Conservation Commission 81 



better conditions than the same inspections in 1912, probably 

 owing to the fact that numerous inspections were made during the 

 winter in repair shops, while the locomotives were undergoing 

 general repairs. 



The policy inaugurated in 1912 of holding conferences with 

 the railroad officials for correcting defective designs of locomotives 

 and of requiring minor defects to be corrected at once, was fol- 

 lowed during 1913. Defects of design arc becoming fewer. Many 

 improvements were made during the winter of 1912-1913 and 

 more are being planned for this winter. Minor defects, such as 

 torn spark arrester netting, defective slides, etc., are repaired 

 promptly in the roundhouses. 



It is, perhaps, superfluous to state that inspections of " front 

 ends " can only be made when locomotives are out of service, for 

 the tires must be drawn and the engines allowed to cool. De- 

 fective ash pans, on the other hand, can often be detected by an 

 examination of the locomotive while it is in service. 



Special attention has been given during the present year to in- 

 spection of locomotives in service. Men have been stationed at 

 points where a large number of trains must stop for water or 

 other purposes, and each locomotive has been carefully examined. 

 Tn this manner many minor defects have been discovered and 

 reported to the railroads. 



For a number of years it has been known that in many in- 

 stances where locomotives were equipped with suitable fire pro- 

 tective devices the advantages of this equipment were lost, be- 

 cause the engine crews failed to keep the appliances in proper 

 condition. A common example of this neglect was the operation 

 of locomotives with ash pan slides left partly open, permitting 

 coals to fall out of the pan to the right of way. In this way an 

 engine crew could render worthless the most excellent protective 

 devices. 



Inspection of locomotives in service has enabled the Depart- 

 ment to make great progress in reducing this evil. As fast as 

 cases of neglect on the part of the engine crews were discovered 

 they were reported to the proper railroad official. The condition 

 of affairs was discussed and the folly of allowing the ermine 

 crows to absolutely destroy the value of the protective appliances 

 was pointed out. As a result, most of the railroad men have co- 



