The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-08-04

During the year 1912 there were TO-
AS people killed on American railway
property, 5,449-more than half-werc
trespassers. The greatest problem the
railroad has to solve in its efforts to
conserve life is 40 find ways to protect
those VINO won't protect themselves.
Unfortunately, passengers, trespassers
and employees continue TO take
chances with death, and the railroad is
throwing as many barriers as possible
in the way of their risking their own
lives. as well as the lives of Others.
Surprise Tests.
Employees who knowingly t1ke
chances of injuri--g or endangeTing
either themselves or their fellows are
disciplined now. even though no NJ is
surt. To get at such cases. surprise
tests of obedience to rules are c.H-
. Quoted among all classes of employees
These are held at unexpected times
and under unusual conditions. so that
| they reveal just to what extent rules
are broken and risks taken.
/ It is further TO insure the safety of
J employees and the public that these
] tests are conducted. If the lives and
Z limbs of passengers and employees
are to be protected, every employee
/ who has anything to do with shop
( practice. with maintenance Of way. or
/ WITH Operation OF trains, must refrain
I from violating r'l;@s, or eVeii taking
( chances Of accidents. These tests are
| Trackmen, station men, trainmen and
| clerks are all checked up with a view
I to adding every possible precaution
| against accident. while at the same
| time improving the efficiency of opera
| ton
The new block signals are probably
| foremost of importance of all safety
devices now being used The union
station at Washington, D. C. has one
OF the most nearly perfect systems in
this country-which means the world
With this service more thOn 100 men
are kept busy controlling train move
ments- These signals. mounted on /
| briGge-ike framework expand the en-
tire width of the track yards Arms
slanted at different angles with vary
ing cOlorS of lights indicate the pro-
greSs OF every incoming and outgoing
train Sections of track are, in other
words. shown on the chart board. As
a train enters the station yards a liz /
tie machine in the central signal tower
tells of its progress Then the Illus I
tration of the track on which the !
train destined to enter the station +
grows dark. little by little. until the /
train is al rest in the station Then /
the chart is lighted again, and another |
train is awaited
Two Sets of Levers.
There are two sets of levers used in :
the tower. The upper is for the sema- ;
phore signals placed at intervals along
the tracks; the lower Is for switches. g
When the switch lever is thrown prop
erly, the signal-lever may be so
moved TO tell the engineer of an ap-
preaching train that he may proceed
After the signal lever has been moved,
II is impossible to move the switch
lever until the train has passed over
that section of track. unless resort is
made to an appliance occupying a cor
ner of table. and looking very much
like a one pound tobacco jar. This
apparatus is for use in emergencies,
-
of a train as il approaches a switch.
So that there may be plenty of time to
consider the advisa bility of the
change, the apparatus, which is wound
up like clock, is regulated SO that it
takes two and one-haIf minutes to run
down. This allows ample time to set
danger signals for the engineer of the
train whose course is to be changed;
for the switch may not be moved I'M
til the machine has stopped running
Another device for determining the
progress of trains and informing
switchmen of the condition of traffic,
is a miniature Semaphoro system.
This. consisting of a series of little
semaphore arms enclosed in glass
cases. tell the progress of a train and
shows at the same time just what sec
tons of track in front of the train are
occupied. The first disc has a small
center of black This changes to red
when a train enters the city. AS the
train comes toward the station the
SSmapnOr6 arms snow Dy eI6NdClnS 10
an angle of Is degrees the sections
that are clear.
Still another interesting new device
just adopted is the one to start trains.
It is a small glass case containing
two lights. or rather two opaque glass
panes. through which shines different
colOred lights 1t is located about a
train length from the passenger gates.
One minute before train time the CON-
dIctor inserts A key in the case and
lights the upper light. This is a signal
to the gateman and the operator in
the central signal tower. When the
operator has signalled that the switch
eS have been thrown and the next
section of track is clear, the gateman
may insert a key in n similar case
separate the concourse and the train
shed. The g2teman lights the tower
light, which is a signal to the conduc-
tor that he may start, and to the
that the train is about to
thread its way through the yards to
the straight tracks
Signal Box-191 Levers.
The sgnaI box in the central tower .
of Washington's station contains 1911
levers, constituting the largest inter
locking frame in this country. except
the one in St. Louis, which is anti
quated. Two or three men are kept
busy attending to levers. There are
about ten men in this tower. all of
them very busy at all hours of day
and night. incidentally. there are six
OF transmitting messages 4
from the tower-by telegraph. tele- l
phone, automatic push buttons which
convey certain messages, negaphone, |
(such as is used to an
nounce trains). and telautOgraph. this
last ena bling an operator TO transmit
written messages on the transmitting
board. The message will be carried,
n