Evening journal., 1915-04-21
PENNSY WILL Teach
BY MOTION PICTURES
Experimental instruction
Car Equipped for
Purpose
TECHNICAL
SUBJECTS TREATED

The Pennsylvania railroad as a
means Of promoting greater efficiency,
and for the education of its employees,
has equipped an experimental instruc-
ton car and will give demonstrations
of practical railroading by means of
motion pictures. The work has been
started under the direction of G. l..
Carrod. Regular trips will be made
over the Pennsylvania system with
the instruction car.
The motion pictures have been used
to show safety methods in the Safety
first" campaign. but have not been
recognized universally as factor in
instruction on technical subjects
While the films. which have been
made, are for the signal department
the making of films for other depart
ments is contemplated. Il is the idea
10 show methods of construction and
maintenance, which will be of partic-
ular value where foreign labor Is em-
plOyed. To examine engineers on sig
nails by showing them a motion pic
ture taken from the front of a train,
over the road which they are familiar,
seems the most logical method avail
able. The time element involved in
the quickness of decision can he OBJ
tained as we'll as accuracy of vision,
/ together with what aspect the engi-
neer would expect to receive on arriy-
ing at the next signal, il is said
It is possible by this method. it is
claimed, to reproduce on the screen
all types of apparatus in use. show
| ing the various consecutive functions
I necessary to obtain certain end. AS
an illustration, there are a certain
number of definite operations to cause
signal to change from one position
to another. By means of the motion
| picture each movement is shown in
1 its logical order and in such a way
/ that the cycle is complete and readily
understood by the student. In con-
nectiOn with such a picture story, the
analysis OF a circuit plan is at once
\ seen to be related to such operating
conditions as make il necessary. Eli
cient use can also be made of the mo-
ton picture in the anlysis of motion
studies. such as determining the ac-
/ tiDn Ol iaAA JULIUS NdiAohr
traffic conditions with different road
beds and splice bars.
1, Railroad employees are of necessity
located at widely different points and
y I'm order TO acquaint them with vari-
, Gus types of apparatus and to show
standard methods of construction
the motion picture car offered an
ideal solution. To have the actua
apparatus for instruction purposes il
not only expensive but would require
IA permanent location.
Films have been made to show tn
operations in detail, Of various signal
mechanisms, the handling of tools
and such electrical work as the righ
and wrong ways Of moving insulation
from wire.
The car equipped to show the mo
ton pictures was formerly a passen
ger car having an inside length o
"A feet. The screen is mounted on
spring roller and allows the size o
the projected picture to be 5x6 feet
The machine and screen are portabl,
and so arranged as TO be readily re
moved from the car and set up il
any hall where the machine uses z
standard size film and is interchange
able to show either slides or motion
pictures and is mounted in the cal
on a raised platform allowing tn,
pictures to be projected over the
heads of a seated audience.