The Washington herald., 1909-07-18

St Louis. 80. july Isl. Louis leads
/ the world in the manufacture OF street
cars This includes motor cars Of every
size and character which run on rails.
/ IN addition % leading an other cities n
( production. St Louis holds the record for
durability. style. design. and finish
I The cars made here are regarded gen
orally as the highest standards CT the
fcar-buHding art. and for this reason.
when European street railway operators
/ desire strictly modern and ser-iceahle
/ coaches and cars. they order from this
+ city. This distinction held by St. Louis
: Is not a recent acquisition but was won
/ from other competitors years ago. and the
local manufacturers intend 10 keep the
palm in this city.
4 in 1895. The year previous 70 the begin
ming OF the financial furry. the 81 Louis
works produced cars which brought
SSe1000- The year following was not as
favorable. as the financial scare caused
the street railway men 20 retreneh Bher-
ever an opportunity afforded AID the
output was only $4,000
The plants here build the cars 10 order.
and have the men. materials. and ma
chinery 10 turn out consignment n an
almost Incredibly short time.
\ Can Build $500 Cars Year.
Tie s. Louis Car Company. with It's
immense works az Baden. in the north
end Of the city. has the largest plant "A
the world. Under pressure this estab-
llishment can supply 500 large frst-class
electric cars in one year The works
leovsr forty-hve acres. over which are
spread the twenty-five buildings repre-
seutinC The various departments neces-
Isary 10 the production Of the modern car.
with the exception Of the motors. the
car works supplies all the materials that
20 into the finished ca-- All the wood
WORK, netaI vorE. aHd ornamentaIion
Iare Supplied az The works.
some idea OF The amount Of detail Work
q frecessary IN this line of manufacture c7n
De gathered from The fact mat the side
supports in the cars pass through no
less than six departments before they
lare placed IN their proper places. All
> the piaIinE mil work. as well as the mosc-
ing and forging OF metals. IS done in the
plants and passed from the Departments
where they are made 20 the large as
senb,ing rooms. where the cars are bu.it
from the ground % rhe trolley poles.
Niles of track are laid IN these great
departments as ;he ears are buiit on
rails and kept there until they are ready
. 10 De- loaded on fat cars and shipped ID
their destination. TIE company main
b tains e terminal railway system o. its
own 20 ship the cars 20 the main lines
and get It's supplies. and uses its own
e electric engines and faI cars in The
. operation Of this road.
-. Louis Has Long Led.
. This city has played not only a con-
modern car. but has done more than snv
D other American city in the discovery ard
p exploitation OF improved methods Of cor
Z ducting the street railway business Back
e IN the early SOS s. Louis went ex-
Z teusively into the building OF expensive
L cable lines while the other big cities
+. were feeling their way carefully. expert
p incntinE on q comparatively small scale.
In The electric stage TIE same COmpa-
nies which built the immense cable lines
cast aside the Old and went az once %
r. the new order OF chirgs- This meant the
3 rebuilding of the lines and an entirely
- new system Of cars When the Transit
+, comnauy absorbed the s. Louis E-es
they were I'D 10 date and far aiead Of
- the systems IN the other larger cities
First Car was the "BOb-tsiI.T
: The progressive policy Of The street rail-
way owners and managers had the effect
d. Of stimulating the business OF building
! cars ii tE.s CITY The first cars turned
% out o. the shops here were 5uilr for Uhs
q local lines. and as improvement Sue
iceeded Improvement the owners of rsz-
Il uavs elsewhere began 70 take notice z
.- The style of rolling stock made il s..
r Louis. AS the orders increased neT
y. shops were built for The handling OF TIE
IS business which grew rs the fame OF tts
n local product extended.
< Tire car building business vas rioleer-d
q in s. Louis 5y 2Iessrs. Browneu &
Wright who established p factory n
Norta Broadway IN the SIS. and manu-
factured che so-celied bob-tal car Of that
' period Iris was q small affalr. with
. seats for sDout a dozen passengers. a~d
/ had 70 rear. platform. There WAS foot
n board or step on the back about rwo
L. and one-half feet long and not more
Il Than foot wide. whieh thP passengers
+ used in entering and leaving the car.
g. CIiaginE so Hand Rails
There were hard rails on either side Of
y this step. and VIXEN traffic was heavy
+, as many as q dozen persons vouid hang
n on TO these. having JCsJ about eneugh
" room on the step 20 get toe hold The
e motive power was a yclco-loof.llg nue.
thar invariably laid down on lis joh
e when she load was heavy and an up
e grade was encountered On these occa-
D siors the driver was wont 10 sound his
N can for volunteers 10 push the car over
n The hil
Many % the Hiddle-aged and oldeG
s. men OF tlis city relate that they ac-
y quired TIE profanity habi, from riding.
re or trying 60 ude. on the cars IN ire
n,cneer days.
The car bulLers saw the drawbacks
be- az the bob-taf and began turning out
i, tie two-bc-se article. which had plat
4. C07-1e NJ eacl end This was the popu-
lar car until tire cable was introduced.
which necessuated the grip or clutch
e. car. The reads added stock Of E-tp
D. cars and used the old coaches as trailsrs.
re Then came tire motor ears, and trolley
be zines. larger poEer-h0uses. and more
ID trouble wagons.
n Sew Companies Formed.
~ For long while the Browneu- Wright
~ company hsd clear field in SIS line O.
of production. but corpetifscl came win I