Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1912-11-29
FACTS ABOUT RAILROAD 0VER-PASS
MISUNDERSTANDING Legislature Partly Responsible for Defeat Of
BII-Great Disappointment in Brattleboro

tirely feasible to have the platform raised
to the lev of the car steps. This would
add to safety, because it would make It
easier to get on and off the trains, and
much less danger of accidents to pas
sengers and employees at the station, 1t
Is safe to say that the safety which this
would insure would far outweigh any ad-
ditional danger to trainmen by the 49,
foot over pass. The raised pla tform can
not possibly be used II we are compelled
to have the over-pass 20 feet, because
it makes the steps too long and the COM
plications too many in getting up on the
overpass and down to the platform.
The committee then considered the
question of what would be the additional
peril to railroad trainmen If the height
OF the over-pass were made IS feet IL
seemed to be understood in the debate
In the legislatur, that there were only
three or four over-passes or tunnels
where the clearance was less than %
feet In the state. That is far from the
truth. There are 16 overhead highway
bridges on the Rutland railroad with
less than % feet clearance, aside from
the two in Middebury which are ex-
pressly exempt by statute There are IL
over-passes upon the Boston & Maine
lines in Vermont with less than % feet
clearance There are eight over-pa sses
over the Central Vermont in Vermont
which are IS feet or less in clearance
The Bellows Falls tunnel has clearance
of about 16 feet only. The law OF New
Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut
and New York requires a clearance OF
only Is feet, and most of the ver-passCs
in those states are not over 18 feet. Be-
tween South Vernon and Springfield
Mass, there are IL over-passes on the
Boston & Maine line less than % feet,
and two are less than IS feet. Between
Brattleboro and New London, on the
Central Vermont there
passes which are IS feet or less in clear
ance.
'The Vermont law making it % feet
was passed in 1904. There are compare
lively few over-passes in Vermont which
are % feet in clearance Moreover, the
committee found that very few acei-
dents happen to trainmen from the over
head bridges of Is feet or less. Within
the last five years, we are told, there
has not been an accident of the kind on
the Boston & Maine road, nor the Rut-
land road.
During the same period there have been
many accidents in this state, and some
of them fatal, at station platforms and
| to persons crossing the tracks at stations
| to go to trains, and numerous accidents
all over New England at places where
| long starways have to be used. 1t
seemed to the committee upon its con-
| sideration of all these things that the
|
| was very slight, so far as the 1S-foot
| over-pass Is concerned, as compared to
| the additional peril to the public, both on
the highway and at the station, IL the
| over-pass were made % feet. The bal
| ance Of safety was overwhelmingly in
| favor of the 1S-foot over-pass. There
was, too, the added consideration that
/ traffic could be handled so much better
| If the grade were reduced, and that the
Boston & Maine freight yards east OF
| the station could be so much more easily
| reached"
1t was said in the debate in the House
| of Representatives. that the rule Of the
| Boston & Maine road provided that
| freight trainmen must stand on top OF
| the trains approa ching the station, and
| that therefore the breakmen would have
to stand on top of the cars in going
under this over-pass, but this is a mis-
take. The rule on the Boston Maine
road. we are told, is that Freight train
men must be in proper position on top
of the train in approaching yard limits
| and other points where the train Is re-
quired to stop" The yard limits are
nearly a mile north of this crossing, and
on the south are nearly two miles away.
| The passenger station is no stopping
place for the freight trains; the freight
stations will be located long distance
| below so there Is no rule of the Boston
& Maine road requiring the trainmen to
| be on top of the cars in going under
this over-pass. 1t is required that train
men stand on top of the train going
across grade crossings, but the grade
crossings will be abolished by the over
pass. The Central Vermont rule is sub
stantially the same, but it adds: Train
men will not be required to ride on top
of trains unless it is necessary for SAFE
ty."
The effort of our committee has been
to make things safe, and this town ap-
propriated $45, 900 in, order that the over
pass, street and depot approaches might
be made the safest possible.
1t also was suggested in the debate
in the House that some one had been
injured at the Waterbury over-pass. We
We have investigated this. and our In
formation is that nobody ever has been
injured there since the new 1S-foot over
pass was put in There was someone
injured there years ago on the old bridge.
1t is too bad that this wrong has been
inflicted upon Brattleboro, although 1t
has not been done Intentionally, but
rather through a misapprehension OF the
true situation.