Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-05-04
ance in the least possible time All a mimi.

| lance in the least possible time at a mini
mum sacrifice of comfort and life.
| From my experience l know that a rail.
| way time table cannot be arranged without
| the expenditure of an infinite amount OF
| labor and brains. The first step in the
| arrangement is taken by the association
embracing all the head railroad men OF
| the country, which generally assemblies in
| New York. AS a rule the changes on all
the lines of the country, or rather those
| east of Chicago or st. Louis, are made
| reason that the through trains upon one
either connects with the other or are in
| some way identified with them.
The general rule is to make two changes
| each year, one in Arpil or May, which be-
| comes known as the summer schedule, and
| the other in winter The latter is called
| the winter time table, and prevails, of
course, until the spring change is made
On account of the great increase in pas
senger travel in the summer months, the
time table for that period Is much more
difficult to construct.
Making the Connections.
Let me illustrate why and how the
closest time calculations are necessary in
the making out of these schedules For
instance, there is a train leaves New York
for Chicago in the morning called the fast
line. 1t pulls out of the Jersey City depot
about o'clock. At 1870 there is a train
leaves our depot which is also designated
on the schedules by the same name. If
both trains run on time they will come to-
gether about the same time at Harrisburg
Pa 1t is the same way over all the branch
ana connecting lines until that train reach
es Chicago. In fact the main line greatly
resembles big stream of water. with the
branch lines feeding into it with the utmost
precision.
The same principle applies to trains
coming from the west. If a train loses ten
minutes on the first division it is likely to
be behind an hour or more by the time 1t
arrives in New York. This delay frequent
ly causes the cancellation of trains, as the
waiting connections are liable to fall back
on the time of the trains following, and 1t
don't pay to run trains too close together.
The freight trains are run on much the
same order Starting from the east or west
as one train, by the time it reaches the end
of the line, through numerous additions of
cars, it has multiplied into a half dozen
sections, running on the same schedule
time.
THE travelling public cannot fully I'M
derstand the precautions that are taken in
order to make their lives safe until they
look at things from the inside. Aside from
the automatic signals, the conferences of
the general manager and division superin-
tendents. even before they are submitted
to the general manager, and the consulta-
lions which occur between the division su-
perintendents and the various train mas
tiers, schedule Is delivered to every train
and station man on the line two days be-
fore the time table goes into effect.
When Changes Are Made.
"Then every ticket agent, every telegraph
operator, every section hand and crossing
Waterman gets a copy of the time table,
accompanied by a blank form of receipt
This receipt they are compelled to sign and
return to the general Office, so as to indi-
cate his understanding of the time the new
arrangement goes into operation. If for
any reason he fails to acknowledge the re-
ceipt of the schedule the superintendent
promptly telegraphs to him to ask whether
1t has been received, and if so, why the
receipt has not been sent back.
1T has become the custom of the rail-
tables into effect on Sunday. Experience
has taught the management that there is
less dagger of any accidents because of the
new ARRANGEMENT on that day than on any |
other day in the ~-eek. The reasons for
this are familiar to every enc who has !
studied the question of railway Operations. |
ION that day coal and freight trains are |
then practically abandoned. The number |
of passenger trains sent out are reduced to |
a minimum, and while there are fewer
crossing hands and signalmen on duty on
that day, it has been demonstrated that
the need for them is more than proportion
ately reduced: few years ago, or in the
time of single-track roads, the manage
ment of time table was considered a
great task. and the day on which 1t was
put into effect was dreaded by all the rail-
road officials. So perfect Is the system of
all well-managed railroads now that
changes are no longer looked forward to
with fear.
when the railroad officials commence
the work Of making out the time table