Omaha daily bee., 1907-04-27
ELECTRIC EYE ON RAILROADS
Novel Means of Detecting q Broken
Rail In Devised by
Engineers.

Broken rails and weakened roadbeds
caused more than 60 per cent of the rail-
road wrecks in the United States in the
last fve years, according to statistics COM
piled by New York Central engineers who
have been studying tho causes of accidents
since the Bronx wreck last month, to-
gether with the recent discovery OF a num-
Der of broken rails between Cheviot and
North Germantown, on the New York Cen
trail lines. This fact. a Central official
said was what spurred the engineers on
in their search for a device that would
detect a broken rail, and resulted in the
perfection of system which will be in
stalled on the tracks used by the through
trains between New York and Buffalo be-
fore the end Of April. After that the Of
fetal said, the same equipment would be
added to the main tracks on all OF the
other Central lines.
THE broken rail-" said the Central Of
hcial, has been one Of the greatest and
most distressing problems ever confronting
railroads. The perfect rail has not yet
been obtained the manufacturers confess
that it is impossible to make it. That is to
say, thousand rails may be perfect, but
the next one may have some defect which
cannot be detected before It leaves the
mill; nothing but actual use can de-
velop It,
I'm such a rail the break may occur
where It Is impossible for the human eye
to see II. The first crack may be nc
broader than hair, and hidden beneath
the top Of the rail. which, you know, is
somewhat like the top Of the letter T. II
may not break Immediately; several trains
may go over It without making the crack
perceptibly bigger. One train. then, may
enlarge It, and another rip the two pieces
apart
What causes a rain to break7 That II
hard 70 say. Sometimes the drive wheels
Of locomotive, unable to start instantly
with its heavy load. whirl around swiftly
on the track without progressing. THAI
friction and weight make a small indenta
ton. Then another train, striking the
same spot with great velocity, cracks thu
rail- Knowing this possible cause. W,
have rule prohibiting enginemen from
sliding their wheels on the track. II 4
very strictly enforced, and II an engineer
impatient because his locomotive won
start right on with a heavy train, pull
| open the throttle and slides the wheels OF
the tracks, he is suspended instantly. !
second offense means his discharge
The other cause with which we ar
| familiar is the flaw in the rail- AS 1 said
| II is impossible to detect such defect
most likely it is hidden in the body OF tn
rail. and there Is nothing, not even the care
/ ful tests in the foundries. that will re
| veal IL.
Because OF these hidden dangers, tn
New York Central has made an unusua
effort to devise protective measures. tn
nrst thing, OF course, is to ind the crac
the moment II occurs. The human eye be
Ing unable to see IT, we have perfected a
electric eye All the rails will be con
nected by an electric wire. which will b
looped into the signal towers The leas
change In the condition OF any raH wi
be observed by the electric eye and the In
! formation VIII be winked into the near
est tower. Automatically the danger sic
nails in that block will be set against train
on that track and will remain so until N
cause OF the danger warning has been dii
covered and remedied.
As yet We have not learned how I
make the electric track guard tell US jui
where the alarm originates, so Il will I
necessary for employees 70 hasten 70 al
block and examine every rail until III
defective one Is located. Until such dii
covery is made no trains will be permitte
TO pass over those tracks"
The oficial said that the efficiency OF n
new device had been proved b. experiment