Crawford avalanche., 1897-07-15
TIMETABLE MAKING.
Evcry Minute of the Running Time
Of Trains 20 He considered-Peculia
Charts that the Experts Use I'm lay
ing Out Schedules. e.f


now the I0Oleo are Moocs
The most intricate and important
task In a railways operation Is the
making of its timetable. BY this Is not
meant the cards which can be found In
the folders with the departure and ar
rival or trains, but the card which Is
the guide OF the operating force. Pecu-
liar charts are those which the experts
hse In laying out schedules bearing
closely on every minute Of the running
time Of trains, and when the completed
work has been carefully verified before
the final printing, no person but the
one having the work under control
comprehends the minuteness, the de-
tail, the exactness that have been en-
ployed In ''stringing time card" as 1t
Is technically called.
Every modern railroad has a room
devoted to the stringing Of time cards,
and 1t is usually filled with charts set
up on standards, with roller feet, by
means Of which they can be moved
about on the floor. They resemble
blackboards in makeup, but the SUR
faces are white cardboard finish, with
an occasional variation in colors. These
charts are double-ruled, longitudinally
and perpendicularly. The lines run
ming from right to left are divisions OF
stations and distances. The lines run
ming the other way, from top TO bottom,
are the divisions of time. Minutes fig-
ure very extensively in these Ines. II
the division is busy one the lines are
ore minute lines. If it is not so busy
five minutes are accounted for In each
space. This is a general plan of each
chart.
Along the right side of the board are
the names of the stations in -egular
order, say from east to west. For con
venience and uniformity trains running
westward commence from the top and
from the westward at the bottom of
the chart. \ fast mail going west
leaves the terminus, for instance, under
the existing card, at 7:30 a. IN 1t
reaches It's destination at 7:5O. In order
to indicate on the board the time of
leaving each OF these stations string
Is run from the top Of the board to the
station at which the train makes the
next stop. This string verges to the
left for west-bound trains in all cases.
The time needed to make the next stop
is computed by the proper officer and
the line crosses the time division line
on the station line. This shows jlst
when the train must be at the next
station. 1t shows the course Of the
train from the time it steams out until
II stops.
The faster the trains run and tire
fewer the stops the straighter the line
hangs from the top to the bottom.
Thus in the case of fast mail. which
travels at the highest possible speed
consistent with safety and which may
cover 13O miles between the hours Of
7:30 a. m. and 9:12 a. m.. the line falls
almost straight down the board. The
rate of speed is so great that as the
train travels westward the time divis-
ions are involved to the slightest de-
gree and that line hugs the right end
Of the board. If the train is slow
local, making all the stations. the line
travels quite rapidly downward and to
the left, each succeeding station being
indicated on the time mark by q pin
holding the string to the board on the
station line. This is the general sys-
tenn and as accurate a description OF
the result as could be given. One must
see the men at work making the