its movement over that of a steam locomotive, and the fact that the electric locomotive does not have to be turned, coaled, watered, have fires cleaned nor its boiler washed. This also reduces the locomotive equipment needed for a given train service. All these advantages of the use of the electric locomotive in the terminals of large cities may be conceded, but objections may still be made that the cost is so high as to be almost, if not quite, prohibitive. Let us consider this seemingly high cost. Why is it that electricity has almost entirely supplanted direct steam as a means of driving the machinery in shops, factories, and mills of all kinds, notwithstanding that the steam power plant can be installed for about $40 per horsepower, while from two to four times this amount per horsepower is required to supply the corresponding electric power plant? True it is, that notwithstanding the higher first cost there is a large saving in direct operation by electricity as compared with steam engines, but this is not the only, or indeed the chief, reason for the change. The higher first cost is more largely justified by the possibilities which electricity gives of doing other and better work, and of obtaining results not in any way possible with steam power. When the railways can buy electric power metered on their lines at such points as they desire to use it which will be furnished from large centralized power plants so arranged as to make failure of supply practically impossible and at a cost of but a fraction of the cost of power on a steam locomotive, then the use of the electric locomotive will be so widely and rapidly extended as is now not dreamed of, nor under present conditions economically possible. So on railways the advisability of electrification must stand or fall on not only the consideration of the relative economy, capital cost and operating cost both considered, but in addition to this (and often more important) a proper judgment of what economies and results can be obtained by electricity that steam cannot accomplish. Thus the increased capacity of a given terminal, together with the utilization of valuable sites for buildings made possible only by electrification, may alone amply justify the increased cost. In addition to the advantages mentioned above, in large terminals, the use of electricity on wharves, in freight houses and in properly designed auto trucks for delivery of freight to consignees and collecting freight from shippers must not be overlooked. On wharves, in freight houses and other places where freight is temporarily stored or stopped in its movement from one kind of carrier to another, electricity by its wonderful adaptability to subdivision and use in small or large motors is most advantageous. By a system of telpherage, properly designed and adapted, all kinds of freight can readily and economically be taken from car to freight house or wharf, or the reverse, and, what is of very grave importance, the entire space covered by this system can be economically used. The statement has been made that the cost of moving a ton of freight from the point at which it originates to the railway car which is to carry it by rail to the railway terminal at its destination, added to the additional cost of delivering it from car to the consignee's store, factory, or warehouse, is as large as the entire charge for rail transportation for a large proportion of freight handled by rail which has to be delivered and collected by dray or truck. Why then should not the railways themselves arrange to collect and deliver freight, especially package freight, at terminals? Here, again, electricity can be of great service in furnishing the power to drive the telpherage for loading and unloading cars and supply the motive power of a fleet of auto trucks and drays so handled as to cause the minimum delay of freight cars at terminals and the promptest delivery of package freight at the lowest cost. There is one feature of this valuable agent in railway service that must not be omitted, because it is really but little understood or appreciated this is the reliability of electricity when properly handled. I am safe in saying that there is no class of machinery today that can be designed so exactly to meet given conditions as electrical machinery. Think of the reliability and freedom from failure in the electrified transportation service in and about this great city of New York. Centering here are the electricallyoperated terminals of the two greatest railway systems of the world, the train service on both of which statistics show is far less subject to interruption and delay since operated electrically than under the best results ever obtained by steam. This is creditable and reassuring, but how much more remarkable and really marvelous are the results obtained in the operation of the subway and elevated railways of this great city, both of which are operated with a headway of trains absolutely impossible of attainment with steam power, were its use otherwise possible, and with a regularity, precision and safety which is one of the wonders of this wonderful age of electricity. It is really only about 20 years since the foresight and judgment of George Westinghouse caused him to predict and actively begin the wonderful development in the use of the alternating current, and by so doing to call down upon himself a storm of criticism from many of those then foremost in electrical development which might easily have deterred a less courageous spirit. He, through his company, persisted in the development and exploitation of this system, sure of its possibilities, and was quickly followed by all the others in the field of electrical engineering and manufacture, for it was seen to be the real foundation upon which the future development of all electrical progress was to be made. Without the alternating current the long distance transmission of power would be impracticable and the use of electricity for transportation of passengers and freight on railways impossible. Again, in a notable address before the Institute of Mechanical Engineers of Great Britain, Mr. Westinghouse was the