Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-10
RAILROADS GAIN
INTEREST IN RADIO
Overtures for Advertising
Time Made to Chains by
Carriers.
BY MARTIN CoDEI..


II American railroads have been Jag
ains behind those of other countries.
notably Canada. in furnishing radio
services aboard their trains, they have
rot overlooked the commercial and
money Saving possibilities OF radio
! Great NorthernS weekly network
broadcasts have been so successful as .
pronotional medium, supplementins
| newspaper advertising, that other rail-
roads are reported to be considering the
! deSirability Of going on the air also
| Several overtures for network time have
been made to the chains by other rail-
way companies
! Great Northern itself has been sufn-
GENTLY impressed with radio to plan
installing its leading trains with Ieceiv
| ing sets for the entertainment of pas
seneers en- route. In fact, the train
| from which the railroads programs take
their name. the Empire Builder. run
! ming between Chicago and Portland
! Greg. has already been equipped with
receiver, AND good results have been
obtained. Nine other trains, including
! the private car of the roads president,
will be similarly equipped.
In Canada. Germany, Russis and Pc.
land railroad trains have been equipped
With program receivers or with te;s.
phone apparatus, or both. The teIs~
phone apparatus has made two-wAa
conversations between city telephones
and speeding trains possible.
Listen Through Earphones.
These developments have received
relatively little attention from American
railroads, despite the fact that our
b.oadcasting services cover the entire
country and our radio telephone ap-
paratus is regarded second to none in
efficiency. Criticism OF radio on trains
as nuisance is met by the fact that
passengers listen through earphones at
their own discretion and without annoy
ance to their neighbors. The Canadian
National Railways say that this service
has been greatly appreciated by its
patrons. particularly on nights of I'm
poTtant events.
A recent statement by Walter a.
Clifford, president Of the American Tele-
phone L. Telegraph Co.. answered doubts
raised regarding the eficiency of two
trains by radio. He said that his COM
pany was prepared 10 fulfill orders for
such radio equipment and To furnish
such service any time demanded by the
railroads, adding that the apparatus
would work efficiently. Costs. It is be-
lieved. have deferred the roads from
adding this service
The one proposal made by certain
leading railroads to utilize radio in their
operations was met with rebuff by the
Federal Radio Commission. The New
York Central and the Big Four have
applied for short waves with which to
make possible cab to cahooSe signaling
and conversation on freight trains
Westinghouse also sought o license IA
experiment with this method Of COM
muHieation as = development for the
Pennsylvania Railroad.
Denies Short Waves.
The applications for short waves were
al denied on the ground that such
communication could be done lust a.
eme1ently through signaling hose. The
Radio Commissions engineers saw In
the application desire TO avoid IN
stallins such hose on long freight trains
because of the heavy costs. They
claimed the railroads were simply seek
ing TO save money hy using radio. The
short waves were too scarce, the con-
mission ruled. to be used for private
purposes where other equally efficient
means OF communication were available.
Claiming that when cars break AWAY
from train the engineer would have
TO way of knowing except by means Of
such radio. the railroads are pursuing
their applications anew. and will have
further hearings before the commission.
The engineers are saving. however, that
automatic siensls can be transmitted to
the engineer of train when . break
occurs in the signal hose coupling
There have been various proposals 70
furnish radio telegraph services direct
to and from trains for 6ispatchirg Serv-
ices and for passenger eonveniences
These proposals have generally been
turned down by the railroads, which
prefer to use the land line facilities.
Radio telegraphy 10 and from moving
trains would be relatively simple to
operate, but 1t would necesSitate sta
tioning a qualified operator aboard the
trains.
'Copyrisht. 1928. by North American News
paper Alliance