Evening journal., 1913-02-15
TRAIN STOP
ENDORSED
La Barre Device is Recon-
mended by Train Con-
troll Board
COMPANY WOULD
MAKE DEVICE HERE

The dream of John La Barre, OF
the Automatic Safety Appliance Com
pany, of this city, the inventor OF the
first successful train stopping device,
seems about to be realized and in an
other year Mr.. La Barre may see his
invention In use on every railroad IN
the United States and saving hundr sds
OF lives every year. If put In uso to
this extent the device will also net
him handsome profits that will enable
him to further continue his work on
certain other inventions that may
revolutionize railroading and mark the
greatest step in its advancement since
the invention of the air brake, many
years ago by George Westinghouse,
which made him a millionaire, and
has been Of untold benefit to human
ity.
Several years ago while employed
in the signal department Of the Penn
sylvania Railroad the Idea came to
Mr.. La Barre to invent a train STOP
He worked under the greatest diff
culties on a device that many others
have failed, and last fall had the pleas
ure of seeing his device stop two trains
rushing together at high speed in a
test of his invention on the Pere Mar
quette Railroad, before dozens Of Off
cials Of railroads from all parts of the
country. other tests have been con-
Quoted since then and every one of
them has proven that the device is
practical and the utmost reliance can
be placed in it.
Tho ra In ~fo e -F
trip type. The apparatus consists OF a
roadside device. located to the right of
the track in the direction of traffic,
which engages engine apparatus at
tached to the pilot beam of the loco
motive when a train is to be stopped by
the device. The roadside device may
be operated in the same manner as
switch or a signal In the instala-
tion tested there were two roadside
devices located on adjoining tracks
and working semiautomatically in
connection with the mechanically
operated home signals and track cir
cults The roadside devices differed
only in the operating power employed,
one being operated by electricity and
the other rO-pneumatically.
In the final report of the Block
Signal and Train Control Board to the
Interstate Commerce Commission the
device is discussed at length. The
board summarizes the recommenda-
tions made in its several reports as
follows:
1. The compulsory adoption by all
Interstate railroads of the block sys-
TEN. That system has long since
passed out of the experimental stage.
AS regards the manual block system
this recommendation implies the care
ful selection and thorough training of
the block signalmen and the constant
regular, and thorough inspection Of
signal operation and methods. The
automatic block system must be care
fully and thoroughly installed and
constantly inspected.
g. The development of the auto
matte train stop has proceeded far
enough to warrant the expectation
that by its use greater safety can be
secured in the operation of trains.
Railroads should be given to under
stand that the automatic train stop
must be developed by them as rapidly
as possible.
In reaching its final conclusion on
the device of the company the board
says: Since the tests on the Pere
Marquette Railroad were concluded
many changes in the apparatus em-
ployed in this system have been made;
and while the new parts have been
tried out to some extent in different
demonstrations and apparently all the
faults disclosed in the tests on the Pere
Marquette Railroad have been cor
rected, the new apparatus as a whole
has not been assembled and tested 1t
is the conclusion of the board that
the Calhoun engine valve. as shown in
the demonstration on the Chesapeake
Beach Railroad on October 26, 1911.
and the track device. as shown in the
demonstration on the Pennsylvania
Railroad at Philadelphia on May %,
1912. If properly assembled and oper-
ated, comprise an automatic train-stop
system possessing sufficient merit to
warrant thorough trial under service.
conditions.
On February bill was intro
duced in the Senate of the United
States by Senator A. B. Richardson
making It unlawful after a certain
time which is to be fixed by the inter-
state Commerce Commission for any
railroad to operate in the United
States without eQuipping its system
with the train-stop A. G. Click is
president Of the company. It is the
intention of the company to eventual
~ manufacture the device here.