first to call attention to the importance of the adoption of standards and uniform methods in the development of railway electrification. The necessity for this is obvious, under the conditions of general interchange of traffic universal in American railway practice, and especially in the joint use of terminals by several lines, and the routing of passenger equipment cars through and over several connecting lines. The task of determining these standards is one of great difficulty and complexity, and can only be successfully carried out by a commission selected and employed by a sufficient number of railways who would accept the findings and conclusions of such a commission, and whom the other railways interested would acknowledge to be entirely representative. The American Railway Association would seem to be the logical place to begin this great work. Finally, let me impress upon you that there is no longer a question of whether electricity can do the work of broadening, extending, and improving the very admirable performance of the modern steam locomotive. This has been amply demonstrated. The question to be answered in any specific case proposed is purely the economic one of will it pay. Electricity asks no consideration on any other basis, and would get none if it did. In determining this question of profit and loss let me urge that no narrow view be taken, but the real possibilities of this wonderful servant of civilized man be carefully and thoroughly weighed, and in order to do this that every railway officer determine not that he will become an electrical expert, but that he will keep in touch with the more general and commercial features of electrical development as relates to railroading, for only by so doing will it be possible for him to intelligently pass upon the many recommendations which will come before him as one of the class of the greatest users of electricity and electrical appliances in the industrial world. The proposed route of a southern trans-Andine railway runs from San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina, along the north shore of Lake Nahue Huapi, crosses the Andes range at Puyehue pass, continues along the shore of the Puyehue lake, and terminates at or in the vicinity of Osorno, Chile. This railway will be a continuation of the Argentine railway from port San Antonio, in the Argentina, to San Carlos de Bariloche, which is well advanced in construction. SIMPLE FREIGHT LOCOMOTIVES FOR THE VIRGINIAN. Mikado type locomotives are very largely used as road engines in freight service on the more level sections of the Virginian Railway. Since 1909, 42 locomotives of this type have been built for this road by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, and the same builders have recently completed ten more of a considerably larger size and greater capacity. As an indication of the advance which has been made in this type of locomotive, even during the past three years, it surface is equivalent to 11⁄2 sq. ft. of evaporative heating surface, an increase in heating surface of about 28 per cent. is indicated. The later locomotives, while by no means the largest of their type, are very powerful machines. The boiler is of the extended wagon top type and measures 86 in. in diameter at the front end and 933% in. at the connection with the firebox. The depth of the throat from the under side of the barrel to the bottom of the mud ring is 24 5/6 in., which gives ample room for a brick arch of the Security type. The superheater has 40 elements, each double looped, and the area of 910 sq. is interesting to note that the engines built in 1909 had 24 in. x 32 in. cylinders, 180 lbs. steam pressure and a grate area of 51 sq. ft., while the present engines have 26 in. x 32 in. cylinders, 185 lbs. steam pressure and 57 sq. ft. of grate area. The diameter of drivers is 56 in. in both cases and the increase in tractive effort is 10,500 lbs., or nearly 21 per cent. The weight on drivers is increased from 207.450 lbs. to 229,600 lbs., or about 11 per cent. The new engines are fitted with superheaters which was not the case with the earlier ones. This has slightly reduced the evaporative heating surface but, if it is assumed that each square foot of superheater heating ft., measured on the inside of the superheater flues, makes it one of the largest yet applied. Among the interesting features of design is the frame splice between the front and main frames, as shown in the accompanying illustration. The cylinders are cast separate from the saddle, which allows the front frame to assume a slab form 25 in. in depth and 3 in. thick. The cylinder and saddle castings lap over the top and bottom of the frame and the flanges of both extend for a distance of 2334 in. above the frame. giving a total height of 4734 in. to the cylinder bolts, of which 29 pass through the frame. In addition there are three 22 in. bolts which are put in place while hot and extend across Inside admission piston valves, 14 in. in diameter, are em- Vanadium is quite freely used in connection with the various parts subject to the greatest stress. The cylinders are cast from vanadium iron, the frames are of vanadium cast steel and the main driving axles, main crank pins, tires, crosshead bodies and springs are also made of vanadium steel. Tenders having a tank capacity of 12,000 gal., and a coal space sufficient for 15 tons are used. The center sills are 15 in. channels, and 10 in. channels are used for side sills. The four-wheel trucks are of the equalized pedestal type with 6 in. x 11 in. journals. These tenders are very light when their large size is considered and have a total weight, loaded, of less than 17 lbs. per gal. of water capacity. ASSOCIATION OF TRANSPORTATION AND OFFICERS. The summer meeting of the Association of Transportation and Car Accounting Officers was held at the Hotel Champlain, Bluff Point, N. Y., June 25 and 26, with 115 members in attendance, and President G. W. Taylor in the chair. On Tuesday morning E. W. McKenna, vice-president of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul, gave an address on efficiency in regulating the use of freight