Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1908-03-07
MAKING A Time Table
A Peep Into the Chart Room Of
a Great Railway.
WORKING OUT A SCHEDULE.

Officials to 80 race trains as 10
Avoid the Danger of Collision and All
Unnecessary Loss Of Time.
Travellers who consult the ever han
DIV time tables to the arrival or de
parture Of the particular train that is
to carry them probably never give a
thought to the manner in which mod
ern time table is made up. To the un.
initiated it is a Chinese puzzle, and
even those well versed in it's mysteries
often become confused How are time
tables made? What is the procedure
in determining the speed of a train
and the exact time and place it shall
meet another train? The answer to
these questions is to be found In the
chart room.
The chart room is usually in some
quiet corner of the general Offices Of a
railway company and for weeks at q
time is locked. But every now and
then the word goes forth that the
schedule is to be shortened or length
ened, new trains to be put on or some
change made that necessitates the re-
vision of the time card. Then from
| distant points of the system the di-
vision superintendent gather for a
! conference with the heads of the pas
senger and freight departments in or
der to learn the most desirable time
| for trains to arrive and depart from
! terminals With this information, they
retire to the chartroom, where there
is a separate chart for each district.
The charts are white boards about
six feet wide and from two to five feet
high. The names of the stations, ac-
| curately scaled, are printed on the
| boards at the side, and from the top of
| the board many colored strings dangle,
more suggestive of parlor game than
tool for laying out the path of traffic
/ and commerce.
The superintendents confer regard
ing the time at junction points on con-
, Meeting trains and then work out the
schedule on intermediate points on
chart of his division
Horizontally the chart shows -
midnight on the left side, and there is
line extending across the chart for
each five minutes from that time until
the full twenty-four hours have been
shown. For convenience each third
line, representing period of fifteen
minutes, is in different color.
superintendent are supplied with
various colored silk thread, pins and
tack hammer. Red is used to designate
a passenger train, green for a second
class or freight train, and black is for
third class or local freight train. When
ever train is scheduled out of ter
minal at a certain hour pin is driven
at the intersection of the station line
and hour line-this being the beginning
and such other times at various sta
tions as may be desired are determined
by drawing the thread over the board
to meet the intersection of the various
stations and hour lines at the proper
times. Where necessary tacks are driv-
en- to keep the thread on the proper
schedule.
Westbound trains run down and di-
agonally to the right. Eastbound
trains start at the bottom, run upward
and diagonally to the right Wher-
ever these threads cross, a meeting
point is indicated, and if this crossing
of the threads is between station lines
it is then necessary to adjust the time
on each train, so that the meeting point
will be at the most convenient station.
This is done by holding the lines cross
ed at station with a pin. OF course
on double tracks these meeting points
are not necessary.
After the chart has been strung a
former Issue of the time card with pen
and ink is brought into use. and the
begins at original ter
minal, looks at the station line, and
whenever any string representing a
train crosses this station line he notes
the time as shown on the proof Of the
time card. One train at a time is read
from start to finish, and after they
have all been checked they are re-
checked to see that all meeting points
are properly made and noted ON proof,
after which the time table is ready for
the printer.
To make a successful time card a
superintendent must be perfectly ia
miliar with the grade and track condi-
tons and when stringing the thread |
must allow more time for unfav orable |
grade, railroad crossing and other un-
usual stops. so that the running time !
Of the train will be uniform. When |
ever it is desirable to make a meal !
stop a pin is put in at the proper sta
ton and the string run horizontally to |
the line until the required number of |
minute lines have been passed, when |
It is again taken down the board at
the proper degree Of speed. By max
Ing the string more vertical the speed |
Is increased, as there are fewer mi
mute lines crossed. By swinging thread |
10 the right the speed is decreased, and |
by the use of pins this can be ar
ranged between each station to suit
ronditions.-St. Louis Globe Democrat.