The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-04-02
RAILROAD MEN ALWAYs At SCHOOL.
The Practical Instruction That Is Given to
Employees on the Many New Appliances.

IhipioSees On the many new Appliances.
On the railroad. men go to school all their
lives. They never get too old to go. When
ever there comes into use any innovation that
requires technical knowledge. such as the air
brake. or whenever there is n change in any Of
the commonly used codes. such az the hand
signals used by trainmen. the men are divided
into squads and sent to division headquarters
Tor special instruction. These places arc
known among railroad men as schools" The
methods employed combine those in use in the
kindergarten. the primary department and the
high school.
Perhaps the most interesting railroad school
Is the one sent out by the Westinghouse COM
pany to confer upon railroad men the final
degrees IN the process of learning the air
the, three years that it has been in service
u has trayelled more than twice the dis
And has granted certificates to nearly "2is,.
600 railroad men. The instruction car is
Ihi19tdik nsa and h"i' % 9t fysf tS, ki% ND, Of BE- n {nan q ie and and
competent lecturers. and every railroad EN-
handling OF engines or cars is required to at
tend. Engineers. tlrcmen. conductors. train
separate classes. and the conditions in the car
are as nearly as possible like those they meet
every Day; Here IN the car, however; the differ
emu parts are SO arranged that they can be
taken apart and viewed in section. and used 10
Illustrate the lecture.
The men who conduct these lectures speak
the vernacular OF the railroad. and their talk In
not always a model of good ramma and
easily easfSi't und RHS @%p' MOI! Moyye oSs Is tR Re"f mea 9nd
that tho lecturer has actually sat In an engine
a train. gone Sr tb a9T IN has long G9a GRADE grade With a heavy
ground to fit hose. After the lecture is over
the class passes into another car and is exam
med. There, is something strangely famii-
jar about tho way these big bearded fsi-
lows hitch their shoulders and ,wrigRle when
three years to Gli, There is now on its way /"
n oI rn c g%nh,py oW . pI tn "t mefiaan mechanics who
probable that they will their egroas here
In an item headed MuTphy's Lantern the
Orleans and Te2Sas Ffatcidic" sx ar"HisH2 his tr SHM
W. sienals q all Kind H . Sm%T h%'Sss5 and % dth tIsG
u inn ia gn y Trans witn markers. classifca-
else that the mon. will ever be called upon
tS att tTaansl1,Gl vgrio4s men have various
superintendcnts 20 to the length OF helm.
IgE I'll. men out with lantern slides.
hand signals the superintendent usually calls
Z a subordinate and, SAYS: Here, Jim. take
hon out in the yard, gives them a train 10
or"aE up IN a n"ZGn different switches. and
engineer is extremely literal, he keeps his
ewes glued on them. taking nothing Tor grant
90 me men get no help or sympathy from
Jim. and altogether tho test is ant 10 be nor
Severe. than anything they will ever run nm
against in actual service, "" w
Almost all Of the operators of the beck sig
ma service. which has come into use IN most
OF the big, roads, are youngsters, and whoreyer
one OF them happens to be stationed he
manages to attract q considerable bodv nn1
youthful admirers. A bright boy in a tower
VII PICK M tclegraphy in a short time. and II
ators are kept nlled, As a matter OF TACT
almost all OF tho operators in the country TO,
Gay nave picked up telegraphy Themselves
boy, gets q chance. however he has ~
70 sch92i at division headquarters. where
phy on the electric bell code. and tries to "sticEn"
him with original problems. "A