Santa Fe Gets Some Relief from ICC Signaling Order

0 F T H E NEWS Month Burlington Petition Denied er, signal supervisor, Baltimore & Ohio, the work of three signal gangs, one oper with headquarters at Spring Grove ating out of Ft. vVorth, Tex., the second The Interstate Commerce Commission has 2815 Avenue, Cincinnati, is secretary of the out of Ranger and the third out of Long issued a decision denying a petition of the club. view. Thirty-four switches were equipped Chicago, Burlington & Quincy to operate its with electri~ locks as of the first of July, Denver Zephyr trains between Lincoln, The Signal Section, A.A.R., will hold its and approximately 60 were completed by Neb., and Denver, Colo., 483 mi., at speeds annual meeting at the Edgewater Beach the end of the month, which is about half in excess of 80 m.p.h. without installing Hotel, Chicago, September 12-14. The pro of the 160 and some odd number the sig automatic train stop, train control or cab gram will include reports of 12 standing nal department hopes to have in service signaling In its report, the commission committees and addresses by the chair by October 1. Some, but not all, switches comments that, "the record does not war man; L. S. Werthmuller, signal engineer between Texarkana and Mineola and be rant any modification of our order of June of the Missouri Pacific; F. S. Schwinn, tween Ft. Worth and Abilene will be 17, 1947. It is apparent, considering the time assistant chief engineer, Missouri Pacific equipped with locks by that date, accord table schedules, that the relief sought is not and J. H. Aydelott, vice-president, oper ing to the railroad. necessary to maintain existing schedules but ations and maintenance department, Asso is primarily to afford an opportunity to ciation of American Railroads. Concur F.C.C. Dismisses Petition make up about 40 min. lost time, and that rent with the meeting, an exhibit will be if the maximum speed were reduced to less held in the hotel by 24 manufacturers. Following request, on June 27, of the than 80 m.p.h. the schedules would have to Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, the Balti be lengthened very little if at all." The Communications Section, A.A.R., more & Ohio, the Erie, the Gulf, Mobile Commissioner Miller dissented from the will hold its annual meeting at the Went & Ohio, the Missouri-Kansas-Texas, the decision to deny the Burlington's petition. worth - by - the - Sea Hotel, Portsmouth, Seaboard Air Line and the Association of N. H., September 27-29. The program American Railroads, in behalf of its mem Cincinnati Signal Club will include reports of all the nine stand bers, the Federal Communications Com The Cincinnati Railway Signal Club ing committees in addition to technical mission, on June 29, dismissed without has resumed an active status for exten papers on three subjects: (1) polyethy prejudice their petition of May 26 to va sion of educational service to the members lene cable; (2) transistors and (3) micro cate the commission's order of April 27 on various railroads and terminal com wave rad1o relay as applicable to railroad or reopen the proceedings, insofar as they panies in the Greater Cincinnati Area. operations. Concurrent with the meeting relate to a reduction in the number of At a recent meeting attended by nearly several manufacturers will hold exhibits frequencies allocated to the Railroad Ra-· 60 members, an illustrated lecture on the of communications equipment. dio Service (See page 441, July issue, installation and maintenance of insulated Railway Signaling and C om.munications). wires and cables was presented by J. W. The Texas & Pacific has announced In their request of June 27, the foregoing Hackett of the Okonite Company. Next that the first phase of a program of in railroads and the A.A.R., said that they meeting of the club is scheduled for Sep stalling electric locks on all main-line did "not wish to be understood either as tember. An accompanying picture shows hand-throw switches in automatic block admitting the adequacy of the frequency the members of the executive committee territory is almost half completed. The allocation to the Railroad Radio Service of the club and three guests. J. W. Kunk- program, as is now hmctioning, entails resulting from the commission's order of April 27, or as waiving their right, at any appropriate time in the future, to seek the allocation to the Railroad Radio Service of such additional frequencies as the needs of such service and the public in terest may require." No reason for with drawal of their petition of May 26 was given by the petitioners in their request of June 27. Santa Fe Gets Some Relief From I.C.C. Signaling Order The Interstate Commerce Commission has issued an order granting some parts and denying other parts of a petition of the A.T.