Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-02-22
Protest One Man Car
Continued from Pace One)


unsafe. as the track is rough and
with the coming out of the frost will
be rougher. When a double truck
car leaves the rails, one set of
trucks usually stay on, but with the
single-truck car. it would go clear
off and be likely to tip over. The
line has many bad entertainments and
bad turns and the car is too light for
safety on them.
He said the Inconvenience was
very great. A passenger had to en-
ter and leave by one door, often in
the snow and with the 9-cent fare
it was anything but pleasant to wait
in the rain for change to be made.
The car had about sc capacity and
he had seen So on the car. Since
January "A, the date first set for the
hearing. he knew that the car had
been off the rails twice and had
broken one spring.
Counsel Nelson briefly outlined
conditions on the Winthrop line, de-
scribed the one-man car and called
Mr.. Sweeney.
Mr.. Sweeney said the one-man
safety car originated in the south
some 6 or Z years ago and had
spread until about 5000 We're in use
in the United States and Canada Be
tween 1000 and 5000 old-style cars
had also been converted into the one
man type. About IS are in use in
Maine.
The car on the Winthrop line
weighs about eight tons. seats %.
You enter by the forward right
hand door. The operator has a
brake handle and controller lever,
with an auxiliary valve worked by
the foot. to relieve the hands.
orator and the controller is released
while the power is on. the brakes
automatically work, the track is
sanded and the doors released so
they can be pushed open. Other
wise, the door cannot be opened
when power is on, nor the power
applied when the door is open.
He said that extra cars were pro-
vided for heavy traffic hours, TO
Manchester and Island Park, such
as 5 A. NJ and + T.. NJ. trips. Any
unusual traffic also meant extra cars.
\ tabulation of traffic showed the
heaviest travel was for the first
zone out of Augusta. the passengers
falling off heavily from that zone
on. The heaviest loads were on the
p. NJ. trips.
Mr.. Sweeney said the books
showed the gross operating revenue
for the year 1921 was S1,212, O63. 50,
or $S72649 per mile of line. The
operating expenses and taxes were
ST ,O21 10. o. or $7oO499 per mile OF
line. The income of the Augusta
{ Winthrop line for 1921 were: Pas
! sengers $44 ,2259l; freight $2221; to
tai SAG. 1861. The mileage between
Augusta and Winthrop is 14.25 miles.
That gave earnings per mile for that
line $3.50 rs, or less than half the
operating cost.
The saving made by the onc-man
! safety car. Mr.. Sweeney said, in
Guided: On platform expense or Ia
| Dor, little over 80 per day; on pow
cr. the car being lighter and taking
less. about one-half. or approximate
IS 5000 per year; on account of the
! light passenger traffic on the early
morning and late evening trips, the
Winthrop sub station could be
closed part of the time. a saving at
the rate Of about $1,000 a year,
should il be permanent. which of
course would not be done during
the summer rush. Maintenance also
had Il saving, the car needing less
repairs. being lighter and smaller.
He said the company considered
it right and its duty to practice cV-
cry economy consistent with service
and safety. Ii the road showed con-
ditions in the spring that required
q large cight-whecl car. it would
most certainly be put OFT. The road
was anxious to give the patrons the
best service possible. but he didn't
think that people who were riding
at less than cost should complain at
having to alight in a highway.
He stated that 1921 was partic-
ularly favorable one for operating.
with its open winter and tie legis-