Evening star., 1940-09-10
Car
Tested as Part
0fHedring
First-Hund KNOWLEDGE
On Conversion of IS
Obtained on Ride

More than 30 persons-employes
Of the Capital Transit Co., members
of Local $50 of the Amalgamated
Association of Street and Electric
Railway and Motor Coach Employees
Of America, and the Public Utilities
CommisSion-acted as guinea
pigs" today in test of the safety,
speed and smoothness of one-man
cars converted from the conven-
tional two-man type.
The trip, made as part of the
hearing before the commission on
the transit company's proposal to
convert Is two-man cars to one
ice, proved to be a study in con-
trasts.
Leaving the District Building in
a converted car, the group rode up
Fourteenth street NV. to Four
teenth and Decatur streets with a
change back to the old two-man
type taking place there.
The seating capacity of a con-
verted car is 54, compared to 48 in
the two-man car, and like the
streamlined car the converted car
has q dead man" control. type
of control that stops the car auto
matically when the operators hand
is lifted from it.
New Emergency Brake
In addition, the new-type car has
an emergency brake that is absent
on the conventional two-man car.
This brake goes into effect when
the air-valve control lever Is turned
all the way over to the right and,
at the same time, releases sand on
the rails.
There was more lighting inside
the converted car than in its prede-
cessor, and the seats were leather
instead of straw. 1t costs $4,000 to
remodel a two-man car into a one
man type. A new streamlined car
costs about $4,000.
The demonstration was arranged
late yesterday at the conclusion OF
the initial session of a public hear
ing on the transit company's proposal.
The hearing was to be continued
after the streetcar ride, with T.
Ormonde Nichols, attorney for the
streetcar workers union. presenting
several witnesses, including train
men now employed in the local
streetcar system, before the COM
mission.
Most of the hearing yesterday
afternoon was devoted to study of
a multitude of exhibits offered by
transit firm spokesmena and to a
much-involved explanation Of how
both the company, its employees and
the public would benefit by the
conversion of cars for one-man oper-
alton.
HeberIe Sees Benefits
J. E. Heberle. vice president and
controller of the transit company
after stating that improving the
service to the public is the com
pany's first consideration at all
times, attempted to explain how the
firms employees actually would ben
eft even though IS regular employees
actually would be out of full-time
jobs if Is cars were converted to
one-man use.
Mr.. Heberle's hypothetical explain
alton became somewhat involved
and, at the end, he remarked: "Per-
haps I haven't made myself clear"
We'll, maybe you'd better start
all over again" Commission Chair
man Riley E. Elgen remarked, laugh
ing.
What the transit company's con-
tention boiled down to was this: No
men would be laid off because of
the conversion. The Is men who
would be taken from the Is cars
converted to one-may operation
would go on the extra" rolls, from
which the company draws workers
to spell" regular employees on their
day of, work during rush hours
and at other times when needed.
The company would not take on new
men for time so the reserve force
would not be increased. This would
mean more work for the extras"
and actually would increase their
average annual earnings, the COM
pany said.
Seek All One-Man Cars.
The transit firm submitted q ten
tative program to the commission
under which the entire streetcar
operations in Washington would be
of the one-man type by 1945, with
the single exception of the Rosslyn-
Benning line.
The commission is considering at
the present hearing possible similar
conversion of additional cars to one
man operation, but, at the insistence
OF Mr.. Nichols, the commission said
1t would conflne its decision now to
the application to convert Is cars.
Mr.. Nichols told the commission
that he would show that the con-
verted cars will not be nearly as
comparable in efficiency to the
so-called Presidents conference"
streamlined cars as transit firm off,
cials contend they would be.
Transit company officials declined
to say on which routes the Is con-
verted cars would be placed, but
declared they would be used where
the greatest improvement in work.
ing conditions could be effected.