the proportion of fires completely dumped to those only cleaned. All real ash pit design requires that the amount of ashes to be handled shall be determined from definite knowledge of the proportion of engines of different types in service, and by real measurements of the amount of ashes from each of the principal types of engines with due regard to future requirements. With such information lacking, the capacity should be based upon not less than two yards, and preferably 21⁄2 yards of ashes per engine; and in the design of skips and hoppers to take all the ashes from any one engine, an allowance should be made of from two and onehalf to three cubic yards.

Economy of operation requires that the force of ash pit men be ine minimum that will take care of operating requirements during the rush hours, and that during other hours, this force be reduced as much as possible. Unwise efforts at economy often reduce the ash pit force to that number of men required under average conditions rather than under rush hour conditions, so that with many types of ash pits, there is a decided advantage in arrangements which do not require the removal of ashes until the rush hours of fire cleaning are over. This also indicates that a well designed and large capacity ash handling plant, of itself, does not assure quick and satisfactory service if it be not correctly and efficiently manned. From these conditions, it is evident that the features of any proposed ash pit layout should be carefully checked against the requirements of the power actually in service, for the grade of coal used, and for the operating conditions at the local terminal.

Essential Requirements of Ash Pit Designs and Layouts

The essential requirements, and their relative importance, for all ash pits and layout, are as follows:

(1) CAPACITY FOR HANDLING ENGINES.

(2) DEPENDABILITY OF OPERATION.
(3)

ECONOMY OF OPERATION.

Capacity for Handling Engines

By capacity is meant the ability to satisfactorily meet operating requirements during rush hours as measured by the number of engines which it is possible to handle. Engines arriving at a terminal and waiting to be handled over the ash pits, must not block yard leads and running tracks, block access to water columns, prevent certain engines from receiving preferred handling over the ash pits, or interfere unnecessarily with the switching of ash cars. Engines must be handled over the ash pit soon enough after arrival to allow time for the other terminal work without delaying the dispatching of trains. This must be true not only for the usual rush hours, but there must be enough reserve capacity to take care of the rush hour demands which will arise from whatever increased traffic or congested conditions may arise during the life of the particular ash pit, or else enough room must be left in the layout for a future expansion of ash pit facilities. Mere size or physical capacity of the pit must not be considered separately from that of operation by ash

pit forces which would be used, or could reasonably be expected to be used during rush hours. The importance of ample reserve capacity in the plant cannot be overstated. It outweighs all other considerations of type or economy. The failure of ash pit operations to function properly imperils every other feature of train movements, and such failure during periods of abnormally heavy traffic may in itself make the difference between handling a heavy business at great profit or at tremendous loss. Niggardliness in the layout of ash pit arrangements so far as it affects capacity has certainly, in many cases, proved very costly and uneconomical. The following features of track layouts are favorable to quick handling of engines over ash pits and should be provided wherever possible:

(1) At the approach to the ash pits there should be sufficient trackage to stand all engines which may arrive in fleets in rush hours and which cannot be immediately taken care of on the ash pit.

(2) Crossovers and other track connections should be provided, particularly to open yard or running tracks, to make it possible to give preferred attention to any engine regardless of its time of arrival, and to permit switching of loaded ash cars at most any time of day with a minimum interference with movement of engines over the ash pit.

(3) Except at minor terminals, two or more tracks should be provided over ash pits. Where three to five tracks are needed and can be provided, certain tracks often can be used for inbound or outbound engines according to the terminal requirements.

(4) The track layout should be such that engines may be moved off of the ash pit freely so soon as fires are cleaned, regardless of all other terminal work, particularly operations at the turntables. As often all engines on any one track will be moved off the pit at the same time in busy periods of the day, this requires each engine track to accommodate in the clear the same number of engines as constitutes the capacity per track of the pit.

(5) Where possible, track connections should be provided between the ash pit and turntable to allow movement of switch and other engines to clean fires and proceed outbound without using the turntable.

The capacity of an ash pit, as measured by the rate engines can be handled over it in rush hours, obviously is related directly to the time consumed in cleaning fires for the class of engines in service, condition of fires, kind of cleaning done and the extra time which engines stand idle on the pits waiting to be moved as determined by practical operating conditions. Real ash pit design requires that such matters should be definitely determined from observations of local conditions. With such information lacking, it may be assumed for average conditions that to clean one locomotive fire will require thirty minutes' work on the part of two men and that about fifteen minutes' idle time will occur before the engine is moved. In other words, assuming two men at work, an engine will be forty-five minutes on the ash pit. The usual range of time for the mere work of cleaning fires with two men, not counting idle time, is from twelve to forty-five minutes, and this time very rarely is less than six or more than seventy-five minutes.

The size of the ash pit force which will actually be used with any design can perhaps be estimated best from the usual practice throughout the country, which seems remarkably uniform. Reports submitted by various railroads indicate that at terminals handling from 60 to 300 engines per day, the force is quite uniformly at the rate of one 8-hour man to every five or six engines; at terminals handling 30 to 60 engines per day, the rate is one man to every four or five engines, and for terminals of less than 30 engines, a minimum force of six men is generally employed. It should be recognized that any reduction of ash pit forces below that number needed to take care of the rush hour conditions will render unsatisfactory the service obtained from any type of ash pit regardless of its physical capacity or how well it may have been designed to handle peak loads.

