The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-07-12
RAILROAD NEWS,
Experiments Are Now Being
Made With Steel Cars.
Railroad Men Believe They Will
Withstand Wrecks.
WILL BE MORE SAFE
Would Not Collapse or Burn in
Collisions.
WILL BE MORE SAFE
Gossip and Matters of Interest
in Railroad Circles.

Chicago, July 12.-Now it is the
armor plated express train that is be-
ing talked about Passenger coaches.
steel sheathed from roof to under
frame. capable of withstanding ter
rife pressure. eventually will take the
place of the present style wooden
coach, in express trains. according to
the belief of some railroad men.
Steel has been in use for several
years in the construction of freight
cars. The Erie is the first road to ex-
pertinent in a small way with steel
cars on passenger trains. But the
Long Island railroad has ordered a
number of the new style coaches
which will soon be in service, and 9TH
er roads are watching the experiments
with interest.
1t is beginning to be realized that
the introduction of high speed trains,
operating over entire divisions without
a halt, and at the rate of rs to 80 miles
an hour, calls for many changes in
equipment. Locomotives have reach
ed such high state of development
that it is no longer a question of get
ting enough speed out of them. Road
beds have been leveled and baIlasted.
Vast sums of money have been spent
in Strengthening out curves and in
Sailing automatic signals, all of which
things have made it possible to oper-
ate eighteen hour trains.
But as the better roadbed and i'm
proved locomotives have resulted in
speedier trains so it is claimed by rail-
road men will the fast trains result in
a change in the equipment Railroad
men say that if only. the combination
car, next to the engine, in the i'll fated
Twentieth Century train, which was
wrecked at Mentor last month, had
been built of steel, the loss of life
would have been greatly reduced if not
entirely eliminated.
It would have cost but little more
to have built such a train as the Tween
tieth Century of steel instead of finely
grained and supposedly f1reproof wood.
with steel underframe. Even if the
cost had been twice as great, it would
have made little difference to the rail-
road or the Pullman company, which
aimed to put out the finest train which
money could buy. The wooden car
was burned and it's steel underframe
twisted beyond resemblance of shape
in the fire which followed derailment.
1t was because of the increasing
number of fatalities which have occur
red in the railway mail service during
the last five years that led to the
building of the first steel car for use
on passenger trains. The mail car oc-
cupies the most dangerous position on
trains, next to the engine, and in near
~ every wreck receives the brunt of
the damage. In the last ten years &C
cidents have resulted in the following
ously injured. 500; others injured,
2,04O.
In 1902 there were % killed in
wrecks, of whom were burned to
death. In 1903 81 were killed and 8
burned to death. The postoff1ce au-
thorities kept after the railroads to
furnish improved cars. and finally, as
an experiment, the Erie had steel
car built. Tests made with this car
show it is satisfactory, and other cars
for the same service are being built.
On the marlborough road, which
operates the subways and elevated
| roads in New York. a large number of
steel passenger coaches are in use, and
| the old wooden cars are being rapidly
replaced. Collisions in the subway be-
tween rapidly moving trains have
demonstrated that these steel cars are
non teleScODinP.