Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-04-02
MOTOR TRUCK USED
TO RUN ON RAILS
City in Kansas Has Them in
Operation With Lower Cost
and Other Gains.

Again the motor truck stops into
new field and again 1t proves its
versatility ard adaptability beyond
question.
For the first time in history, gaso-
line propelled cars have been put into
city railway service to replace cleo
trio trolley cars This installation
has been made by the Manhattan City
and Interurban Railway Company of
strapped it's heavy electric cars and
equipment and Is now operating four
FWD railway cars, manufactured
by the Four Wheel Drive Auto Com
pany of Clintonville. Wis.
ing a motor truck on rails would
have been laughed at. These cars
are operating on the same rails over
which the electric cars formerly
operated and according to the same
schedules.
Sought Lighter Equipment.
The excessive cost Of operating the
heavy electric cars for patronage
which has decreased considerably
son which Influenced officials Of the
Manhattan City and 1nterurban Rail-
way Company into buying lighter
equipment. 1t cost between 40 and
SO cents a mile to operate electric
cars and the public gets just as good
cents a mile. But the company gain
ed more than simply reduction in
operating costs by installing motor
equipment; it reduced the number OF
employees. one man operating a car
instead of two. eliminated the ex.
pense involved in tho operation OF
a power plant and three substations.
are able to operate the motor equip
ment with less noise and less an
noyance to the public, reduced the
cost of maintaining the rishs OF way.
lighter and less destructive to the
rails than the heavy electric cars,
and reduced the liability Of damage
suits resulting from accidents. which
were quite frequent when the electric
cars jumped the tracks. 40.
Besides all these advantages, the
company has done its bit toward
identifying Manhattan through the
removal Of overhead trolley wires
and poles from the city streetA
Features Of Cars.
Each car provides a seal ting capacity
of thirty-two persons ana space TOT
baggage. The cars are well finished
inside and afford great At. e "thsp TO 10
lures Of the cars are as follows:
15s-inch wheelbase. hieh-speAd re-
verse gears, which enable the cars
to 60 as fast in reverse as they will
go forward; locomotive type COW
catchers," electric starting and hsnt-
ing devices; heating systems which
utilize the heat from the motor ex-
haust; entrance and exit near the front
Of the car, with the door opsratsd by
the driver.
crate one bus on the highways be-
tween Junction City and Fort Riley
40 q feedeJ to their interurbAn line.
This bus looks somewhat similar to
the rail cars, having the same KIND
of body. The weight of the chassis
in each case is 1900 pounds. as com
pared with 10000 pounds which is
the weight of the heavy and noisy
electric cars.
The two cars operating on the city
lines average about ninety-nVe miles
each per day and 500 stops each per
day, while the two cars IN lnteruroan
service average $50 miles each per
day and about ESQ stops each.
Grades ana Curves.
Both In the city and on the inter-
urban lire between Manhattan and
Junction City there are many steep
grades and sharp curves in the
tracks At one place the cars travel
up a per cent grade which IL 1000
feet long and another 3h per cent
curves encountered by these cars
vary from less than one degree up to
q curve with only fosty-hve-foot
radius
When the first snow Of the winter
arrived at Manhattan, citt1enS were
doubtful as to the ability Of the cars
to operate in the snow without the
use of snowplay,. ~ had been the
custom with the electric cara But
trucks. with little difiicuits. plowed
through the deep snow, which was
drifted in places to \ depth Of two