Imperial Valley press., 1913-10-14
Haskin Letters
Preventing Train Wrecks-ll. Block
Signals and Automatic Stops
tBy Frederic ]. Haskin)

trains against wrecks, It finds on the
market a great many devices which
are supposed to almost wholly elm
( mate the danger Of serious wrecks.
The block signal system for years
has geen regarded as the best protet-
ton that experience could provide
and vet. the best block signal system
that the signal manufacturers of the
United States have offered the rall-
roads has not overcome the personal
equation in train operation.
Some 10000 miles of railroad line
in the United States are now operated
by block systems, two-thirds of it un'
der the manual" block and one-third
under the automatic" block. 1t is
agreed that the automatic" system
is superior to the manual system
ard yet. under present conditions,
even it has not entirely put an end
to wrecks, since dispatchers and tele-
graph operators are still liable TO
make mistakes. and since train men
are still at times either forgetful or
careless of their orders.
The desire on every hand has been
to find a system that will make it i'm
possible for train to be moved con-
trary to orders. Many kinds of auto
matte stops have been brought ou;.
But an automatic stop which will not
stop train against its own defects,
as we'll as to warn the engineer of
other occasions for stopping, is more
Of a menace than an advantage. For
instance, if an automatic stop is sup
posed to be set, and it proves not to
be. its failure might result in worse
wreck than it was intended to pra-
vent. The engineer, finding no 90
structing device in his way. might as
sume that the road was clear ahead
and rush on to certain disaster. The
ideal train stop, therefore, must be
one which. when out Of order, will se
in position to stop a aatn. It must
ds.ae. ales o#u failure. as we'll Is to
warn e operating conditions that r.
oaire q train to come to q standstiiL
When the block signal and train
control board Of the interstate com
meree commission made its invesli-
cations ard drew It's conclusions, it
laid down as the one absolute neces-
sitv of a safe train stop that it shou d
be 50 designed that the breakage or
removal Of the stop from the road
side should cause an application OF
the brakes. In one apparatus Of this
kind this object is accomplished hy
having a rigid member so securely
fastened to the track as to be as llttie
susceptible to breakage or removal as
the rail itself. This rigid member
comes in contact with lever on tho
engine, which causes the valve Of the
air brakes to be opened, and, when
in normal position, it strikes this
lever on every train that passes. 1t
is in this position at the entrance OF
train to each block, if the signals
are set at stop" or if the block SEE
ton is obstructed. If, however, the
fixed signal is set at proceed oT
the route is clear, the movable road
side member goes into operation in
way to strike another lever so as 70
close the valves of the air brakes and
thus nullifes it's action in striking
the former lever, In this way it is
operated every time a train passes,
and, therefore, must always be kept
in condition.
Most automatic train stops are only
operated when an emergency stop IS
made, or when periodically tested and
are thus more in the category of life
preserves and fire extinguishers-
used only in emergencies and, there
fore, not likely always to be in opere:-
Ag condition.
one Of the most extensive efforts
in the perfection Of an automatic
-a.o control system that has been
Do being worked out by an in
o..or Of Sydney, Australia. lie
bought piece Of old disuaed railroad
d Ia.d two miles Of new track on it.
H- then bought two engines. Laying
.tr the two miles Of track into thrc
.oa ne proceeded 70 por his sy5
al 70 the test. lie has an arrange
as whereby he can not only stop
train, but which permits him 70
.Hoa between the trains which ne
sid. oeruit to enter block at either
end ~ q system Of electric wiring
aad d system Of third rails, he can
communicate from the signal tower to
the engine cab, and there tell the en-
gineer both by visual and audible sig