THE IKBIOATION AGE. 



219 



officials unknown to the men ami by the constant impression-* 

 wniCii are made upon tne employes' minds in the routine 

 Ijertormance of their duties. They all fully appreciate the 

 penalty of a careless error. 



The most successful and logical mechanical means of 

 assisting the train and enginemen to a proper performance 

 of their duties is the electric automatic block signals, wniCii 

 have been the means of practically eliminating wrecks on 

 railroads where they are employed; that is, wrecks caused 

 by running into other trains, open switches or derailments 

 due to rails in the track ahead being badly broken or miss- 

 ing. 



We will suppose the contingency has arisen where the 

 dispatcher has put out an improper meeting order between 

 two trains, or the operator has forgotten to stop one of the 

 trains to deliver the order, or the engineer and conductor of 

 the train have both forgotten it after receiving same, and 

 they "tear" by .at full speed the station at which they are to 

 meet the other train. If the road were not equipped with 

 signals and the night a foggy or stormy one, the two trains 

 might pile up around some curve or at the bottom of a 

 slippery hill; but with the automatic signals the engineer's 

 attention will be called to danger ahead at least twice before 

 lie readies the point where such danger exists. Hence a 

 wreck would be averted by these automatic never-sleeping 

 watch dogs which would otherwise have resulted from the 

 susceptibility of the human mind to oversights. 



The function of the signals is now understood the next 

 question is how do they accomplish this? To make it plain, 

 it will first be necessary to review a few of the basic princi- 

 ples of electricity. The most of us are aware that electrical 

 force consists of a current, which, to manifest itself, must 

 be carried in continuous flow from and to its point of origin 

 by means of wire or other conductors. Various useful and 

 wonderful things can be accomplished when this current 

 passes through instruments constructed for the purpose of 

 utilizing same lights can be made to burn, motors to run, 

 etc. Motors are the outcome of the magnetic force of elec- 

 tricity. This magnetism is secured by winding a quantity 

 of insulated wire around a piece of soft iron and passing a 

 current of electricity through the wire. 



The most widely used form of electric signal consists of 

 a hollow iron pole about twenty-five feet high, at the base of 

 which is located an iron box containing the mechanism which 

 operates an arm from a position at right angles to the pole 

 to one in which the arm is inclined downward at an angle 

 of aliout sixty degrees, the power being furnished by a motor, 

 the electric current for which is supplied by storage bat- 

 teries. 



On railroads employing what is called the "Normally 

 Clear Position" for the signal arm (see diagram I) the electric 

 current passes through the motor constantly until such time 

 as the signal is required to perform its function of warning 

 for danger, when the current is shut off automatically, as I 

 shall later explain, and the signal arm falls by gravity, im- 

 pelled by weight of the metal casting shown in the illustra- 

 tion, to a position of "danger" (see diagram I). The current 

 remains shut off as long as conditions on the track, such as 

 a train running over it, a broken rail, etc., require protec- 

 tion, after which the current is again automatically turned 

 on and the motor furnishes the power which is required to 

 pull the signal down to the "clear" position (see diagram I). 

 This is all controlled through what is known as the 

 "track circuit." the simplest form of which, on single track, 

 is described as follows: 



Every mile or so are located track batteries which supply 

 current to the track circuit. In this distance are located two 

 signals one "home" or "stop" signal and the other a "dis- 

 tant" or "run with caution" signal (see diagram I). Each 

 of these signals has its own power motor, as I have de- 

 scribed. One of the conductors for the track circuit is 

 furnished by one of the rails; the return conductor by the 

 other rail. When the track is not occupied by a train or is 

 not otherwise unsafe for passage of trains, the electricity is 

 passing in continuous flow through the two rails in the track 

 to a magnet (or relay), which is thus energized in such a 

 way as to draw toward it by magnetism a piece of metal 

 which forms part of the conductor for a separate current 

 which actuates the motor in the signal box. As long as this 

 piece of metal is held in this position the current can pass 

 continuously into the motor, which in turn holds the signal 

 blade in the "clear" position. Electricity always seeks by the 

 path of least resistance and the shortest route to return to 

 the source from which it emanates. The track circuit ar- 

 rangement affords a path which has in it less resistance than 

 for the electricity to pass through the magnet or relay above 

 described, and that is, through a train which short-circuits 

 or returns the current to the battery before it has a chance 

 to get to the relay magnet. The magnet is thus de-energized; 

