The Wilmington morning star., 1946-04-06

equator. To support these wires,
anproximately rs to so or more
noles per mile are required.
Shortest Road
North Carolina also has the dis
tinction of having the shortest rail-
road in the United States perform
ing all four operating services
freight, passenger, express and
mail The Beaufort and Morehead
Railroad, between Beaufort ana
Morehead City, using equipnenl
furnished by the Atlantic and Norm
Carolina Railroad extends only a
total of 3.3 miles. However, the
Valley Railroad, one mile IN
length, at Westline, Mexican coun-
ty. Pa. is the shortest line-hau'
railroad in the nation. This road
derives its revenue entirely from
freight and switching service.
OF interest, too, is the fact tna'
az the beginning OF 1s4l' so,4os
miles of railroad in the oiil1eo
states were protected by automa-
tic block-signals systems, ~ oo
miles protected by manual olock-
SPINAL systems, 14,361 miles were
protected by automauc uan
control systems, 2.4o1 miles were
nrotected by centralized trattlc-
control systems, and 1858 miles
we're protected by automatic CAB
signal systems.
Equipment Costs
Among the 3oo-odd other ques-
tons and answers within the pages
OF "Qmz, are many OF more
than passing interest. + or instance,
the average weight OF 1relgh'
locomotive is 14o IONS, that Oh
passenger locomotive, 1874 tons.
The average costs OF locomotives
wary too. Steam giants cost all tne
way from $103,0zo to SOL ,o34, Wh1le
Diesel-electrlc Tor streamllnels|
cost as much as $204, 98S.
Locomotive water tenders carry
from a, 500 to 1850 gallons OF water
and it would take 81 men one yea1
of working time to construct
large steam locomotive, which con
tains from 1907 to 1,20l miles OF
boiler tubing.
Many Drawings
Designing OF railway passenger
car requires from 1UU 10 4OU Sepa
ate drawings ltraclngS) ana the
cars weigh when Completed, al
average OF 81. IA tons. Inc 1861
passeng er-carrying cars IN opera
lion in the United States in l944
mad a aggregate seating capacity
OF 1,662,4ll.
That railroading has reached a
nigh state OF efficiency is noted by
an answer in quiz which IS. t.
the effect that stauStlclans nave
found that it costs from "a cents to
$3.50 for starting ana stopping d
passenger train and from $l.00 te
$3.50 for starting ana stopping a
freight train, ana which Is not mar
ples either when it comes to opera
ZION of so-called local trains.
Time Tables
Railroads OF the United States
issue some YO,Uvo, 100 time tables
annually; h andle 11,4l9. iuo,24l
.. pieces OF mail OF all classes! a car
load of sugar contains approx
mately 34.83 tons; corn, 4z.oi ton;
and eggs, ll.43 tons; l6,O0O,o0'
tons OF ice are used annually, IL,
300 900 tons for refrigerator car
service ana 3,uU0,0OU tons for DIN
ing cars, commissaries, restau
rants, offices, passenger cars, sta
tons, shops, storehouses, etc.
The Best Friend of Charleston"
j., built at the West Point Foundry
New York, was the first locomotive
placed in service in this country. II
was operated on the South caro-
, lima Railroad (noW the Southern
at Charleston, S. c., Dec. Is, 1880;
the same road, along with tne
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, expert
mented with sails as propulsion Of
railroad cars.
First Headlight
Horatio Allen devised the frs
, headlight for night operations, 6
. pine knot fire on flat car attach
ed in front of the locomotives; II
184O whale oil was extensively used
for this purpose and kerosene
lamps took over in 1853.
William F. Cody, known to young
America of today and yester-yeal
as Buffalo Bill" got his strange
nickname through the railroad IN
dustry. The famous Western scout
and indian fighter earned the pic
turesque title as result OF his
contract to supply buffalo meat to
the construction forces engaged IN
building the Union Pacific.
Circus Train
The first circus train of % cars
was used by P. T. Barnum IN lo72;
buffaloes were so numeruos IN
1870 that trains had to be stopped
to allow the animals to cross,
Thomas H. Gray, a Southern Pacl-
fic employe drew the first STOP
ILook and Listen" sign in 1884;
Death Valley Scotty'' (Walter
scott) paid $500 for a special
i train to take him from Los Angeles