The Washington herald., 1913-07-27
LATEST INVENTIONS IN RAILWAY SAFETY
DEVICES FOR USE AT UNION STATION
Illuminated Chart Shows the
Progress Of Trains Enter
ing or Leaving Washington.
lnterlockins System Re-
qures 3,500,000 Feet Of
Electric Wires.
BY C. M. M,cANN, JR.

The next time you. Mrs. Miss, or Mr.. G.
Reader, hear the wheels of a Pullman
clicking over the switches at Union Sta
ton, look around carefully and try to
find some safety devices, which are put
there for your benefit. Look carefully,
apd you will find the things hereinafter
mentioned. II you look thoroughly. you
will need to stop several times during
your search to have the seams let out or
your gown. or the buttons reset on your
vest, as the case may be.
Suppose you know some bank president,
who also Is a director in a railroad COM
pany, or that you are newspaper re-
porter, who has been directed to prose-
y cute a search for safety-device methods.
You may be able to persuade an official
that you would value properly trip
through the yards. Since We have sup
posed this far without becoming entire
ly imaginative. let US suppose further
that you made an appointment for an
early hour some summer morning. This
is what will happen:
You enter the Offices at Union Station,
concealing, perhaps. delicately, a series
of yawns You introduce yourself, and
add that you have come to master the
details of train operations.
Have you plenty Of timer Will be
asked.
Plenty is not very definite" you re-
ply.
well, I have been railroading thirty
years, and
"oh, 1 don't mean that way" you in
terrupt hastily. II have four hours to
devote to the search"
In that case, it would be well for you
to prepare. You might start on the
books in that case over there in the
corner When you have finished
You have been reduced to a pulp. You
seem to find your chair growing larger,
and involuntarily you clutch at a table
TO keep from getting into deep water,
for YOU seem to be floating. You mop
your brow.
Devices Are Pointed Out.
At this point, pity is taken for you.
Your interviewer probably will delegate
someone to show you around.
From this point, your trip must be de-
scribed as you would tell 1t after you
were released by the gentleman who TO-
two hours had been bonbarding your
brain with technical phrases which
seemed as formidable as torpedoes. You
will say to your friends:
Nv guide seemed to live railroad. He
talked in terms which, try as he might
TO simplify them. fairly reeked OF years
of experience. The trip started when he
unlocked the gates leading to trains. We
went first to an Office where the move
ments of trains to and from the SoutI
are controlled.
The first thing I noticed was huge
board that looked like a picture. in colors
of part of the tracks. This my GUIDE
called an illuminated chart. As / was
looking at IL, trying to decipher its mean
ing. a section of one track became DARK
Then 1t was explained that the chart
shows the progress of every Soutnerr
train entering or leaving washington
that is, the trains of about four r'adf
Sections of track are shown on the
hoard. As the train enters washington
and starts through the mile-long tunnel
into the station there are about seven
distinct Clicks" in the ONCE. Eacn
sound is caused by some machine Tor
telling the progress OF trains Ihen tne
Illustration of the track on Whlch the
train is destined to enter the stauoh
grows dark. little by little, until the tram
Is at rest in the station. Then the chaft Is
lighted again, and another tram Is
awaited.
Levers Throw Switches.
While I was watching the chart sa';
out of the corner of my eye several quiet
men, most of them smoking piPes-ho
cigarette but mine was in sight, by the
way. during the trip-manipulatlns
levers that prOtruded from the iroHt oL
big g,ass case that looked something like
he old-fashioned show cases formerly
used in confectionery stores. The levers,
{ learned, threw the switches on the
racks used by Southern trains and
,perated signals which tell engineers
: neither they may proceed.
There are two sets of levers Tn.
pper is for the semaphore signals
Iaced at intervals along the tracks; the
,wer is for switches. When the switch
ever is thrown properly, the signal lever
may be so moved as to tell the enginee-
Of an approaching train that he may
proceed. After the signal lever has been
moved, it is impossible to move the
switch lever until the train has passed
ever that section of track, unless resort
Is made TO an appliance occupying
corner of a table, md looking very much
like a one-pound tobacco jar. This ar-
paratus is for use in emergencies, when
il is desired to change the course OF p
train as it approaches switch. So
that there may be plenty of time to
consider the advisability of the, change.
the apparatus, which is wound up like a |
clock. is regulated so that IL takes two !