The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-08-13
STEEL CARS WILL
Be CONSTRUCTED
Pennsylvania Road Will I'M
prove Equipment
WILL BE MUCH SAFER
Material VIII Also Be Non-combustl'
BILE in Every ParticuIar-Large
Expenditure Will Be
Involved.
WILL BE MUCH SAFER

Philadelphia, August l2-(Special.)-
'All future passenger equipment of the
Pennsylvania railroad will be made of
steel. The necessity of providing non
collapsible, absolutely fireproof passenger
cars for the New York tunnel has simply
FASTENED the day when this transforms
ton must take place The car of the
future must be as safe as engineering
science can make it."
Such was the declaration authorized to-
day by a high official in the motive
power department of the Pennsylvania
railroad. 1t followed examination of re-
ports which have been made on the cost
and performance of the new Pennsylvania
coach, No. 1861, the first all-steel pas
senger car to be built in the world This
car has been placed temporarily on one
of the company's regular local runs
and most minute reports are being made
as to its work.
The future passenger equipment is to
be of Steel therefore; not only steel
frame and box. but steel and non-com-
bustible material in every particular. This
will involve a very large expenditure of
money but the management feel that no
expense should be spared to remove the
danger from fire and collision to future
railroading
The decision now definitely reached
will call for about 1000 unburnabe
railroad company cars to be ready when
the New York tunnel is completed. 1t
will also call for some 500 Pullman cars
which must also be of completely non
combustible construction At the request
of the Pennsylvania railroad the Pull
man company Is now building the first
all-steel sleeper ever constructed 1t
will be inspected by the Pennsylvania Of
fcals at a very early date.
Officials Interested.
Railroad officials and travellers gem
orally have been keenly interested in the
result of the Pennsylvania experiment
with a new car. Other so-called steel
coaches have been built-notably for the
New York Subway-but they have been
only partly of steel. The first car to be
built anywhere wherein the main object
has been to secure the elimination of
every particle of non-combustible ma
terial is No. 1862. the reports on which
are Just now in shape to make II posi-
BILE to base definite future action upon
them.
The new car weighs 103,550 pounds
against 1890 for the standard wooden
coach but 1t Is found that the added
weight very greatly reduces the vibra-
ton and adds to the comfort of the pas
sengers. No inconsiderable part of the
additional weight is due to the great
burden involved in carrying storage bat
| teries and battery boxes. All the new
cars are to be lighted by electricity, and
the Pennsylvania will carry no gas IL
Illuminated cars of any kind into its New
York tunnel. The electric wires in the
new cars are all thoroughly insulated in
heavy metal conduits, thus adding to the
safety
Motive power officials believe that the
weight of the present car can be still
,,rfh cd oil
be heavier than the wooden coach. Coach
No. 1851 has a small quantity of COM
bustible material and in the effort to re-
move this absolutely. II may be neces-
sary to add weight in slight particulars.
| The new car is absolutely non-collapsi-
BILE 1t could stand any load of any col
lision. Its hidden frame is like canti-
lever bridge suspended on the trucks as
piers This safety against telescoping is
secured by the use OF enormous steel
Orders, the principal feature In the body
of the car being a central box girder
twenty-four inches wide by nineteen
inches deep, extending throughout the
| length of the coach
Extraordinary Strength.
In the past, railroads have found that
when trains colllded and the body of one
| car rose above the body of the next,
| there was a tendency for the underframe
| of the first car TO sweep the superstruc-
| ture of the second car off it's underframe.
| In the new equipment this is prevented
| by the extraordinary strength In the door
| and vestibule end-posts. which are, of
| course. of very heavy rolled steel.
| To show something of the effort made
| to make this car absolutely freproof it
| is only necessary to state that the floor
| ing throughout the car and platform
| consists of an imitation of stone spread
while in a plastic state over the steel
| plates of the car. The framing above
| the windows is composed of steel plates.
| The doors are composed of steel plates
pressed into a shape initiating the
/ wooden doors used In other cars, and
| filed with cork to deaden the sound. The
roof is constructed of composite boards
covered with copper sheating. The in
side lining consists of composite boards
covered with fireproof paint.
/ 1t is the policy of the Pennsylvania 10
| eliminate eventually even the smallest
! amount of wood or other burnab,e ma
| terial In its cars. In the experimental
! car the seats are of steel frame. covered
| with fireproof plush. The footrests are
| also of steel For the present arm
| rests are of wood, but experiments are
| now being made with various metals In
| the effort to secure noncomoustiole