cars. Readjustment of methods is necessary in order to obtain all possible economy. Delays incident to the use of cars for storage purposes must be eliminated. Mr. McKenna illustrated his argument by describing the methods pursued in the handling of ore by boat on the Great Lakes, where the vehicle of transportation is in use for transportation purposes 80 per cent. of the time, with but 20 per cent. dead time necessary for dockage at both ends; the prevailing average in the use of freight cars as vehicles of transportation is only about two hours out of each 24. The shipping public should be educated to a realization of its responsibilities for co-operation. The report of the executive committee shows that the membership of the association represents 250,952 miles of railway having in service 2,481,619 cars. Various changes in the constitution and by-laws, presented by the committee at its last meeting, were adopted at this meeting by the requisite vote. The changes provide for the election of the committees on conducting freight and passenger transportation as standing committees. The association concurred in the report of the president, as chairman of the special committee of fifteen, appointed at the request of the American Railway Association to prepare a draft of a method and accompanying rules to govern the handling of freight cars, which report was submitted to the committee on relations between railways of the American Railway Association, and which has been adopted by the A. R. A., to become effective September 1, next. It was decided to hold the next meeting of the association at New Orleans, December 10 and 11. The association concurred in the opinion of the committee on car service that a uniform embargo notice is impracticable. The recommendation of the committee with regard to a proposed revision of Rule 10, of the code of car service rules, was adopted for submission to the A. R. A., as follows: When a freight car is detained by reason of a railroad error, which prevents proper tender or delivery, prompt notice must be given and action taken by the holding road to secure the release of car, and the erring road will pay to the holding road an amount equal to the established per diem rate for the time such car is held. Claims under this rule to be made on the erring road within twelve months from the date succeeding that in which car is received. This rule applies only to cars of railroad ownership, including owner's cars on owner's tracks, but it does not apply to cars bunched in transit, nor cars detained on account of weather interference. The proposed code of rules to govern the settlement for use of freight cars on non-per diem roads, presented by the committee, was returned to it for further consideration. The committee on office methods and accounting reported that 260 private car owners have adopted the reporting marks assigned by the committee and are applying the same to their cars. The assignment of these marks by the committee is under authority of the American Railway Association. The association adopted, for submission to the American Railway Association, the proposed amendment to Rule 1 of the code of per diem rules, which provides that where per diem is not reported to the car owner within six months from the last day of the month in which it is earned, the rate shall be increased 20 cents per car per day. The proposed change in the standard form of interchange report presented by the committee, permitting the use in connection therewith of narrow sheets or flaps for self-transcribing purposes, was adopted for submission to the American Railway Association. It was voted that the committee should indicate on the proposed form the precise measurements of the horizontal lines. In connection with the question of the expediency of closing interchange reports at noon instead of at midnight, the association concurred in the opinion of the committee that the date of each interchange report should conform to the actual calendar date on which cars are interchanged. In connection with the report of the committee on conducting freight transportation, the association adopted, for submission to the American Railway Association, a proposed change in Rule 11 of the code of car service rules, providing that all cars of railway ownership should be re-weighed and re-stencilled at least once every two years. If the proposed change is favorably acted upon by the A. R. A., a corresponding change will be necessary in Master Car Builders' Association Rule 30. A report of progress was presented in connection with the subject of transportation rules for the handling of perishable freight. The information gathered by the committee of this association has been made available to the American Railway Perishable Freight Association. The committee on conducting passenger transportation submitted a proposed code of car service rules, and a proposed form of interchange report. At the request of the committee, it was decided to submit the proposed rules and form of report to each railway member of the association, owning passenger equipment cars used in joint or interchange service. The committee on joint interchange and inspection bureaus gave some interesting data concerning the status of the subject at various large centers. The officers elected for the ensuing year are: President, J. M. Daly (Illinois Central); first vice-president, F. Price (Grand Trunk); second vice-president, E. F. Kearney (Missouri Pacific); secretary, G. P. Conard, New York; treasurer, F. M. Luce, Chicago. The association requested the committee on car service to prepare a special report, for general distribution, giving an outline of recommended practice under which Rules 1 to 4, code of car service rules, and Rule 19, code of per diem rules, governing the handling of freight cars, as recently adopted by the American Railway Association to become effective September 1, may be efficiently applied. 22 MANUAL BLOCK SYSTEM ON SINGLE TRACK.