For buildings of a higher grade, wood block floors, preferably of treated material, give excellent results. Asphalt blocks or mastic produce an excellent floor, but in some cases have not been found entirely satisfactory because of the detrimental effect of oil drippings around machines, and in locomotive shops. Concrete floors have in some cases been found to be undesirable because they lack the resiliency and dryness necessary for the comfort and health of men employed constantly in shop buildings, and tools or finished machine parts are frequently damaged by falling on them. Where concrete floors are used it is found that workmen frequently provide themselves with wooden platforms to work upon. These are objectionable as dirt collectors, they get oil soaked and produce a fire hazard. Concrete floors have been found to be satisfactory in erecting shops. Paint Shops. In passenger car paint shops a concrete floor seems to meet all requirements satisfactorily and it is doubtful if circumstances would justify the use of a more expensive type of floor. In freight car shops, where paint is sprayed on, a floor of cinders is suitable. The use of concrete floors in paint shops or any other shop where tracks run into the building makes it necessary to provide a permanent type of track construction so as to avoid frequent damage to the floors when making track repairs. Freight Car Repair Shops. Wood floors can be used if something better than cinders is desired and if provision has to be made for trucking material between tracks, but if material is handled by overhead cranes cinders will produce a very satisfactory floor. Store Houses. Concrete floors are satisfactory and are in common use, but for locations where very heavy material is handled wood block is to be preferred. In small store houses, at outlying points, the ordinary wood plank floor meets all requirements. Oil Houses. Because of the necessity for fireproof construction concrete is the only flooring suitable for oil houses. Carpenter Shops. In carpenter shops where considerable bench work is done wood plank floors are desirable because of the comfort to workmen which they afford. Concrete floors in such buildings are easily kept clean and for this reason are sometimes used. Office Buildings. Office buildings of the better class should have oak, maple or dense pine floors as indicated by the use for which the various rooms are intended. For hallways and toilets terrazzo, mosaic, tile or some kind of a sanitary composition floor is to be preferred, provided the importance of the building warrants the expenditure. For office buildings of lesser importance floors will naturally be of composition, concrete or pine. If concrete is used it is desirable to cover it with linoleum or cocoa matting for added comfort to employees. Passageways between desks may be covered with rubber runners. Passenger Stations. In large city stations and in suburban stations of importance, terrazzo, mosaic, tile or some high grade type of composition floor is generally accepted as best meeting the requirements. In such locations the architectural suitability of the floor is of as much importance as its wearing qualities. For ramps, a non-slip wearing surface is essential. For second grade stations and for small stations at outlying points, concrete or wood floors are commonly used and give entire satisfaction. In stations where concrete or terrazzo floors are used a wood floor should be provided in the ticket office. Signal Towers. Floors in signal towers are to a certain extent dependent upon the style of construction of the building and may be of concrete, composition or wood. Concrete floors are not desirable where there is electrical machinery unless a dense, hard, permanent surface can be obtained to prevent dusting. FREIGHT HOUSE DESIGN A STUDY OF THE PRINCIPAL FACTORS WHICH GOVERN THE DESIGN OF THE LEVEL L.C.L. FREIGHT HOUSES HUGO FILIPPI, Sub-Committee. Introduction. While generally recognized the importance of adequate and correctly designed terminal facilities as a measure of economical operation has only in recent years been given the careful consideration which the question deserves. In the past, the problem of L.C.L. freight house design has been largely attended by a series of approximations and by comparison with existing freight houses through which substantially the same tonnage was being handled. Only too frequently the size of the house has been determined arbitrarily and the lack of careful planning has made itself manifest immediately upon completion of the structure. L.C.L. freight facilities, particularly in large cities, are rapidly assuming an important position from a property investment standpoint. It is, therefore, of prime importance that this problem be given the closest possible study, to the end that the freight houses of the future may be properly and economically designed, not only in so far as such design affects the actual physical operation of receiving or stowing the freight, but also that the entire plant may be the result of a preconceived plan which will allow for expansion due to reasonable growth in business and one in which each factor has been carefully considered and given proper weight. It should be recognized at the outset that the problem of freight house design involves more than a simple consideration of those individual factors which are related to the house design alone. A satisfactory solution must necessarily include a critical study of existing freight conditions and a broad vision as to probable future developments. General Considerations. L.C.L. freight consists of several distinct classes, each of which must be received in a particular manner and handled without delay. In the larger terminal these classes are generally as follows: house in cars, unloaded, Freight for city delivery L.C.L. inbound freight is received at the checked and placed on the floor of the house. is held on the floor until called for by consignee, while freight for industries and for connecting lines (and in some instances for the outbound house) is loaded into transfer cars or vehicles for delivery to proper destination. Outbound House Operation. Freight delivered to the outbound house by vehicle is received at the doors, checked, weighed, routed and loaded on house trucks for movement into proper cars in the outbound setting. Car transfer freight (freight from industries and connecting lines) is received either on house tracks or at a separate transfer platform adjacent to the outbound house setting. After the freight has been received, movement into the proper car is accomplished either by use of hand trucks or, in the case of long houses, by placing on 4-wheel trucks made up into trains and handled by motors directly into or opposite the proper car where it is to be stowed. Character of Business Handled. A careful study of the general manner in which L.C.L. freight is received and forwarded draws attention to the necessity of determining the volume of each class of freight to be handled. While all the classes indicated above will not be found applicable to smaller freight houses, it is evident that in the design of large terminals all of these must be considered. The relation in tons of each class of freight to the total tonnage handled is, therefore, an important, consideration. A study of the business handled at a large freight terminal in Chicago developed the following approximate relations: INBOUND HOUSE Door Freight-City delivery, plus delivery to connecting lines by vehicle 70% Car Transfer Freight-Delivery to industries and connecting lines.. 25% 5% Total 100% OUTBOUND HOUSE Door Freight-City receipt, plus delivery from connecting lines by vehicle 40% Car Transfer Freight-Received from connecting lines and industries 50% Freight received by other means. 10% Total 100% The above example is given merely as an illustration of the manner in which the data preliminary to design should be prepared and the percentages indicated should be understood as applying to this freight terminal only. Growth of Business. The next step lies in a determination of the probable future growth of business to be provided for in the design of the facilities. This problem is exceedingly complex owing to the number of variable factors involved, such as changes in industrial conditions, possible unification of terminals, changes in routing, pooling of shipments to make carloads, possible development of waterways, etc., but a careful study of past growth will do much to reveal the probable future tendency. Mr. E. H. Lee, Vice-President of the Association, states in his excellent paper, "Notes on L.C.L. Freight Houses," Volume 15, page 364, that "the L.C.L. business is at present growing at the rate of about 5 per cent a year. It, therefore, doubles every fifteen (15) years." While this statement is quite general, it has been found to reflect the average conditions throughout the country. Whether the future growth will continue at this rate is highly problematical and it seems probable that the rate must decrease as the development of the country becomes more complete. The application of such a high rate of increase to the business growth at the average freight house results in such generous provision in capacity that its use for design purposes, however, must be questioned. |