Dependability of Operation

The second essential requirement of all ash pits has been termed― "Dependability of Operation." This refers particularly to freedom from interrupted service due to labor supply or labor troubles, to breakdown of mechanical equipment, to delays from other terminal and yard work and to non-use of pit while undergoing repairs. This also refers to reliability of operation under extreme weather conditions, periods of traffic congestion as affecting supply of empty ash cars and switching of loaded ash cars, temporary breaks in power supply, etc. All successful operation of engine terminals and all efficient handling of train movements depends vitally upon known and dependable performance at the ash pit. It may not be so important at some terminals that engines be handled quickly over the ash pit, as it is that such handling of engines should be dependable and at a known rate. The greater the number of engines handled, the more serious are the results of breakdowns. Many officials seem to minimize the ill effects of breakdowns and seem willing to assume the slight risks of failure of mechanical equipment because of confidence in a well organized and efficient organization. It cannot be denied, however, that any breakdown in rush hours is apt to completely upset the efficiency of the entire terminal. There is, however, great latitude for difference of opinion and judgment about the relative importance of many features of construction and arrangements which are required mainly to increase dependability of operation and this difference of opinion, to a large extent, accounts for the common use of so many different kinds of ash pits.

It must be admitted, however, that other considerations being equal, the following features are favorable to dependability of operation and should be incorporated in ash pit designs or operations, so far as may be consistent:

(1) Work should be done mechanically, so far as possible, to reduce the force employed to a minimum or to make work easy and attractive to labor as an inducement to low wages or steady work. A man shoveling wet cinders in stormy weather is certain to take an easier job at the first opportunity.

(2) Uninterrupted service requires that for each class of labor there shall be substitutes always within reach.

(3) Spare parts of mechanical equipment should be kept on hand and, generally, no mechanical equipment should be used which cannot either be replaced or repaired quickly.

(4) Liberal storage space for ashes should be provided, as it is common knowledge that much of the dissatisfaction with the operation of certain types of ash pits is due to the accumulation of ashes and ash cars. At most terminals the switching of ash cars should not be necessary more than once a day. There is a decided advantage where ashes can be handled directly to a storage pile.

(5) The disposal of ashes should be so arranged as not to actually delay cleaning of locomotive fires and handling of engines over the pit.

Economy of Operation

Economy of ash pit operation is related primarily to the economical operation of the railroad as a whole. Time saved at the ash pit is time. available for power in revenue service. Ample and dependable ash pit service under all conditions is the essential economic requirement and not merely that the ash pit costs per engine be the lowest possible. However, the cost per engine is a very important consideration. At a sixty-engine terminal, a saving of 20 cents per engine means a yearly saving of $4,380.00. The real cost per engine should be considered as including operating costs, maintenance, interest on the investment and obsolescence. The life of the investment is often a vital consideration on account of the many changes being made in small and medium size terminals in an effort to meet the constantly growing demands incident to increase of traffic, the use of heavier and new types of power and the more exacting demands of modern railroad operation. With some types of ash pits there is very little salvage value, while with other types from one-third to one-half the investment can be saved if re-arrangement of facilities becomes necessary.

At all terminals the larger part of the cost of operating ash pits is the direct expense of cleaning fires, an item of cost which is largely independent of the type of pit or the means used for ash disposal. At small terminals the force of fire cleaners cannot be reduced below a certain minimum number, often between six and eight men per day, and even these men are idle a great part of the time unless other classes of work are required of them. At such terminals there is not much economy in mechanical equipment, unless, even with the use of such equipment, there is plenty of other work to keep the ash pit force busy and this work is of such a nature that it can be dropped at any time and thus not affect the dependability of either ash pit operations or other essential terminal work. At the larger terminals, where ash pit facilities are reasonably permanent, the actual daily cost of removing the ashes to cars is apt to be a fixed daily cost independent of the number of engines handled. Reports seem

to indicate that in most cases, crane operators and their helpers are not used so very much on other kinds of work and that, generally, the ash pit is charged with a day's expense for this force. As a result, deep and shallow water pits will show a cost of removing ashes into cars of 5c to 20c, dependent merely upon the number of engines handled. Some roads get economical results by using these men on other work, which is economical, provided such work does not affect the character of service given by the ash pit. Where mechanical coaling plants have ample storage and hoisting capacity, it is often possible for the same force to handle both the coaling plant and the ash disposal without delay to either class of work and without affecting dependability of service of either the coal chute or the ash pit.

Fixed charges per engine for many ash-handling plants vary from 10 to 30 cents. No very reliable figure can be given, as many plants in service do not have sufficient capacity, while other plants have 50 to 100 per cent excess capacity for existing needs, which would correspondingly increase fixed charges to be divided by the number of engines actually handled. In fact, any attempt to compare advantages and disadvantages of various types of pits on the basis of real total cost per engine handled will only lead to conclusions under a certain set of assumed conditions which may or may not represent actual operating conditions. As a general statement, it may be said that under conditions similar to those of 1920, if the labor payroll cost of cleaning fires and handling ashes into cars exceeds $1.00 per engine, then careful investigation should be made to establish the reason for the high cost. Many such costs are between 70 and 80 cents and some much lower. Reduced wages and increased efficiency should proportionately reduce these figures.

Recommendations Regarding Common Types of Ash Pits and Methods of Ash Disposal

(1) All ash pits should have water pipes conveniently arranged for quenching fire and for attachments of hand hose for use of fire cleaners on each side of each engine.

(2) In estimating ash storage, and deciding the required size of skips, hoppers, etc., the average amount of ashes per engine and the maximum amount for any one engine should be determined from a knowledge of local conditions. With such information lacking, the average amount of ashes per engine should be assumed as not less than two yards and preferably two and one-half yards; and in the design of skips and hoppers the maximum amount of ashes from any one engine should be assumed as not less than two and one-half yards and preferably three yards.

(3) Length of pits handling two engines per track should be from 11⁄2 to 134 times the length of a single engine, and length of pits handling three engines per track should be between 21⁄2 and 24 times the length of a single engine. The length of engine selected should suitably reflect existing and probable future operating needs.