* The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul was one of the earliest roads to use the space-interval system on lines where the traffic was light or fluctuating, and specimen records of the practice on that line are given below. The line from Rondout, Ill., to Janesville, 66.7 miles long, is one on which there are three passenger trains through, each way, on each week day, two additional each way for 41 miles, and nine additional each way for 3 miles, with about the same number of freight trains. On an average day recently all of the trains in both directions were given clear signals at every block station except one east-bound freight train. The total number of trains on that day was as follows (see list of stations below): For the first 3 miles from Rondout, 9 passenger each way, 8 freight west bound and 7 east bound; from Libertyville to Fox Lake, 5 passenger each way and 5 freight each way; Fox Lake to Walworth, 5 passenger each way and 4 freight each way; Walworth to Janesville, 3 passenger each way and 5 freight each way, with the exception of 15 miles, where the number of freights was 1 less. The freight referred to above, which had to be run by permissive signals, was the second section of a live-stock train running eastward in the middle of the night, when the block sections were long (16 miles, 12 miles, 22 miles, 8 miles). The block stations on this line are as shown in the list below, the only ones kept open day and night being those marked "N." On this line and on the other line of the same road hereinafter noticed the facilities at the stations are substantially the same as on the Chesapeake & Ohio and the Baltimore & Ohio heretofore noticed; that is to say, the only important expense above that which would be incurred in running the road without the block system is the addition to the pay roll for additional telegraphers. CHICAGO, MILWAUKEE & ST. PAUL-JANESVILLE LINE. freight received clear signals, except at eight stations, namely: Van Horn, Melbourne, and the next three; Cambridge and the next two. The next train, running over only 43 miles, received permissive signals at Atkins and Newhall. The next freight received 10 permissive signals as follows: Keystone and the next three; Melbourne and Rhodes; Cambridge and the next two; Phildia. The next through freight received clear signals except at Keystone, Elberon, Gladstone, and Tama (Vining, Potter, and Dunbar being closed); at Ferguson, Haverhill being closed. The closing of Potter and Dunbar made one block 121⁄2 miles long. Eastbound freights received permissive signals as follows: A short run of 17 miles permissive at Bouton; a through freight clear at all stations, except Madrid, Slater, and Huxley. The next train received clear signals at all stations. The next received clear signals, except at Huxley, Rhodes, Keystone, and Van Horn. The next, a through train, received clear signals at all stations, except Madrid, Elberon, Atkins to Louisa, and Louisa to West Marion. The next train received clear signals at all stations, except Phildia. Next came two short runs (55 miles and 43 miles) clear signals all the way. The next train, a through freight, received clear signals at all stations until it reached Tama; thence permissive for the rest of the trip, the block sections being long (21.5 miles, 12 miles, 11 miles, 10 miles). The next train, running for 74 miles, received clear signals all the way, and the next and last was a through train receiving clear signals all the way. CHICAGO, MILWAUKEE & ST. PAUL RY.-CHICAGO & COUNCIL BLUFFS Block stations. West Marion DIVISION. Distance from last preceding station. Vining Gladstone Miles. 0 3.2 Tama Potter Dunbar 5.6 24 6.1 12 4.0 18 6.7 12 4.7 24 5.6 12 Rhodes Collins Maxwell Elwell 4.8 24 6.8 12 5.0 18 3.5 12 3.0 Rondout Ingleside Spring Grove Solon Mills Hebron Tower Zenda Walworth Bardwell Avalon Rock River Janesville The Chicago & Council Bluffs division of this road, from Marion westward to Perry, Iowa, 137 miles, is a section of an important main line, all single track. (See list of stations below.) On November 18 last the total number of trains on this division was 15 westbound and 17 eastbound, as follows: Four passenger trains through west and five through east; seven freight through each way; three short runs west bound and four east bound. The passenger trains received clear signals throughout. except as follows: No. 37 permissive at Atkins, Newhall and Van Horn; No. 4 at Bouton and Phildia. Of the westbound freights two through trains received clear signals all the way. Two of the short runs clear all the way; one for 31 miles and the other for 17 miles. The first freight on the sheet received clear signals, except at five places: Newhall, Cambridge, Phildia, Woodward, and Bouton. The next freight received clear signals all the way, except at Melbourne and the next two stations. The next *From the annual report of the Block Signal and Train Control Board of the Interstate Commission. CANADIAN PACIFIC PASSENGER TERMINAL AT VANCOUVER. Work is now under way on certain improvements in connection with the Canadian Pacific's passenger terminal at Vancouver, B. C. The present passenger station is at the foot of Granville street, near the shore line of Burrard inlet. The station was built about fourteen years ago, and, except for minor alterations, is unchanged from its original plan. The general waiting room and ticket offices are at the street level, and the baggage room is on the track level, which is about 30 ft. below the street. Along the water front, across the local freight yard tracks, are the steamship wharves. There are two large sheds on a jetty pier of recent construction used by the Trans-Pacific steamship lines; also five sheds adjoining the longitudinal wharves used by the Seattle, Victoria, Alaska, and other steamship lines of the Canadian Pacific. Between the wharf sheds and the passenger tracks adjoining the passenger station certain of the freight tracks serve the several sheds, and other tracks are used for switching and storage. The yard tracks extend along the harbor front about one and a half miles. The growth of Vancouver has rendered inadequate the present facilities for handling the terminal business of the railway company, and the general plan shown herewith has been adopted |