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World Railways 1954-1955 Third Edition by Henry Sampson Hard Cover Lots of ads.
World Railways Third Edition 1954-1955 by Henry Sampson Hard Cover Lots of ads. 462 pages
This, the third edition of World Railways, makes its appearance just two years after publication of the second edition. Changed in format and shape and re-designed so as to record more fully the latest developments and trends in rail transportation, it is better able to fill the dual role of being a comprehensive worldwide survey of the railway industry, both operating and manufacturing, and a basis from which future requirements may be assessed. Although so much more information has been included, the space saved by omitting the older motive power and rolling stock, which were adequately covered and can be referred to in the earlier editions, has made room for an augmented railway section and the inclusion of several entirely new sections-Underground Railways, Motive Power and Rolling Stock Manufacturers, Diesel Engines, and descriptive articles-all in one volume containing 462 pages of actual text matter, plus index, notes and foreword, and including 165 maps,112 diagrams, and 340 photographs.
Details given of more than 1,500 railways in 108 different countries have been brought up to date and expanded to include, wherever possible, the latest available financial and traffic figures; additional information on track design and construction including super-elevation and gauge widening; climatological data; a large number of maps, including many new and re-drawn; and more than double the number of fixed and moving structure gauge diagrams. This railway section occupies the first 310 pages of the book.
The section on Underground Railways which follows gives all relevant data on the existing systems including maps, together with notes on new lines proposed for early construction. The continual increase in the number of passengers requiring rapid transport into and out of the larger towns and cities throughout the world, particularly at peak travel periods, combined with the growing congestion of surface transport which is becoming a daily feature of urban travel, is compelling municipal authorities to turn to the only available alternative-underground railways. Existing systems are being extended, or plans formulated to that end, to cope with the constantly increasing traffic, and new railways are being built. The details given cover 32 systems in 20 countries.
In order to give deserved prominence to the part played by the manufacturing side of the industry, a section of 86 pages is included containing details of the composition and activities of 170 builders of motive power and of passenger and freight cars throughout the world. Their most recent and important products are illustrated and described, and it is interesting to note how frequently the words "diesel power" and "lightweight materials" occur. Most of the world's major locomotive and rolling-stock manufacturers are included, but there are some omissions due to the fact that the required information was not available at press date.
One of the major features of modern rail transportation is the growing application of diesel power to locomotives and self-propelled railcars. As readily-accessible information about individual diesel engines is not generally available, the fourth section of World Railways consists of technical descriptions with tabular data and illustrations of the products of 46 companies who build diesel engines specifically for rail traction purposes. A total of 270 diesel engines is dealt with in this way, the information being presented in a standard form so that instant reference may be made to any particular component. Most of the well-known diesel engine builders are included, but, as in the case of the manufacturers mentioned in the previous paragraph, there are some omissions.
To complete the book there are four illustrated articles describing developments of topical interest in different specialised fields of rail transportation: Air-conditioning for Passenger Cars, a feature to which railways are paying increasing attention; 50-cycle electrification, which in the last seven or eight years has made great strides, particularly in Europe; The Taiga Train, two of which have been in continuous revenue service in Spain since 1950; The Disc Brake, which has been developed over the last fifteen to twenty years. By widening the scope of its contents and extending the information given under the various headings-mainly on lines indicated by users of the book-this new edition of World Railways offers to manufacturers most of the information they require regarding the conditions and methods of operation of railways throughout the world, including the various limiting factors which govern the type and size of the equipment they use; to railway officers and engineers gives a detailed view of the scope and activities of the manufacturing side of the industry; and in general it presents a comprehensive picture of the continued development of what is undoubtedly the major form of land transportation, vital to every country's economy and security.
Railways generally, with their associated industry, are experience a difficult period in their history, as competition from other forms of transport and the development of different types of motive power have combined to alter the overall picture of rail transport :ovation. The factors involved and the steps being taken to resolve :le difficulties, although common knowledge to everyone directly :concerned, are little realised by the general public-who take their railways for granted.
