Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-07-19
RAILROAD WILL USE
AUTOS FOR FREIGHT
PENNSYLVANIA WILL START
EXTENSIVE SERVICE
Previous Experiments Have Been
Highly Successful in Relieving
Congestion and Avoiding
cIrcuitous Routes

The Pennsylvania Railroad company,
as an experiment, has introduced the
use of automobiles to expedite the
handling of freight between stations
In large cities. Such service mas
been started between Kensington and
Shackamaxon stations in philadelphia,
and, if that is a success, 1t IS plahneu
to try the same experiment IN olner
large terminal cities, such as Pittsburg
and Baltimore.
THE automobile truck which the
Pennsylvania railroad is using in Phll-
adelphia has saved between SIX anu
twelve hours in the handling OF pack
age freight between the stations named
This freight automobile has capacity
of five tons and is driven by SIX
horse power electric motor. 1t aver
ages about seven and one-haIf trips q
day, carrying 2.2 tons per trip; It's
daily mileage averaging about eight
miles.
Previous to the introduction OF the
automobile in the Kensington district
small lots of freight were sent from
station to station in cars. With the
automobile service COMPOSITIONS are re-
| lieyed and the movement OF freAgnt py
direct route instead of cireuitous
one saves both time in delivery anu
the use of freight cars.
The Pennsylvania railroad Is also
bringing the automobile into use in It's
passenger service. In Jersey City an
| innovation is the Introduction OF large
automobile trucks in the baggage
service. These trucks are about the
size of a three-horse wagon and are
| so built that when being loaded the
| floor of a truck is on a level with and
flush against that of baggage car
Many hard knocks are saved 20 every
trunk handled in this way through the
Jersey City station. In moving
| trunk from the car to the truck II
receives about the same nanollns ~
the same car This Is but one OF the
trunk protective features Of the trucks
| Another is that they are Enclosed en-
tirely with a wire grating and leather
top, preventing any scraping OF raining
in the trip across the river.
are being put entails through trips be-
tween the baggage cars and the TWen-
tv-third street station in New YORK.
They are loaded to their full capacity
and are raised and lowered between tne
ferry level on elevators. me electrlc
power does away with the nanuaA
labor formerly necessary to push load
ed trucks up the heavy grades at the
anproach to the ferries at certain
stages of the tide.
ME truck is about Is feet long and
s feet wide, with a seat in front TOT
the driver. Its height OF ABOUT Ieel
10 necessary that the floor OF the truck
NAV meet the baggage car floor on a
level, ~, ,x4,
mobile being used in the passenger
service. In Broad street station,
Philadelphia, there are In use Use auto raa9i
Thsse however. are about the size OF
an ordinary hand truck and very SIM
liar in appearances. The electric mech IN
anism is placed under the body OF the
truck and is operated from the handle
or tongue"
So satisfactory have these automo-
biles proved in the baggage and mall
service that there are now being built
number of small electric trucks Tor
use In the new terminal station IN
washington. These will be similar to
the trucks now used in the Broad street
station. though they will embody Inn
proyements which are expected to over
come the slight difficulties experienced
with the first automobile trucks placed
in service.