The sun., 1908-12-06
RUNNING TRAINS By PHOVR
HUMAN VOICE SUPPLANTIN0
THE TELEGRAPH KEY.

THE TELEGRAPH KEY.
Thousands OF Miles Of Railroads Now
Operated by Teleph0ne-Tt Has Sue.
>. ceeded Where Other systems Have
Failed-PFeoautIon Against Errors.
1t 10 as easy to run trains by telephone
as to call up friend and invite him to
dinner. The men who run the great rail-
roads Of the country are finding this out.
with the result that many thousands Of
miIes Of railroad are now beiHg con-
Quoted almost exclusively by telephone.
Not long ago the superintendent Of tele-
graph Of great Western railroad en-
planned why the Morse instrument ia CIV
ing way TO che human voice:
sThe use Of the telephone is 90 rapid
In every way and 20 much more flexible
than the telegraph that by it the des-
patoher 10 enabled TO get far moro detailed
information about exactly what each
train 10 doing. Even when occasion re-
quires he can talk directly with the con-
duotor or engineer. He is thus brought
90 much nearer the actual details Of train
movement on the line.
at 10 far more easy to train telephone
operators than to secure telegraphers.
There In hardly town anywhere on the
line where there are not young fellows
who are more or less familiar with rail-
road work, who with very little training
would be perfectly competent to do tho
work of telephone operators. There Is
much to be gained by making use Of men
in their own home towns. Our telegraph
service was a its best when this condi-
ton existed to some extent. and discipline
lessened in proportion as we have had to
import telegraph talent
While Eailroading by telephone seems
like an innovation, it was really put into
serious use thirteen years ago. 1t was
then adopted by the Terminal Association
at st. Louis. which in 1895 erected new
Union station with twenty-odd tracks
running north and south. all OF which
had to be available for trains running
east and west. To complicate matters
all trains had to back in, making II neces-
sary to focus all the tracks in the station
at one point. from which a number OF
tracks curved east and west TO meet the
main lines.
This arrangement required complex
system Of switch movements to permit
a train coming from the east or west to
be switched to any Of the station tracks
The handling OF heavy traffic offered many
opportunities for mistakes and delays
in the passage Of trains. The telephone
was not adopted until several other plans
had failed, and then this scheme. which
Is still in operation, was tried.
The man who directs the trains is
stationed In an interlocking switch tower
Just beyond the crossover. From his
desk he can see all the tracks entering
the station, and also all the East and West
main lines. He is connected with tele-
phone lines extending along the main
lines for several miles in either direction
and receives over these wires reports Of
the movement OF trains as they enter or
leave the yards.
These reports are made byAswitchmen
stationed at various points who control the
switches on the main line tracks. BY giving
them instructions the train director can
shift the outgoing or incoming trains at
will before they have reached or after
they have left the terminal.
The train director is able to clear the
sufficient time to permit them to enter
without delay. He Is connected with
the station masters Office. 80 that the
station master can be notified OF the
arrival of trains when they are still some
distance away and shift the station force
to take care OF them.
The station master can stop the move
ment of train even after II has started,
as the train director can set the necessary
stop signals before the train has left his
control. By having the movement OF all
trains and switches in this terminal under
the control OF the train director over 100
trains day are handled.
When the system Of despatching trains
by telegraph goes out there will be an
end TO an institution that was started In
1880 The use of the telephone for this
purpose has been objected to on the
ground that II Is not as accurate as the
telegraph owing TO the similarity Of
figures. The adoption Of the telephone
at this time Is indication that this trouble
has been overcome.
One road that has been using the tele-
phone for years Is the Lake Erie, Alliance
and Wheeling which has nearly hundred
miles OF single track road; The line
handles much coal traffic and its schedule
covers thirty trains each way day.
There are twenty-four telephone stations
along the line at the various stations
whore the agents or train crews receive
their orders,
On the division Of the Pennsylvania
lines between Columbia, Pa. and Parkers-
burg, Pa, a distance Of thirty-eight miles,
the trains have been operated by tele-
phone supplemented by block signals
since 1906 This division handles ninety
Ave trains Of $500 cars daily. but the
Advancement differs from that on the Lake
Erie, Alliance and Wheeling.
At each terminal OF the division and at
three intermediate points there are small
switchboards to which are connected
three classes Of telephone circuits. One
Of these, called the directors wire. is a
through circuit connected with each oil
the Ave switchboards. Another circuit,
known az the long distance emergency
wire, connects the switchboard at each
end station with the board In the centre OF
the division only. The switchbosrds are
also connected with lines running from
some twenty-five stations at various
points long tho track. these lines being
known as block wires,
The train director can get in touch with
the operators at the various switchboards
and through them be connected with the
telephone stations on the block wires IN
either direction, and thus get in direct
communication with the crews.
In receiving orders by telephone con,
h. ,xI hnt