The Topeka state journal., 1903-06-19
EXTENDS THE PLAN.
Gulf Officials Have a Trainboard Re
cord of All Loaded Cars.


During the last year the Gulf Colora-
do & Santa Fe has adopted the train
board system for keeping trace of it's
equipments. This system, while it has
been in existence for a great many years
on a number of roads, is a new depart
ure for Texas and is operated by the
Gulf Colorado & Santa Fe on a more
extensive plan than has been the Gus
tom with other roads. The board.
which the Gulf line has in use, Is very
similar to that employed by the Santa
Fe at Topeka. but there, as on most
roads using the system, its purpose IS
only to keep trace of fast freight. The
Santa Fe lines in Texas, however, un-
dertake TO handle on the board every
loaded car on the line and every empty
car when it is important that such
empty cars be moved with dispatch.
Provision has been made to include pas
senger trains, but this feature has not
yet been operated The miniature rail-
road. for such the train board practi-
cally is, is operated on a large black
board lengthwise of which run a num-
Der of single-grOOved rails, representing
the trackage of the system. The work
ings of the board are described as fol-
lows by the Galveston News:
"rhe miniature railroad is not oper-
ated on tracks of two rails, but is con-
Quoted on one rail. A large black
board extending the full length of a
room is divided by a series OF single
grooved rails running lengthwise of the
board. The board represents the road
and each rail represents a track Small
wooden blocks provided with arms which
fit into the groOVed rails. represent the
trains. These blocks are perforated
with about so little holes into which fit
small plugs on the heads of which are
pasted the tags indicating the ear num-
ber, contents date of shipment and
other information The board does not
show every station, but all the division
points are represented, as we'll as all
the large freight yards. When freight
train is made up and ready to start out
the list of ears, numbers, contents, etc.
I is wired into the general anager's Of
flee. The clerks in charge of the train
board Immediately make up the minia-
labeled in position on one of the boards
and then the train is hung on the
track. AS reports come i'm regarding
the movement of the real train along the
road the miniature train is moved along
accordingly When a division point is
reached and. say. four cars of this train
are set out. the clerk in charge of the
miniature train pulls out the four plugs
/ corresponding with the four cars and
duly records the transaction As the
cars of freight are delivered along the
road the miniature train is changed ac-
cOrdingly-"
The operation Of the train board has
/ resulted in great Improvement in the
! service. The shippers throughout Tex
4 as have spoken in very complimentary
terms of their ability to get prompt in
I formation concerning shipments en-
route, as we'll as the great Improvement
which has been made in the matter of
/ expediting the movement of traffic
Since this new arrangement went into
/ effect complaints are seldom received
from the traffic department or from
shippers on account of failure to move
/ freight promptly Operating conditions
on the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe have
undergone a remarkable change for the
better in the past year, and the officers
feel that the train board and the new
way of supervising and watching the
! business is entitled to credit for a liberal
share of the Improvement. While
the train board on the Gulf.
/ Colorado & Santa Fe has been
/ very successful. il is not considered
( practicable for the larger transconti-
mental railway systems to make such ex-
/ tensive use of it. Taking the Santa Fe
proper as an example if the system
were used to the same extent as on the
Gulf line it would require an endless
amount of work and a board of such
size as to render the scheme impractic-
Z able