Norwich bulletin., 1916-05-08
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
What the New Haven Road Has Done
 and Is Doing.

MT. Editor:-I have read with a good deal of interest your editorials of recent date as to the Milford and formation let me state that the New Haven road has already spent $2.66S,- 900 on signals and is to spend more when it can get the money; and MT Elliott is doing everything possible that a human being can do to make this road safe one in every partic- -ular These signals are the most mod ern and up-to-date type.
 Since September 1, 1913, the day MT. Elliott took charge, the company has expended over $6,000, 900 for new steel equipment and has authorized ex- penditures for additional equipment of over $4, 800, 900. The total amount in- volved in new steel equipment and other facilities ordered and authoriz- ed from September 1. 1913 to Decem- Der 31, 1915 was S1O, 5OO,O 900. This equipment has been ordered with a view of bringing the facilities of the company up to the standards required by the business of New England Within the next few years the New Haven should spend from $30, 1000, 00O to $50, ,000 900 for additional equipment sidings, terminals etc.
 Since the Bradford accident there has been some comment as to the use of wooden cars. For your information let me state that the New Haven is buying steel cars and steel under frame cars as fast as 1t can get the funds and already the company is op- erating approximately 500 steel cars which is nearly 40 per cent. of the cars in operation. The New Haven has 1 contracted for 100 steel cars a year and as I say, just as fast as the com pany can get the money it is being put T4 aI- S,.krl . E1-. equipment and other modern facilities To equip the entire New Haven sys- tenn with steel cars would cost $23,- 100000.
 For further infornation let me bring to your attention an article pulp lished in the Railway Age Gazette April 21, as follows:
 'tOf 1.094 passenger train cars under construction for the railroads of the United States on January 1, 1916, 1,07s CT 9S.3 per cent, were a1i-stee1, Is, ol Is per cent. were of steel underframe construction, and only three, or 0.2 pen cent, were Of wood, according to 6 complication just made by the spec ia1 Committee on Relations of Rail- way Operation to Legislation, show 1 ing the progress being made in the replacement of wooden cars witt steel
 "of the passenger train cars ac.
 quired in 1915, 1,250 or 73.7 per cent were aIl-steel, $40, or 20.1 per cent. were steel underframe, and only 106 or 6.2 per cent, were wood, while oi the 61,72S passenger train cars in ser. vice on December 31, 1915, 14.2S6 were all-steel, 6,060 were steel underfrarnC and 41,3s2 were wood.
 The rapidity with which wooder
 cars are being replaced by steel in in. dicated by a table in the committee't
 bulletin showing that of the cars ac' q11ired in each of the last seven years the proportion of aIl-steel cars hal 1 increased from 26 per cent. in 1909 tt | 73.7 per cent. in 1915, while the per.
 centage of wooden cars acquired ha:
 decreased from 51.4 in 1909 to o.2 1T 1916.
 HThe number of wooden cars in ser. l vice on January was 41,322 indicat. 1 ing the retirement from service o. 1 6,744 wooden cars in three years. O. l these 2,130 were retired in 1915. TS replace the 41,38z wooden cars witt steel the connittee estimates wonIt l cost $52s,7s7.10o which would involvl