 it no longer has magnetism; the piece of soft iron drops 

 away from it, and the conductor for the current which runs 

 the motor is broken and the signal arm is pulled by gravity 

 to a horizontal position signifying "stop." or "caution," de- 

 pending on whether a "home" or "caution" signal. The track 

 current passing through the relay magnet Is not short-cir- 

 cuited in the case of a broken rail instead the continuous 

 conductor has been parted by the crack in the rail, and s 

 the current is too weak to cross this crack the current does 

 not continue to pass through the relay magnet, consequently 

 no magnetism is caused and the same action takes place as 

 I have described. In the protection of an open main line 

 switch the circuit is so arranged that when the switch is open 

 the circuit is broken, thus causing the signals to assume a 

 protective position. 



Ordinarily, on double track every "home" signal has a 

 "caution" signal syncronized with it so as to work In con- 

 junction with same: that is. whenever there Is a "home" 

 signal indicating "stop." a half a mile or so ahead of it there 

 Is a "distant" signal indicating "caution." to enable tb,e 

 engineer to shut off on speed and be prepared to stop wher 



he reaches the "stop" signal. It is for this purpose that the 

 wire line you may see strung along the track is required. 



A train on single track has at least one "stop" signal, 

 and sometimes two, in front of it and to the rear, which must 

 be passed by another train before the two can get together. 

 A train on double track has at least one "stop" and one 

 "caution" signal to the rear giving "danger" indications. 

 Therefore, it will be seen that a train traveling over an 

 electric block signaled line is always surrounded with these 

 ever-vigilant sentinels which make it virtually impossible for 

 them to come in contact with other trains, open switches, 

 broken rails, etc. 



A summary of the indications given by automatic elec- 

 tric signals is as follows: 



Any arm Inclined downward, "proceed." 



A red arm in horizontal position, "stop." 



A yellow arm in horizontal position, "proceed with cau- 

 tion." 



A green light, "proceed." 



A red light, "stop." 



A yellow light, "proceed with caution." 



' When the protection which is in this manner given the 

 traveler is thought about, an idea suggests itself. In addi- 

 tion to the efforts our law-making bodies are exerting to pro- 

 mote safety on railroads, which, although conscientious, are 

 often badly misdirected and actually have an effect diamet- 

 rically opposite from ttiat intended, each individual traveler, 



Union Pacific Depot and Park. Columbus, Neb. 



who values his life or limb, caii constitute himself a legis- 

 lator for safer transportation by patronizing the lines which 

 are protected with automatic signals, gradually forcing the 

 other lines to install them or lose business. It is rather by 

 increasing the earning capacity of a railroad than by cur- 

 tailing it by improper laws that the most good can be wrought 

 for immunity from accidents, because efficient safeguards 

 cost enormous sums of money. Then, too, it is patent that a 

 railroad which is up to date enough to install electric signal- 

 ing also affords the acme of comfort in everything else. 



ENGINEER HENNY RESIGNS. 



Mr. D. C. Henny, consulting engineer of the United 

 States Reclamation Service, at Portland, Oregon, and 

 formerly of California, has tendered his resignation in 

 order to accept a more lucrative practice on general con- 

 sulting work. 



At the director's recommendation he .has, however, 

 consented to continue his formal connection with the 

 service on a per diem basis as consulting engineer, to be 

 available occasionally for consultation by the reclama- 

 tion service on matters with which he is familiar. 



Mr. Henny joined the United States Reclamation 

 Service and was placed in charge of Northern Oregon 

 and Washington as supervising engineer. The Umatilla, 

 Tieton and Sunnyside projects were designed and largely 

 constructed under his supervision. The supervisory terri- 

 tory was enlarged in 1906 to include all of Oregon and 

 northern California and in 1907 to include Nevada. Besides 

 canal systems, numerous earth, crib and masonry dams 

 were designed and built under his supervision. 



