some
OF these roads have as high as seven
functional points.
Description Of Each Car.
Another record which Is kept in this
department is description of every
car on the road. As soon as a car
comes out OF the shops It IL entered on
a large record book, with the date of
its being put IN service, q descrip-
tion OF Its make. dimension, capacity,
equipment. kind and size of doors and
whether new or rebuilt. II It IL re-
paired later on a record Of this IL also
kept. together with the kind Of repairs
necessary; also when Il p again put In
service. 9fsN
Richard p. Hamilton, who 30 Mr..
Rennie's first assistant, presides over
the details OF the work, although the