Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-01-08
BETTER TRAINING
Of AUT0|STS URGED
Railway Official Emphasizes
Efficiency Demanded in
Running Train.
Special Dispatch to The Star.


BALTIMORE, January 7.-Educa-
operate automobiles and a Tightening
up Of the requirements for the issu-
ance of licenses In the future are
urged in the plan of Charles w. Gallo
way, vice president of the Baltimore
and Ohio railroad and a deputy au-
tomobile commissioner, as means OF
cutting down the annual toll of lives
taken in motor-vehicle accidents. Mr..
Galloway has submitted his plan to
Commissioner Baughman, who favors
1t.
Mr.. Galloway commented on the re-
ouirements of the state In the matter
OF granting auto licenses and COM
pares them with those required by
the railroads before an engineer Is
permitted to operate a passenger
train. He said:
Experience Essential.
"Most motor vehicles can be oper-
ated at a speed equal to that of the
average passenger train. yet the rail-
road operating managers would not
think of permitting a person so in
experienced as many to whom are
granted drivers licenses to operate a
locomotives: and in this connection IT
might be interesting to recount the
qualifications required OF a passenger
locomotive engineer.
'He is first employed as an extra
freight fireman. He is required to
make six trips as student under the
direction of qualified engineer ana
fireman, who must certify as TO ms
ability before he is permitted to take
he lvrti nf a
fireman. He will serve perhaps two or
three years as an extra freight hre-
man, undergoing examination at Varl-
Gus periods during that time BEFORE
he is eligible to bid in on regular
turn in the freight service.
He will then fire in that service
for two or three years before he Sc
cures a turn in the passenger service.
He works as a fireman in that service
several years before he is eligible 10
receive examination for promotion to
extra freight engineer. Up to this
time you will observe that he is not
vet permitted to handle a passenger
engine, although in process of quail
fcation for promotion to engineer
Many Years to Qualify.
locomotives. of course. are OPP
Grated on tracks which guide them
and on signals which govern the en-
gineer in his movements, and these
signals-moStly automatically OPP
erated-talk to the engineer, so to
speak.
Notwithstanding the fact that all
of this protection is thrown around a
passenger engineer, an examination
of the records of promotion of fifty
engineers to passenger service indi-
Gates that they averaged seventeen
years from the time they were hired
until they were put on the qualified
list Of extra apssenger engineers.
Tn .
have run from seventeen to nineteen
years, the average being seventeen
yeas, as stated.
More Training Favored.
I'm the matter of automobile Ii
censes, permission is granted to any
body to operate car who can dem
onstrate in a few minutes ability to
stop and start a car on nil.
Another feature. 1t is not unusual
to see motor cars on the highway,
not 100 feet apart. at times running
from twenty to twenty-five miles an
hour. With all the qualifications
which railroads require of an en-
gineer they would not think of per-
hitting two passenger trains to run
that close.
II believe the public will sooner or
later recognize the Importance of a
most strict requirement in licensing
motor car operators, because of the
fact that machines may be run all
over the highways and anywhere in
the street they see fit. and are placed
in the hands of an operator after
few minutes demonstration. while
passenger locomotive, guided on rails
and with the most modern controlling
appliances, constantly under rigid in
spection as to their condition, requires
man is permitted to operate one of
them"