&S.F. for relief from I.C.C. order is sued June 17, 1947 which, among other things, requires automatic train-stop, train control or cab signaling on lines where Executive Board of the Cincinnati Railway Signal Club trains are operated at speed of 80 m.p.h. Seated left to right-A. R. Lewis, assistant supervisor, Norfolk & West or more. ern; ]. T. Rowe, signal foreman, Baltimore & Ohio; R. F. Thompson, The commission granted the Santa Fe chief clerk, Baltimore & Ohio; H. J. Burkley, superintendent motive power, relief of another year beyond December 31, Baltimore & Ohio; H. A. Hudson, superintendent signals & electrical, 1951, within which to complete its program Southern; and C. E. Persinger, signal supervisor, Chesapeake & Ohio. in compliance with the order. The commis Standing left to right-H. M. Dryden, signal supervisor, retired, Baltimore sion postponed, "until further order of the & Ohio;]. P. Hopton, signal supervisor, Cincinnati Union Terminal, J. W. commission," the requirement of the order Kunker, signal supervisor, Baltimore & Ohio; A. M. Gilbert, chief inspec insofar as it calls for installation of auto tor, New York Central; J. W. Hackett, Okonite Company; E. A. Griffith, matic train-stop, train-control or cab signal Okonite Company: and S. Vv. Pollock, Okonite Company. (Continued on page 524) 522 RAILWAY SIGNALING and COMMUNICATIONS August, 1949 devices on Santa Fe freight locomotives, This petition was denied by the commission. the two ends of freight trains. Installa and the commission exempted the Santa Fe Commissioner Miller concurred in part tion of the electrical equipment is under from the use of the commission's definitions with the decision as follows, "I concur in way, and will be progressed as fast as the of "medium speed" and "low (restricted) this report except that I would grant the sending and receiving equipment is de speed." modification sought by the petitioners as to livered to the railroad. In order to deter The extra year to complete the required the operation of passenger trains between mine the most efficient equipment, the rail installations was granted by the commission Barstow and Mojave, Bakersfield and road will make exhaustive tests on all on the basis of the Santa Fe's showing that Stockton, and Santa Ana and Sorrento. divisions and under all weather condi it would be "sound economics" to complete tions. The tests will be under the direction first the centralized traffic control now under R.R. Radio Paying Off of R. W. Troth, superintendent communi way on its 73.8 mi. between Canyon, Tex., Use of two-way radio by the railroads cations and signals. and Texico, N. M., and that planned on during 1949 has registered a 400 per cent The Union Pacific has announced that 106.8 mi. between Wellington, Kan., and jump over last year, and the evidence is it will spend $1,568,820 for the installation Waynoka, Okla. becoming increasingly clear that only of 142 miles of continuous automatic cab In postponing until further order the re through radio communication can the signal circuits and the replacement of the quirement to install train-stop, train control railroads achieve full efficiency, according remaining semaphore signals with color or cab signal devices on freight locomotives to Paul V. Galvin, president of Motorola, lights, between Summit, Neb. (Omaha). on the Santa Fe, the commission said that Inc., in Chicago. "In this day of high and Grand Island. With the completion while installation on passenger locomotives operating costs," Mr. Galvin stated, "two of this job, automatic cab signals \vil! be only "will not give the maximum protec way radio can mean the difference be in use on 75.5 miles of the 812 miles of tion," they will "afford greater protection tween a railroad running in the red, and double-track main line between Summit for all movements except where a freight one showing a profit. Today, two-way and Green River, Wyo. train overtakes a stopped passenger train." radio has definitely proven itself for both The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & An automatic train-control system has train and yard and terminal use." While Pacific has placed an order with the been in service for years on 175.4 mi. of the most railroads now have excellent com Union Switch & Signal Company for the Santa Fe between Pequot, Ill., and Ft. Mad munication between wayside points, Mr. necessary material to install automatic ison, Ia. The Santa Fe requested that it Galvin pointed out, experience has shown permissive block signaling on approxi be exempt from that part of the order with that with the advent of Diesel-electric mately 41 miles of single-track line be respect to definitions of "medium speed" freight engines and the consequent length tween ] anesville, Wis., and Madison, in and "slow (restricted) speed" so that it ening of trains, the 80 to 90 per cent of volving searchlight signals, rdays, switch may continue its present speeds and not be train messages that take place between circuit controllers, rectifiers, t'ransformers compelled to change the medium speed set the conductor and engineer have become and housings.

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