The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1906-09-18
FIRE PROOF CARS
New Cars Absolutely Non-collapsibie--
To Eliminate Smallest Amount
Of Wood.

"All future passenger equipment of
the Pennsylvania railroad will be
made of steel. The necessity of pro-
viding non-collapsible, absolutely fire.
proof passenger cars for the New
York tunnel has simply FASTENED the
day when this transformation must
take place. The car of the future
must be as safe as engineering science
can make it"
Such was the declaration, says the
New York Herald, of high official in
the motive power department of the
Pennsylvania railroad. 1t followed
examination of reports which have
been made on the cost and perform
ance of the new Pennsylvania coach,
No. 1851, the first steel passenger car
to be built in the world.
The future passenger equipment Is
to be of steel therefore, not only steel
frame and box, but steel and nom
combustible material in every particu-
lar. This will involve a very large
expenditure of money, but the man
agement feels that no expense should
be spared to remove the danger from
fire and collision in future railroad
ing.
The first car to be built anywhere
wherein the main object has been to
secure the elimination of every par
ticle of non mbustible material is
No. 1861.
The new car weighs 1O3,55G pounds
against $4,000 for the standard wooden
coach, but it is found that the added
weight very greatly reduces the vi
bration and adds to the comfort OF
the passengers. No inconsiderable
part of the additional weight is due
to the great burden involved in carry
ing storage batteries and battery
boxes. All the new cars are to be
lighted by electricity, and the Penn
sylvania will carry no gas illuminated
cars of any kind in it's New York tun-
mel. 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 further reduced, although it will
always be heavier than the wooden
coach. The steel coach has a small
quantity of combustible material, and
in the effort to remove this absolutely
it may be necessary to add weight in
slight particulars.
The new car is absolutely non-col-
lapsible. 1t could stand any load or
any collision. It's hidden frame is
like a cantilever bridge suspended on
the trucks as piers. This safety
against telescoping is secured by the
use of enormous steel girders, the
principal feature in the body of the
car being a central box girder "a
inches wide and 10 inches deep, eX-
tending throughout the length of the
coach.
In the past railroads have found
that when trains cOliided 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 superstructure of the sec
ond 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 fire
proof it is only necessary to state
that the flooring 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 com
posed of steel plates. The doors are
composed of steel plates pressed into
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 sheathing. The
inside lining consists of composite
boards covered with fireproof paint.
1t is the policy of the Pennsylvania
to eliminate eventually even the
smallest amount of wood or other
burnable material in its cars. In the
experimental car the seats are of steel
frame, covered with fireproof plush.
The foot rests are also of steel.
coupler arrangement of a new
type, stronger than anything ever
used before, has been designed for this
car to avoid any possibility of break
age and the resultant parting of trains
The company has been making elab-
crate tests to ascertain the effect of
the temperature of the atmosphere on
the steel, as compared with the old
wooden car. 1t is found that In hot
weather the difference is very slight
and that the steel car shows a decided
inclination to cool off mora ranidly