Railways may not have the same news value as their younger competitors, but in general they carry more traffic, much of which is basically a national-indeed an international-necessity but which, by its very nature and quantity, IS uneconomic to handle either by highway or air carrier. The inevitable competition by these other forms of transport, which can only carry what is, unfortunately for the railways, the more remunerative traffic, is in many countries upsetting the economic balance of railway operation by increasing the proportion of lower to higher rated traffic.
In addition to this actual and potential loss of revenue to their competitors, railways in many countries are having to steer a safe economic course between two thorny problems-on one hand a labour shortage which can only be overcome by greatly increased mechanisation; on the other a financial stringency of varying degree which limits capital expenditure on plant and equipment of all kinds, both fixed and moving, and is complicated by rising costs. Their task is being made somewhat easier by the technological and scientific research of the manufacturing industry, and in many instances of the railways themselves, which has led to the production of better materials, machinery and techniques, designed to reduce man-power demand, cut down train and vehicle turn-round time and maintenance time, increase average speeds, and generally lower overall operating costs.
Track maintenance is made easier and quicker by the employment of machinery ranging from portable power drills to self-propelled machines which remove, clean, replace and tamp ballast in one continuous operation. Rails welded into long lengths which cut down vibration of rolling stock and eliminate rail end batter, resilient anti-creep rail fastenings which help to preserve the road bed, and new and more permanent forms of sleeper or tie, are some of the other factors which help to reduce maintenance costs.
New methods of signalling and train control are making travel safer and faster, by transferring to electric circuits, and making automatic, more and more of the operations which had previously to be individually performed. Automatic train control by which locomotive cab signals repeat the indication of the wayside signal and apply the brakes if ignored; centralized traffic control which increases the efficiency of single-track lines with passing sidings by arranging two-way traffic movement, and of double-track lines by arranging movement in either direction on both lines; remote control of switch points and interlockings; colour light signals giving clearer indications to locomotive crews; two-way radiotelephone communication between train crews and control offices -these and many other new and improved methods are being installed where they can be most efficiently employed.
Considerable efforts are being put into the reduction of freight car turn-round time in marshalling yards and sidings, in order to effect quicker delivery and to reduce the total number of wagons required. Varying methods to suit the different classes of freight carried are being used, including cars specially designed for specific purposes, and transportable containers for door-to-door service.
The new machinery, both electrical and mechanical, which has been evolved for sorting, weighing and counting freight cars and marshalling them into new trains has greatly speeded up this necessary process, assisted in many cases by radio-telephony and even in one instance in U.S.A. by television, the camera being located so that the car number and other relevant details can be seen on a screen in the control office.
A feature on European railways is the growing success at international level of the programme of standardisation of the size, design and handling methods of wagons and containers, including component parts down to rivets and bolts, initiated by the International Union of Railways (U.I.C.). This not only facilitates inter-railway and international traffic movement but makes for quicker and cheaper maintenance. An example of this international cooperation is the decision made by the French Railways (S.N.C.F.) that all their future building of certain types of freight cars shall conform to U.I.C. standards.
The increasing use of self-tipping and hopper cars, wagon-tippler apparatus and bulk-materials containers has speeded up movement of mineral and similar bulk freight. For packaged goods successful experiments have been carried out with the use of pallets and forklift trucks. The merchandise is stacked on to a specially built wooden pallet which is picked up by the truck and run direct into the wagon or container. The goods remain on the pallet for the journey and are ready to be unloaded by fork-lift truck at their destination.
Experimental long-distance services are being run in France and more recently in Canada and U.S.A. in which road transport trailers are carried by rail on flat cars between the main rail distribution centres nearest to the points of freight origin and destination. This gives the user a rapid door-to-door service with no intermediate handling of the actual freight carried, and transfers the long-distance haulage from highway to rail.
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