The Monte Vista journal., 1911-04-15
HOW THE RAILWAY
TELEPHONE IS TAKING
PLACE OF TELEGRAPH
An Improvement in Train Dispatchins
Methods that Means Greater
Economy and Safety


railroads equipped some OF its
trains with portable telephone sets.
These are telephones encased in
boxes convenient for carrying
about, and with the aid Of one Of
these the conductor is able to get
into, communication with the rest
of the world at any point along the
road, no matter how isolated it may
be.
A number OF the conductors who
had had experiences with the ad-
vantages of these handy little in
struments requested that they be
allowed to purchase portable tele-
phones for their own use, paying
for them out Of their own pockets.
This was q rather unusual request,
but it shows the popularity OF this
modern dispatching method among
railroad men.
Dispatching trains is without
doubt one OF the most important
OF the many problems of railroad
ing. Ever since the day when u
man ran ahead of the train with a
flag, the telegraph has been linked
with train dispatching. To become
a railroad man usually meant first
to become a telegraph operator.
The regulation Of traffic and the
safety of many thousands Di lives
depend upon the dispatcher, who
must work hard and think quickly
while the messages pour in and out
OF his little office. Until very re-
Gently the telegraph key was al
ways at the hand of the dispatcher.
But in the past few years all this
has been changed. Railroad man.
ayers have turned to the telephone
for this work because of its econ
cmy, safety and convenience. To
the most inexperienced layman il
will become evident that a spoken
message is likely to be Of greater
value than one translated into dots
and dashes.
The first installation OF up-to-
date telephone apparatus for rail-
way train dispatching was in 1897.
Not only since then but also pre-.
vious to that date, when the equip
ment had not reached its present
state Of perfection, not 4 single
accident has been reported result
ing from the use Of the telephone.
The apparatus employed for tele-
phone train dispatching is simple
and substantial. In practically oil
cases = heavy copper line, consist
ing Of two copper wires weighing
40 pounds per mile, 10 installed,
and upon this are connected a.
many way stations rs desired. At
each station il \ device known ~
q selecter, which permits the dis
patcher to call that station and
ring the bell as long as he pieases
with single motion and without
calling any other station on the line
He 10 also given signal when the
bells ring, SO that he is At all times
informed whether any station il
out Of order
The scheme permits of the install
lation Of siding telephones at water
tanks. drawbridEcs, sidinEs, shops.
round houses and such other places
along the line, so that train crews
and others can get into direc: COM
munication with the dispatcher nj
all these points. In addition, port
able telephone sets are coming into
extensive use not only on wreckers
but on regular freight and passen-
ger trains n well.
The Delaware. Lackawanna and
Western Railroad has installed tel
cphone and selector equipment
over practically its entire System.
A humber Of roads are now using
telephone equipment over moro
than one thousand miles OF track,
including the Atchison, Topeka and
Santa Fc, the Lake Shore and Mich
igan Southern. Pcnnsyivsnia lines
eAst OF Pittsburg, the New York
Central. the "Big Four" the Hin.
ole Central, Canadian Pacific, Chi.
caxo, Milwaukee and 81. Paul sys.
TEN and the Louisville and Nah.
vile. II 70 estimated BY the West
ern Electric Company, which has
supplied over % per cent. OF the
railway telephones now In use In
the United States, that more than