Page images
PDF
EPUB

The decks of wooden bridges shall be protected from fires starting from hot coals dropped from locomotives, preferably by adopting Lallasted deck trestles; otherwise, by covering the deck with rust resisting sheet metal or covering the stringers and caps with rust resisting sheet metal.

When ties or other timbers are exposed, all decayed timber shall be kept trimmed off.

All brush and weeds shall be kept cut down for a distance of at least twenty-five feet from the bridge, both underneath and on the embankment at the ends of the bridge. Also all sod shall be removed from under timber bridges for a distance of three feet outside of the timber.

Water barrels with buckets shall be maintained on all timber bridges. one barrel each for structures up to 50 feet long and one additional barrel for each additional 150 feet.

On long bridges it is advisable to protect the bridge by introducing fire barriers at intervals of about 400 feet. This will reduce the hazard by preventing loss of the entire structure in case of fire.

Special fire fighting apparatus and watchman shall be employed in unusual cases where conditions warrant.

Bibliography on Fireproofing Trestles

Fire Protection on Wooden Bridges and Trestles. Report of Committee.
Proceedings, A.R.E.A., 1913, pp. 690-697.

Fireproofing for Wooden Bridges. Report of Committee and discussions.
Proceedings, Am. Ry. B. and B. Assn., 1911, pp. 47-81.
Fire Resisting Coatings for Timber. Report of Committee and discus-
sions. Proceedings, Am. Ry. B. and B. Assn., 1912, pp. 37-42.
Railway Fire Protection Equipment. Report of Committee and discus-
sions. Proceedings, Am. Ry. B. and B. Assn., 1919, pp. 131-138.
Fire Protection on all classes of bridges and trestles. Report of
Committee and discussions. Proceedings, Railway Fire Protection
Assn., 1920, pp. 40-49.

A Manual on Fire Protection for Railroad Properties. Recommendations for safeguarding the fire hazard at track and overhead bridges. United States Railroad Administration Bulletin No. 8, 1919, p. 94. Discussion of paper on Fire Proofing. Transactions A.S.C.E., Vol. 65, 1909, p. 274.

Fire Protection and Prevention on Railroads, W. H. Hoyt. Bulletin Affiliated Engineering Societies of Minnesota, Vol. 5, May, 1919. Preliminary work in Fireproofing Wood by R. E. Price. American Wood Preservers Association, June, 1914.

Discussion of Inventions for rendering wood fireproof. California Journal of Technology, September, 1909.

Maintenance of Way and Structures, p. 294, by Wm. C. Willard (1915). How wood is destroyed by fire and most effective methods of fireproofing, by James Scott. Railway Engineer, November, 1916.

Watch the Wooden Bridge (Editorial). Railway Maintenance Engineer, September, 1918, p. 289.

Different types of fireproofing for wooden trestles, by Wm. H. Sellew. Railway Maintenance Engineer, 1915, p. 62.

Report of Committee, Am. Ry. B. and B. Assn. on Fire Protection of Bridges and Trestles. Railway Maintenance Engineer, November, 1919.

Protection of Wooden Bridges from Fire, from report of Amer. Ry. Fire Protection Association. Railway Maintenance Engineer, January, 1920, p. 29.

Report of unusual fire on N. C. & S. L. bridge, p. 335-337; A Fire Wall for Trestle Bridges, p. 332. Railway Maintenance Engineer, September, 1921.

Protection of temporary bridges against fire, from report of Operating Officers Association of the C. & N. W. Ry. Railway Age Gazette, May 19, 1911, p. 1173.

Protection of Wooden Bridges from Fire. Railway Age Gazette, December 15, 1911.

[blocks in formation]

To the American Railway Engineering Association:

Of the seven subjects assigned to it the report of your Committee, submitted herewith for your consideration, covers the following:

(2) Methods for increasing the traffic capacity of a railway. (3) The effect of speed of trains upon the cost of operation. (4) Methods for analyzing costs for the solution of special problems with which this Committee is concerned.

(6) The economical operation of trains against the current of traffic on multiple track railroads.

(7) Begin the study of methods for the determination of proper allowances for maintenance of way expenses due to increased use and increased investment, collaborating with Committee on Records and Accounts.

The Committee has not been able to complete the work assigned to it, with the exception of Subject No. 6. This subject has been very fully covered by the Sub-Committee, with the assistance of the members of the Association. The report is contained in Appendix "D," with definite recommendations.

Considerable study has been given by a Sub-Committee to Subject No. 5, "The feasibility and economy of through routing of solid trains and its effect on the capacity of terminals," but the Sub-Committee is unable to report this year. It is hoped that the result of the investigation of this subject will appear in the report of this Committee for the year 1923.

Reports of Sub-Committees on Subjects 2, 3, 4 and 7 are contained in Appendices "A," "B" and "C."

Attached as Appendix "E" is a report comparing the operation of one-engine and two-engine trains with three-engine trains, over the west end of the Cumberland Division of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.

The result of these tests is of some interest to operating officers having to operate mountain grades with heavy tonnage movements. The report was prepared by Mr. J. E. Teal, member of the Committee, and is published for the information of the Association.

ACTION RECOMMENDED

1. That the conclusions of the Committee given in Appendix D, relating to the economical operation of trains against the current of traffic on multiple track railways, be approved and published in the Manual.

Recommendations for Future Work

The Committee recommends the reassignment of Subjects Nos. 2, 4, 5 and 7.

Respectfully submitted,

THE COMMITTEE ON ECONOMICS OF
RAILWAY OPERATION,

L. S. ROSE, Chairman.

[blocks in formation]

Last year the report of this Sub-Committee dealt in part with a few of the physical elements which more or less determine the capacity of a railroad. The discussion was largely academic and requires results of actual operations to prove its value. For this reason the Sub-Committee undertook to collect data on the physical characteristics of a number of different roads and the traffic which was being handled, for the purpose of noting to what extent the theory was applicable to practical operation. Replies to a questionnaire have been received covering the characteristics and operating data of 23 operating districts. Every case presents an interesting problem, but most of them are so complex that it has not been possible to show the application of the principles to each one.

It has, therefore, been decided to use one or two of the simpler cases which have been worked up to develop the theoretical discussion a step or two farther so that next year wider applications of the theory can be made. That is to say: Next year it is proposed to show the application of these principles to the economic development of a railroad taking into account the growth of traffic through various stages, requiring changes in motive power, additional running tracks, grade revision, signals, etc., and to attempt to show the effects of these changes upon capital expenditures and operating expenses.

NOTES ON THE DETERMINATION OF THE TRAFFIC CAPACITY OF SINGLE AND MULTIPLE TRACK RAILWAYS (SECOND PAPER)

It was pointed out in the discussion last year that traffic capacity refers to the tonnage which can be moved regularly over a given arrangement of tracks in a given time. It depends on track capacity and operating methods. The latter are influenced by ruling grades, size of equipment, character of service, etc.

Track Capacity theoretically is fixed by the arrangement of tracks and passing sidings, and is measured in terms of train-hours per day (or month) per mile of line (or per division). It is based on the assumption that the arrangement of tracks is laid out for perfect operation and that full use is obtained of all passing sidings or other track facilities. In actual operation the arrangement of tracks is not always the best and it cannot be expected that train operations will be perfect, consequently full use will not be obtained from all of the passing sidings and track facilities.

« PreviousContinue »