The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-04-24
EVOLUTION or RAILS AND TRACKS.

EVOLUTION or RAILS AND TRACKS.
 Tn a recent issue of The New York World there is an interesting article on the pedigree of a rail-" referring to iron and steel rails for railways It shows that for the past six months a committee of railroad oficials of Pennsylvania have been testing steel rails with the purpose of ascertainins what are the best and safest that are or can be made. The article adds: These investigations might strike an old-time railroad man as tussy. but they save money and passengers lives. Tn the earlier days wooden rails were tried in this country, though not in England. Next came the wooden rail with an iron strap laid on top. This wore better. but the strap had a way up into a "niggerhead' and intruding through the floor of a car. The all- iron rail was necessary.
 In the rapid expansion of railroad- almost any pattern were used. Grad ually, with the introduction of the | stronger steel. the rail was made high CT and of something like standardized bndpc, kIoWlnk Tn WeiknL TncdnWllte from thirty to ninety pounds a yard Evolution leaves the rail of today with a broad, thin bearing base. slop- ing gradually up to the shank, which thickness. curving sharply into the base at the bottom and more gradual ly into the top, which Is a carefully | shaped curve nearly flat on top and terial The great problem of rail de- sign is to save metal from the base and shank. without making them weak. to put into the bearing surface: keep rails from becoming brittle with much pounding is a subject of equally anxious inquiry.
 That trains in this country were ever carried on rails made entirely of wood is news to us. and will doubt less be news to most of our readers. It seems impossible that even the light and slow engines and trains of the early days of raiiroading could have been carried with any approach to safety on a wooden rail. but we pre- sume The World had authority for its statement. The second stage. how ever is not at all unfamiliar to many yet living: we mean the heavy wooden rail with an iron strap laid on top and nailed to the wood with large iron spikes. The rattling and jolting of the cars over the heads of these rails | was something to be remembered. and, as The World says. these thin flat rails had a disagreeable habit of get ting loose at the ends. curling up and making it unpleasant for the pas sengers. A road thus equipped would be looked on now as an almost pre- historic relic.
 The fact that so much time and money has been spent in Pennsylvania to ascertain the material and method of making the best raii that human skill and knowledge can turn out is evidence that railroad men are at length awake to the importance of having railway travel made as safe as is humanly possib.o. A chain. we are told is only as, strong as its weak est part. A chain may have one hum dred, links that are equal to any task that may be put on them. but if. some- where in it's entire length. there is one weak and faulty link the chain will break under the strain.
 It is somewhat the same with rails. There may be one hundred miles of perfectly sound, strong and safe track, over which a heavy train will fly safe ly and then 1t may come to one faulty rail which will break or crush under the load and bring disaster to cars and passengers There have been so many horrible wrecks during the past few months that people are beginning | to inquire whether such occurrences can be avoided or prevented. and if they can, somebody should be made responsible for the tragedies resulting from such disasters If the time and money spent by the commission. re- ferred to brings good results 1t will not be a waste of either.