The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1906-09-28

STEEL PASSENGER CARS
FOR TRUNK RAILROADS.
From Scientific American.

From Scientific American
It is good news to those Of US who
realize that the loss Of life on steam
railroads is altogether too large, to
learn that at last one Of our great
trunk lines has decided to adopt the
all-steel passenger car as a standard
type for all new equipment The steel
car, as we have often pointed out in
the columns Of this journal, is the
only sure preventive Of those two
fruitful causes Of death and injury in
railroad wrecks, namely, telescOping
and fire. TeleScOping, or the crush
ing Of one car directly into the one
adjacent to 1t, should, more strictly
speaking, be known as shearing; for
when telescOping takes place, the mis-
chief is due to the massive and en-
Ormously strong platform Of one car
lifting above the one adjacent, and
sliding forward upon 1t, cutting
through the light framework Of the
sides, until the body Of the teleScoped
car is cut loose from the under-fram-
ing. As the entering platform is
forced resistessly along the surface OF
the one on which II Climbs It's Tor
ward edge passes through the car,
usually at about the level Of the pas
senger seats, and the passengers are
crowded forward, mixed UP with the
Wreckage OF the seats, the splinters
Of the framing, and the fragments Of
heavy plate-glaSS windows, with all
those resulting horrors with which We
are only too familiar. The risk OF
fire is due to the ignition Of the com
bustible woodwork of the car and its
yet more cOmbustble paint and var
nish, by the in1ammable Illuminating
gas, or the scattered white-hOt Goals
from the engine frebOx-
Obviously, the best preventive Of
teIescopinE is to so construct the cars
that the end framing Of the body and
the vestibules viii be strong enough
to prevent the shearing action Of the
platforms; and It has at last come 70
be realized that the only material
which presents the proper resisung
qualities is the wonderfully tough and
elastic mild steel Of which We build
our skeleton buildings our bridges,
and our steamships
Great credit is due to the Pennsyl-
vanfa Railroad company for its de-
termination to build its future pas
sengers cars Of steel We understand
that the first order for the passenger
car equipment to be used in the Huo-
son river tunnels and the new Man
haitian and Long Island stations IS 70
| be Of steel throughout, and that one
thousand Of the new cars are to be
ready as soon as the tunnels and sta
ton are completed. The Pullman
company is now constructing the first
all-steel sleeper car, which il 1t gives
satisfaction, viii be followed by nVe
hundred PullmanS OF similar design
The main feature Of the new car
| platform is q massive central box CIR
/ der. "a inches wide by 19 inches
/ deep, which viii extend throughout
/ the full ength Of the car from coup
ling to coupling From this backbone
/ deep steel cantilevers will extend tran
sversely, four on each side, to carry
1 the sides Of the car, which viii be
/ composed Of steel Orders Of unusu-
/ al strength. The floor framing VIII
/ be covered with a continuous flooring
/ OF steel plates, strongly riyeted to the
steel longitudinal girder and the can
/ tfIsvers Of the floor framing and OyeI
/ this plating viii be placed cement
/ finish in imitation Of stone which vii
Security against telescoping will be OBJ
/ tanned by making the steel vesdbulC
/ end and corner posts Of such form
and strength as VIII present great re
/ sistance to transverse sheartngs and
I should the adjoining platform 81
forced through these, it wiz bring "
/ against the end door posts which VII
/ be OF q very deep section Securel3
/ rfveted to the main box gIroer or TIT
i platform. and to a horizontal stee
strengthening plate at the roof OF tn.
car Inside and out, the lining vii
consist principally Of steel plating
land no wood or inflammable mater1a
! whatever viii be used except for TIT
TOP Of the seat arms. where Il IA
been introduced for the comfort OF Ia
passengers The car is equipped 70
electric lighting. the current 70
which IS furnished BY storage naL
tsFies plzced beneath the car and Z
- To ffe-e batteries zarEeiv that Ia
great weight Of the rev car IS due