a floor is fairly permanent, sanitary, easy to keep clean, and the type of construction used fits in well with the building foundation. Its disadvantages are failure of the wearing surface, especially at expansion joints, and an unyielding surface which occasionally produces complaints from truckers. Expansion joints should be as few as possible and located outside of the heavily used surface wherever practical.

In locations where concrete floors are for any reason not considered satisfactory, some different type of wearing surface, such as wood or asphalt blocks or asphalt mastic, may be laid on a concrete foundation. This type of construction adds materially to the first cost.

Transfer Platforms.

If of wooden construction, floors on transfer platforms should be laid with the planking parallel to the line of trucking traffic, unless iron plates are used for a trucking runway, when they may be laid at right angles if the construction of the sub-structure requires. However, when plates are used repairs can be made much more easily if planks are laid longitudinally.

Where trucking traffic is not too heavy concrete floors are in some cases used, and for extremely heavy traffic a concrete base with wood or asphalt block or mastic wearing surface is used.

Freight Storage Houses.

For freight storage houses, which are usually of fireproof construction, concrete floors are generally approved.

Freight Piers.

Floors on freight piers must of necessity largely conform to the style of construction used in the pier. They should be fire-resisting and in many cases must have flexibility enough to take up the vibration caused by boats being moved along the pier.

Engine Houses.

For minor houses, where not many running repairs are made, especially houses of frame construction, a floor of clean engine cinders, well compacted, is sufficient to meet all requirements.

For houses of more importance concrete or brick give excellent results.

For houses of a still higher grade, a floor of brick or creosoted wood block on a concrete base is recommended.

Asphalt floors, either mastic or block, are not recommended for engine houses since the action of steam and oil is likely to cause their failure. Blacksmith Shops.

Cinder floors are preferred in all cases.

Machine Shops.

In small frame buildings a wood plank floor, of thickness to correspond with severity of service it has to withstand, is commonly accepted as good practice.

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.

A

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.

Appendix D

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