Evening journal., 1906-10-24
NEW NUMBERS FOR
25O,OOO R. R. CARS
Gigantic Task Being Carried
Oui by Pennsylvania R. R.
TO Relieve Confusion
WILL ALSO PAINT CARS


AS enc big facility in moving and tax
ing care OF its nearly a quarter Of a mil
lion freight and passenger cars. the Penn
sylvania Railroad is having them all re-
numbered. IT is a gigantic task. one that
will take fully year to complete, but
when the work is done there will be none
OF the confusion which has brought grief
to the Pennsylvania cur record office
and car accountants OF other reads
Troubles arose from the fact that every
one Of the individual companies which 60
to make up the Pennsylvania System had
its own car numbers. In addition to that
the similarity of the legends. "Pennsyl.
vania" and Pennsylvania Company OF
ten caused one name to be reported when
the other should have been. In the sys.
TEN there might be eight or ten cars with
the same number and If the small int
tails Of Individual ownership were left
out Of report there was no way Of tell.
ing what car was really meant
How Confusion Arose
For example take the number 2.Ol5. II
was a gondola car on the Northern Cen.
trail, the Buffalo and Allegheny Valley
the West Jersey and seashore; it was a
box car on the Philadelphia. Baltimore a
Washington, the p. c.. c. X ST. L.. and
the Erie and Pittsburg; and 1t was a
coke car on the Pennsylvania Railroae
proper II some agent sent in a report on
Pennsylvania. 2.Ol5," negleoting 20 men.
tion the smaller Initials, he might be r.,
porting on any one Of the seven.
When a Pennsylvania Railroad car was
| reported as a Pennsylvania Company car
or when any car was not reported with
all the lesser details. it caused a vast dea
Of trouble and expense AZ matter OF
fact, the small initials Of individual own.
ership were overlooked and not reported
in a majority OF cases.
To do away with the confusion 1t was
decided to renumber the entire car equip
: ment, both East and West. assigning Z,
each lesser company included in the sys
TEN a certain series Of consecutive mum
bers. this series being further divided 81
as to indicate kind. class and capacity
Their esut is that the number alone will
tell all there is about a car to know, as =
can be identified by reference to the Of
fetal list.
II is a very intricate and complex jol
TO get the new numerals on the cars Tn,
size Of it can be realized only when on
considers that the cars OF q big railroa,
system are scattered over the whole coun
try. many Of them staying away from
home" months. even years. Before sue
a one can be remembered. of course. 1
has to return to the Pennsylvania system
Scheme Working Rapidly.
The work is now proceeding very rap
idly. The general plain for renumberin
was mapped out in the Pennsylvania OF
fees at Altoona. A table was made. show
ing the original number Of every car ant
the new number it was to receive. bes de
the kind, class and capacity. Then copie
of this table were sent TO agents all owe
the system, every one being directed t
J lctk out for unchanged cars coming int
! his territory and change them at once
The result Of this scheme has been tha
the new numbers have been put on wit
great despatch.
To the passenger cars belonging TO tn
lines east Of Pittsburg are given the mum
/ bers to 1900 and to those belonging I
the lines west Of Pittsburg the number
D 7.OO1 TO 10000. The freight cars are mum
bcred from 1900 70 100000 on the easter
$ lines and from 5Oc.OOl to s99.9gg on III
' western ires.
To make the task as easy as possible
was arranged that the largest OWNERSHIP
y namely, the Pennsylvania Railroad pror
= er should carry the lower numbers. Til
p meant that in the new scheme many car
& would fall into the proper class. withor
having TO be remembered.
The cars are to be repainted. too, bi
that is, Of necessity. much slower wor
than the REMEMBERING. There are con
paratively few places where it can /
, DONE while new numbers can be put o
at pretty nearly any station where thel
is small paint shop. When the repain
J. ing is done every car on the eastern line
L will have she word Pennsylvania" on Il
o side. above the number, and the letter
Is "P r. r. on the end On the wester
J.. lines pennsylvania Lines" win be u
legend for the side OF a car ana ''P. l.,
v for the end.
Hanover School Anniversary.