Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-04-24
NOTES OF THE RAILWAYS
Surprise Signal Tests for Engineers
 on Western Lines.

Surprise Signal Tests for Engineers
 on Wsstsrn Lines.
 The Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific railroad has been sub jecting it's enginemen to a series of surprise signal tests, with the pur- pose of determining and improving the standard of efficiency and safety in train operation on the line. says the Railway Age. The only warning which the engineers had was contain cd in general circular, sent out prior to the tests, urging all employees not to rely on customary practice" in case of doubt. The surprise tests not only included the use of the semaphore sig. nals, but whistle signals of all sorts, placing of rear end flagmen, torpedo tests, burning fuse tests and safety signals Of every kind.
 Since the tests were inaugr1rated the discipline of the enginemen has i'm. proved, and General Manager w. A. Garrett is much gratif1ed with the re- suits. The Queen and Crescent rail road has appointed train rule ex. aminer for each division, whose duty it is to subject trainmen who fall in signal tests to rigid examination on their knowledge of the rules. Here after the words Safety Before Speed are to be stenciled in bright letters in the cab of every locomotive where the engineer will constantly see thsln.
 The Denver and Rio Grande Rail- road company is now building a num- Der of open top observation cars, to be attached during the summer months to daylight trains running through the Royal Gorge, Grand Canyon of the Arkansas. Canyon of the Grand River and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.
 These cars have seating capacity for seventy-t two persons, low sides, but no tops. being entirely open, thus giv- ing a free and unobstructed view of the scenery of the Rocky mountains. These cars will be completed and plac- ed in service not later than June 1 of the present year.
 The caboose on the freight which passes Tina, .Sfo., each day is perhaps the oldest car in use in Missouri, says the Tina (Afo.) Herald. About thirty years ago 1t was a passenger coach; but, being torn up in wreck. 1t was purchased by P. T. Barnum. the great snowman. who had it repaired and used it as Q sleeping car on his show train. After the death of MT. Barnum the car was purchased by the Burlington and was put on the branch road which runs from Carrollton to Laclede. Its ap- pearance shows that 1t is very old. It is perhaps the oldest and has the most remarkable history of any car in Mis- sourf.
 Among the interesting facts about the new Pennsylvania railway tunnel and terminal in New York are these. says the Philadelphia Public Ledger: Total cost. so0.00O.OOO. fin addition to the $10.O00,OOO for the station site. on which were about 300 dwellings; daily train capacity 900: passenger accom- mediation daily. 100000: men at work. about 10000; time required for trip un- der the Hudson, two minutes. In pro jecting this enterprise the engineers be- lieve they have solved all the problems which bafle,l the most daring engineen of twenty-three years ago.
 Tn Mexico the railroad authorities put on Pullman cars for the fastidious who can afford to pay the charges and give no attention to the conditions in the common coaches, says the Philadelphia Public Ledger. An oficial of the Rock Island system says that on Mexican lines linen, women and even children smoke in every part and section of the train except the PuIlmans. The men mostly smoke cigars. and the women and children of all ages inhale ciga- rettes." The trainmen take it as . mat ter of course, although the tobacco smoke in every car wo1ld choke m American.
 ; Experiments at Purdue university. Indiana, have in view the use of wire less telesraphy for running trains. The ideA is to enable c train dispatcher to communlcate directly with tfe locs1bo- tive engineer at any time. Many of the stops of train are to enable the engl- neef to eet ordes thfuuSh tbe stAtioa aeenf. and accident1 have fes11ted from failure to stop for sucA egasEA
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