The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1920-01-22
AUTOMATIC TRAIN
CONTROL IS SOUGHT

than n year, during which many
actual tests on railroads were made.
the Automatic Train Control Com
mittee of the United States railroad
administration has reported to the
director general of railroads that on
lines of heavy traffic. fully equipped
with automatic block signals the use
of train control devices is desirable
but that the relative merits Of the
various types of automatic train con-
; troll cannot be determined until fur
| Their tests have been made. And also
that more extended service tests. in
Guiding complete reports of perform
| ances, are necessary before a deci-
| sion can be reached on the available
ity for general practical use of any
of the devices hat bave bier brought
to the attention of the committee.
] The committee also recommended
that arrangements be made by the
railroad administration or by the
American Railroad Association after
the termination of federal control for
the further practical test under rules
that may be adopted by the committee
of such devices as may be available
for that purpose. In its report, the
committee, without implying endorse
ment, found seventeen appliances as
available for further test.
Train control devices will not pre-
vent collisions due to brake failures,
which are infrequent and comprise
only a small percentage of such acct
DENTS" said the report of the COM
mittee. Failure of signals to per-
form their functions is a
lively are occurrence. Track cir
cult control block signal systems are
so designed that when any part fails
the signal indicates proceed even
though it should indicate caution or
STOP Such failures, known as
false clear failures contain a serious
element of danger, but their infre-
quency makes the possibility of COL
lisions from this cause exceedingly
remote.
collisions due to failure of en-
ployes to comply with rules of the
roads are a large proportion of the
total number reported and many of
these could not have been prevented
by an automatic train control device.
Automatic train control devices
may be expected to prevent only such
accidents as are due to the failure
of employees to observe. understand
and obey signal Indications. Fail
ure to see or understand signals may
be due to smoke, fog, snow, absence
of the night signal indications, COM
plexity in the scheme of indication
unfamiliarity of the enginmen with
the route over which the train is run
ming, the division of his attention or
his physical ~incapacity, etc. Failure
to obey signal indications that are
e and understood are rare and in
clude only those cases where engine
men in their anxiety to make time
take chances or where they use poor
judgment in the Interpretation of the
rules which permit them to exercise
some discretion.
There appears to be a popular mis-
conception as to the number of ia
talities that might be prevented by
automatic train control devices.
Statistics show that train collisions
have been the cause of less than six
per cent of the fatalities to persons
other than t~respassers. occurring On
the railroads of the United States in
the five and one-half years ending De-
cember 81. 1918.
"All fatalities resulting from train
collisions average per year from
July 81. 1913 to December 81. 1918,
inclusive. 296 or fifteen per cent of the
fatalities to non~-trspassers on the
railroads of the United States and of
this number many resulted from col
lisions occurring on yard tracks or
at other places where they would not
have been prevented by an automatic
train control device"
Ely-Big drill on ground in Illipah