Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1912-01-04
, GREAT PROGRESS IN
, RAILWAY SIGNALLING /,
0NN04VN~NNNN0~,
tRallway Ago.G azettel

emember, now represents the mile
axe OF railways In the United States
equipped with automatic block sig
nails, al increase of over 60 per cent
IN three years We are unable to give
complete and exact figures for January
/, 1912, because OF the difficulty OF
getting responses from some OF the
railways: but our table gives a pretty
fair idea OF the situation. neverthc-
less The great bulk o. the more im-
portant railway mileage of the coun-
try now has tho block system In one
form or another, and the yearly in
crease In the manual system IL small
or negative. On some roads there Is
In decrease, autOmatics having been
substituted for the manual system.
One road reduces the total OF our ta-
Bile 250 miles by Withdrawing errone-
GUS figures furnished a year ago. The
use of autOmatics on single track
continues to spread and the mileage
IL again nearly MS large as that on
double track The Union and South
crn pacislc, taken together, continue
10 furnish the lurgost item, these two
with their controlled lines now re-
porting tinclading a considerable
amount Of double track over $500
miles of road equipped with automatic
signals. The Boston q Maine and
Us controlled lire the Main Central:
the Chicago. Milwaukee & Puget
Sound, the Illinois Traction Electric
line, aud the st. Louis a San Francis
co each report large automatic sin
gle track mileage; and this use Of
automatic signals seems now 10 be
so extensively favored that the adop-
ton OF the Idea by additional roads
may be looked upon as assured.
While the progress shown by the
foregoing figures is not so great as
could have been hoped for, Etill much
has occurred IN the field OF work OF
the signal engineer which shows con-
siderable development Tho use OF
automatic signals on single track, as
here noted, the use OF green lights for
the proceed indication and the intro
duction OF upper quadrant signaling,
have progressed steadily: and the use
of power-Operate signals at mochan-
ical interlocking plants has made this
type of interlOcklng available for a
greater variety OF conditions.
The Pennsylvania terminal in New
York, and the North Western termin-
Z al In Chicago, both representing high
~ intensive handling OF terminal op.
eratlons, exempiify also the most in
tensive application of power interloek-
mg, In these plants the switches ana
signals and their Operatlons--whleh
now constitute a vital element in all
large statlOns--seem, from the stand
point Of safety. 10 have been brought
well nigh to the highest attainable
perfection.
The engineering side Of signaling
has Witnessed some notable develop
ments, particularly In alternating cur
rent apparatus; and the application Of
this 10 certain operating conditions
has in turn shown economies In main
tennnce which have attracted consid-
cradle attention.
Two or three automatic train stops
have been tested during the year, and
railway officers are perhaps more ia
vorahly inclined toward this device;
but progress Is slow and any appre-
c;abie activity on the part OF the rail-
ways In this field is still In the future
AZ TO the enforcement Of the block
system by legislation. Indiana has
strengthened it's law, and two or three
other states, having statutes on this
subject, have been watching Indiana.
though no important action has been
taken, Considerable public attention
has been attracted toward the means
which railways use 10 secure safety
In travel and the Interstate commerce
commission has repeated its recon-
mendation for q federal law but there
is no sign that congress Intends 10
take any action. The Indiana COM
mission, acting under It's new law. has
negotiated with the roads on a basis
generally reasonable, and Ia some
cases the roads have agreed 10 put
N automatic signals when the law
would have been satisfied with a less
complete System A few electric In
terurban lines nov have automatic
track circuit block signals. and the
successful use of lights az signals, In
place Of somaphGres, under favorable
conditions, seem likely 10 make for
substantial progress.
Rapid Developments IN the apple
cation OF alternating current have
contributed greatly to the solution Of
the problem OF signaling on electric
railways ami more specific data Is be
! ing worked up by a committee OF the
Electric Railway association.
The importance OF signaling In the
most Intensive situations. Ia which all
other methods OF Improvement have
been exhausted, has a notable exam
/ pie In the signaling of the INTERIOR
ough subway IN New York. The
"time-speed" signaling which has been
brought TO It's completion during the
year In the subway has made possible
the running of trains closer together
AT Intervals even shorter than the
length OF the station platform which
has resulted In an increase OF NJ per
cent IN the number OF passengers car
lried As these average ip the busy
season over a mlh1on q day the mag
nitnde of the increase brought about
by the signal system affords a re-
markable tribute 10 the signal engi'
luecf
The art OF signaling suffers mol
'only from the drawbacks inseparahl'