The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-11-11
HELPS IN GRANITE SHIPMENT.
More of Standard Type of Freight Cars
Can Be Used in Bringing Stock.


A discovery Of inestimabIe value was
made in the past two weeks by group
Of mechanical experts, summoned here
at the suggestion OF Superintendent
James Smith of the Barre q Chelsea
railroad. G. II. Larimer inspector Of
the Westinghouse Brake company Of
Pittsburg, Pa, representative of the
New York Air Brake Co., w, O, Wood
Of the Boston Maine, G.. H. kidder,
assistant superintendent Of the Barre
a Chelsea railroad, John Whalen, ma.
ter mechanic Of the same railway, and
Superintendent James Smith, after dis
cussing and suggesting for several days,
finally came to a conclusion and solved
the problem which they set out to do,
that Of utilizing more ordinary freight
cars, each day, for the foreign ship
ment OF granite.
The prroverb, necessity is the mother
of invention" was never better illus
trated than right here in Barre. In
the last few years the expectation Of
Barre granite to foreign cities and
towns, that Is, towns outside Of the
Barre granite district, has gradually in
creased, naturally causing a greater de.
mand for freight ears to meet the re-
quirements of shipping This increase
Of shipments, Of course, came gradual
ly but when the wartime car short
age put in its appearance the vast
granite expectation became consphu-
Gus factor in the eyes of the railroad
men.
To make this bit Of news more ex
pheit, mention II the Barre & Chelsea
freight cars must be mentioned. These
ffat cars, made especially for the steep
incline and the heavy loads Of gran
lite coming from the hill, are equipped
with extraordinary and specially CON
structed brakes A single engine can,
with the aid Of these Barre & Chelsea
cars, bring a great many carloads Of
granite to Barre in a day. But the
problem has been 10 transport granite
from the hill 10 Barre on The ordinary
freight car 10 that it might be sent
to the foreign dealers and manufae
turers. In making up the trains in the
morning one foreign car to six Barre
4 Chelsea ears would be used; in a
train Of eleven Barre & Chelsea cars,
two freights could be used; with Is.
three could be used, and with II, -four
could be used
As before stated, the brakes on these
foreign cars are very inadequate for
the transportation Of granite down the
steep incline and should more than
the specified percentage be used on a
train, II would be impossible to hold
The train from descending at an I'M.
safe rate Of speed, for il must be re
membered that the Barre & Chelsea
roadbed leading 10 Graniteville is the
steepest natural railway in the world,
and the carloads Of granite. without
specially equipped brakes, gain ter
rife momentum. That has been the
problem with the foreign cars; the
brakes would not hold sufficiently SO
only few could be used each day, even
though hundreds might be standing in
the yards.
The investigators finally concluded
that by taking eight Barre y Chelsea
cars up the Hill to every seven for
eign cars, the latter cars could he load
ed to $4,000 pounds capacity and be re-
turned to the city safely il the Barre
h Chelsea cars were not loaded and
used for brake strength only. This
conclusion has been experimental on al
ready. In two weeks, with this method,
lGl foreign cars we're shipped out Of
Barre. Under the old system this
number would not have been shipped
ont in three months. SO it il very
evident that the problem in question
has been largely solved. Yesterdays
outgoing shipment alone amounted to
"a ears.