Los Angeles herald., 1910-05-16
NEW STYLE CARS
GIVEN A TRYOUT
'Pay AS You Enter Vehicles are
Installed on the Central
Avenue Line
PICO WILL GET THEM NEXT
Gates and Signal Buttons Battle
Passengers Not Accustomed
to Their Use
PICo WILL GET THEM NEXT

"Payv as YOU enter" street cars were
nut into operation on the Central ave-
nue. line of the Los Angeles street rail-
way yesterday, thirty-seVen of the new
cars being in service. Their tryout was
seemingly a success as the regular
schedule time was maintained LOT the
greater part of the day, although no
layovers were possible at either end of
the line This necessary rush VIII prop
ably be overcome in a few days, how
ever, as yesterday the crews We're hand-
icapped by new cars stiff trolley poles,
which continually jumped the WIRE ana
a crowd o1 passengers VINO uIu not uii-
derstand exactly what was expected OF
them.
Many little comedies were enacted
yesterday by the travelling public who
were not "on' to the ways of the new
system. People would insist on trying
to pry open the exit gate, which does
not, will not and cannot open until the
car has come to a dead stop. This gate
is operated by compressed air and is
under the control of the motorman.
There is one other exit gate at the rear
of the car, which most people used yes
terday in preference to waiting until
the front gate was opened.
The average time taken by those get
ting on the cars was no greater than
the time consumed in boarding the OLD
style cars, where only one or two pas
sengers were getting on. In cases
where half dozen or more passengers
were mounting, the delay was greater,
however, as those at the rear of the line
were compelled to wait until those In
front paid their fares and received
transfers. Another delay is at railroad
crossings, where the conductor has to
collect his fares before he can go out
in front and flag his car across the
tracks.
Promptness was facilitated yesterday
by having railway inspectors and
switchmen located at each end of the
line to attend to changing the trolley,
putting the tenders up and down and
doing other stunts necessary before the
cars can start on their return trips.
CONDUCTORS NOT COMMUNICATIVE
The conductors on the new cars are
about as communicative as craven
images and seem to have no desire to
explain how things should be done.
This feature does not aid the passen-
gers in learning to any great extent,
and several times yesterday caused the
loss of much time.
When a passenger desires to get off
the cars he reaches above his head and
pushes a button which signals the con-
ductor. The latter in turn signals the
motOrman. This system is successful
passenger knows the streets well
enough to know where to dismount, but
at night and to strangers proves
troublesome. Yesterday several passen-
gers who desired to get off at the
Arcade station were carried by because
they did not understand how to stop
the cars.
AS yesterdays run was in the nature
of an experiment it is probable that a
number of these bad features will be
eliminated as soon as discovered by the
railroad company.
Forty more cars are now being rebuilt
in the Los Angeles shops into pay as
you enter cars, and these, as soon as
completed, will be put into operation
on the Pico heights and Hooper avenue
lines. In time all the Los Angeles COM
pany's cars will be of this new type, as
in the future all cars sent to the shops
for extensive repairs will be built over
into the pay as you enter" kind.