Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-03-28
EXPERIMENTS MADE IN
CONTROLLING TRAINS
Electric Device Is Tested on Section
Of Chesapeake and Ohio
Railway.
MANY OFFICIALS ARE PRESENT
Fast Passenger and Lengthy Coal
Trains Brought to Full Stop by
Action OF Specinl Shoe on Electric
ally Charged Rail.

( Highly successful tests Of an nu,o.
! matte train control system were made
! yesterday afternoon on the Chesapcak,
ana ONO hallway about ten miles east
! OF Richmond in the presence of Il ,armc
| number OF railroad officials, both hi.h
/ speed passenger. and long heavy ton
mage freight trains being brought, To :,
stop within a short distance from III,
siSnai where the apparatus had been
! Installed.
The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
Company, following it's safety FIRST
measures, tried the automatic controls
with a View of installing them ON iIs
passenger ana heavy coal trains Tho
officials were we'll pleased with The
operation of the control system. 4
iina, trial Of the system with II train
OF 100 empty box cars. which eng in.rrs
say is The Severest test tn. apparn
tus could bc pu, 20. will be made to-
morrow afternoon
The operation Of the control system
| is simple and easy of operatjon CON
SistinE OF ramp rail which is l,id
about i,''"" feet in advance OF the sir-
! i'ti on on" s'd' OF the track, and an
automatic stop valve on the engine
which controls the air brakes. tlircc,
MS apparatus is controlled hv means
o. *hoc located on the tender trucks
| through which electric circuits con-
trolling the stop valve mass
no PASSENGERS AND EQUIpuENr
When shoe engages a ramn r,iI
! "hicS Is about eight feet lonr ,ho
! hormai circuit ON III. engine * in
I isrruptod. and = substitute ci-cuit is
ri.k"" up from the ramp rail 10 pre-
ncnl N" operation OF the air-brakcs
mas would indicate a clear track
should N" signal towards which tho
"nein" is running h. one o: danger
thor" Will hs no chrrcut in the rail
and wren the shoe engages this rail
the circuit on She engine will ne in
tn" air-brallT VII, hc applied, since
there will II" no current to hold them
cnere,zed
The operation of this automatic s,op
e'NeS positiN" application OF The
bra kcs, tut does not operate in tn,
onS' Scht! position. lnsurinS q smooth
and desirable stop.
The ramp rail consists nf q struc-
;nrai st"e! ~ section supported on
''mbcrs located at = distance from, the
. track :" meet ;il clcarauccs. and OF
sufficient height above the rail TO
, make positive the operation OF tho shoe
IN passing owe" ~. Tho circuits con-
Trolling this RAMP raj! arc so arrauc-
G" "a I" insure positive operation
should the signal show tho crack is
clear. APPARATUS on the engines is so
I :. lrati-"t rs {" make il necessary ihit
NIL 'IaIrs br brought to a dead stop
before releasing the brakes. afordinE
! protection 10 the equipment
! The tests wc"" made OF the system
/ Of train control worked out by the
! American Train Control COMPANY. OF
baltimore. anal which has ecen in
operation for nearly three years on
tho lines of thc Maryland and Penn
s:iyania Hailroud between Baltimore
ana Eudowood. "a Engineers OF the
com pany worked for several weeks IN
sialliu@ tn" apparatus on the engines
aud ~ signal no 80 81 the chesapcak 9
and Oni", which H. about on" and one
half miles cast Of Poplar springs