The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-12-01
A GREAT RAILWAY
QUESTION SOLVED
In Making Up Trains that
Garry Thousands into
New York Daily.
palladium Specially

palladium Specially
NEW YORK. Dec. 1.-The problems
of permutations and combinations
which are solved in the Pennsylvania
Railroads new yard at Sunnyside,
Long Island, in making up the trains
that carry thousands Of people from
New York every day, are one OF the
complications of railroading that the
passenger seldom thinks about. And
It Is just as we'll that he does not, for,
unless he be mathematician or an
adept at chess or checkers, consid-
Grafton of the matter would be likely
to result in a headache
Probably most people think train
Is pulled into the yard, cleaned and
inspected, and then pulled out again
for another trip without changing it's
makeup. This would indeed be sim
pie, but the exigencies of the passeng-
er business will permit Of nothing so
easy.
Sixty trains come in, and a like
number go out Of the Sunnyside Yard
every day. Hardly one Of the enter
ing trains can leave without being
broken up. In order to meet the de-
mands of the traffic and keep cars
from lying idle longer than is abso-
lutely necessary, process OF shifting
and changing is constantly in prog
ress. This shifting, or drilling" as
1t Is called, Is like a very complicated
game. The cars are the men and the
vast network Of tracks furnishes the
board on which they are moved about.
Are Thirty-four Tracks.
There are thirty-four tracks in the
yard. 1t is possible to move car
between any two of them, but they
are not all OF equally easy access, one
to the other. Not much time is con-
sumed In moving car from track No.
"a to track No. %, but it is necessary
to run half mile around the loop
that connects the yards with the sta
ton In New York in order to shift
car from track No. l to track No. "a.
This is because all numbers from rs to
"a are on the same lead" which
means that they are connected direct
ly to one track. This lead is in turn
connected to all the other leads, but
in order to permit freedom of move
ment the connections are situated
farther away from the throat" of the
yard. where the tracks merge rapidly.
When a train leaves Pennsylvania
station in New York for the yard, no.
LITIGATION Is sent to the man in charge
OF the signal tower at its entrance.
He sends word to the yardmaster,
who tells him what track is clear for
the incoming train. The switches are
worked by electricity from the tower,
80 that the signalman there shunts
the train to the right track.
The yardmaster knows what cars
are in each train and in what order
they are standing. He Is thus in
position to direct the shifting of these
cars by simply designating the num-
Der Of the car, counting from the head
Of the train, and the number Of the
track on which it is to be placed.
How They Are Divided.
Suppose there are a string of six
to be redistributed. The yardmaster
gives orders to divide them between
certain tracks. II a mistake is made
with one car 1t is likely to throw out
all the rest, and cause lot OF delay
and extra work. The man in charge
must keep tab on about 400 cars in
bound and 400 outbound per day, and
must have them lined up on the differ
ent tracks so that they can be quickly
put into service when required. One
car out of place may cause endless
trouble and each move must be con-
sidered carefully before it is made.
There are about one thousand men
at work in Sunnyside Yard. Half Of
these are inspectors. electricians, re-
pairmen, and cleaners. who are con-
stantly busy on the cars. When a
train comes in it is Immediately in
spected, and the orders of the inspect
or, II he finds anything out Of repair,
cannot be countersigned by anybody.
II he writes SHOP" on car. it goes
to the shop and no shortage would be
considered serious enough to demand
its use until it had been repaired.
When men are working on car,
they put up a flag at each end OF the
track on which this car and others
stand. and the car cannot be moved
until the man who put up the flag
takes it down. Rules like this are
necessary to the safety Of employees
and public, but they add to the COM
plications which confront the men di-
recting the moves in the game OF max
ing up trains.
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