Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-04-25
READING SHOPS
WORK OVERTIME
New System to Help Uncle
Sam Now in Operation;
Big Engines Help

Reading, April 25.-The 2, 400 men
employed at the Reading Railways
Company's locomotive shop are now
on a 65-hour schedule. This means
ten hours more than they have been
working The fact that the Reading
Company is hard pressed for motive
power rendered the longer hours ao-
solutely necessary.
Heretofore the men worked 30
hours q week, five days of 10 hours
and five hours on Saturdays. On the
new schedule they will work five days
of IL hours and 80 minutes, starting
at Z a. m. and quitting at 7.30 p. M,
and on Saturdays Z 1-2 hours, stop
ping at $50 p. IN. This means larger
pay checks for all concerned. One
hour is allowed for dinner.
With the additional ten hours add
ed it is believed that the mechanics
will be able to keep up with the
work. During a portion of the win
ter the officials had some difficulty
with the power and some days the
men were idle for several hours.
Electric Power Plant
This trouble has now been RENE
died and in the event of a shortage
of electric power from the company 5
plant, all that is necessary will be
to turn a switch and there will be
an abundance of it, the extra supply
being furnished from the West Read
ing plant of the Metropolitan Edison
Company.
Experts who have visited the
Reading shop declare that it is one
of the best equipped in Eastern
Pennsylvania, and when installed
cost nearly $1,000,00O. There are few
machines employed there that are
not up to date in every particular.
While it required several meetings
between the employees and govern
ment officials before an agreement
was reached as to the extra hours
of employment, it was not because
of lack of appreciation on the part
of the men that extra time was
necessary. The principal hitch was
because they were asked to work 7C
hours, which they thought was toe
long and a compromise on 60 hour:
followed.
Big Engines Help
Last winter was a very hard one
on machinery, and had it not beer
for the thirty Russian locomotives
that were turned over to the com
pany, the officials would have beer
badly handicapped in the handling
of the traffic. There were times wher
1t required the closest kind of cal
culating on the part of the road fore
men of engines to meet the condi
tions.
Since the mild weather set in con
ditions have greatly improved, bu
the traffic has also increased anC
some of the passenger locomotive
are still being used in the loca
freight service. Some of these loco
motives belong to the seashore roads
and during previous years were hous
ed during the winter.
In the past year the company bull
ten modern shifting engines at thu
local shops, besides rebuilding anC
overhauling locomotives of various
classes. The men are now working OIL
five Pacific type passenger locomo
tives, all of which will be completed
before the seashore travel gets in full
swing.
More than year ago the Reading
Company placed a large order a
Baldwins for thirty heavy locomo
tives, but this order was held up oil
account of the war, but, it is under
stood that they will be delivered
shortly. This addition of motive pow
er will place the Reading in goot
shape.
Many of the locomotives employed
on the Reading railway system hav,
seen hard service, and q good man.
of them are worn out. 1t is said tina
there are some that have been doini
service for more than thirty years.