The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1910-10-13
GEORGIA RAILROAD
INSTALLS TELEPHONE

The first step in the south of a
movement which is gradually spread
ing over the country today has re-
Gently been accomplished on the
Georgia railroad. Telephone equip
ment has been installed over prac-
tically the whole OF this road TO re-
place the familiar telegraph for train
dispatehing.
The line from Augusta TO Atlanta,
a distance Of III miles. is equipped
with Is regular stations and sid
ing telephones. The line from Camak
TO Macon. a distance OF "a miles, is
equipped with 20 regular stations.
A heavy copper telephone circuit
OF wire Weighing 2lO pounds to the
mile is installed. and over this the
trainmen and operators obtain a
grade Of transmission of speech which
is even superior 70 that given on com
mereial long distance connections.
The operation Of a telephone cir
cult OF this character Is most inter-
esting. since II Is something novel.
The dispatcher has in front 81 him a
KEY cabinet which contains one key
for every way station over the circuit.
When he wishes TO call a way station.
the corresponding key is turned and
this sends out the proper signaling
current over the circuit
These impulses operate a device
known as a selectoT az the way sta
ton called and the operation Of this
piece Of apparatus rings the telephone
bell at the station. No other bell on
the circuit Is signalled except that
particular one.
When the bell at the way stations
ring, Il sends back a distinctive sound
over the telephone circuit that in
forms the dispatcher that II is ring
ing. In this way Il Is impossible for
the operators 70 say that the bell did
not ring. since the dispatcher is
aware Of this as well as they are.
This Is known as an "answerback."
The way stations on the Georgia
railroad are equipped with nexi-
phones, convenient design a. tele-
phone arm which permite the instru-
ment 70 BE- swung back against the
wall or rotated in vertical and hori-
zontal planes. Test boards are located
at regular intervals along the fne to
enable al the ordinary tests usually
made on circuit OF this character
70 be accomplished.
The telephone method Of handling
train movements Is Installed on about
10000 miles 81 railroad in the
United States and is rapidly spread
Ing. Il has been found 10 be abso-
lutely safe. as well rs much quicker
than the telegraph. The ability OF
anyone 20 receive messages trananIt-
ted In this fashion is a strong adyan-
tage. The use Of portable telephone
sets on trains forms q feature which
Is rapidly becoming Invaluable TO the
operating railroad man.
The telephone equipment which iias
been installed On the Gorgla railroad
was purchased from the Western
Electric company. which has supplied
over ~ per cent of this type n APP
paratus nov ID use il the United
States.
II IL expected that the Georgia H.
siallaiion viii b. followed IN the near
future By similar equipments on 9TH
er prominent southern roads, several
Of which are az present giving The
matter actlfe consideration. This
equipment Is already IN service on The
Chesapeake & ohio. Norfolk and
Western, Southern, SeaboaYd Air
Line. Atlantic Coast Line. the Rich.
mond. Fredericksburg and Potomac
and the Louisville and Nashville
railroads. It's use Is being extended
on practically eyory one of these