The interchange of cars among the various roads made it necessary to adopt standards in car construction, in order to facilitate rePails to cars when away from the home road. Some authority, too, was needed to settle disputes between roads, arising from charges for re pairs; to investigate new brakes and couplers; and, in general, to keep the work of construc tion fully abreast of the times. The Master Car Builders' Association, organized in 1867, amply fills this need; and the reports of its annual meetings contain the latest word on all subjects relating to car-building. Its arbitra tion committee also acts as a court of concilia tion for the various roads.
Car-building has undergone a revolution during the past 25 years, due in part to in creased demands on the railways, and in part to improved methods of constructions The use of wood as a material is markedly less, and the use of steel is steadily increasing, so that both passenger and freight cars of recent date seem to be of better and more durable type than ever before. Modern cars are a develop ment, built for service and long life, and to meet the numerous demands of shippers and the traveling public. The parlor car has de veloped into an entire series of sumptuous apartments on wheels built to transport those who want comfort and luxury in their journey ings, and are willing to pay for them; the dif ference in the needs of the commuters around a large city and of passengers going long dis tances has called for a differentiation in pas senger cars. For express and mail service there has been developed a line of cars that enable business to be properly handled en route, avoiding delays at terminals. For freight transportation there have been put into use lit erally hundreds of styles of cars, adapted to convenient carrying of special goods of widely varying nature.
Passenger The standard passenger car is termed a day coach, and is 78 feet long, 10 wide and 14% high; it weighs 112,000 pounds, is practically all steel, and has 40 dou ble seats, automatic windows, racks for coats, grips, etc., a toilet, ice-water supply, Pintsch gas or electric lights and minor conveniences. If for through traffic it has a vestibule, so that passengers can walk from car to car with out exposure to the weather. The construc tion cost is about $10,000. For suburban serv ice, non-vestibuled cars are used, and many have cane-covered seats that do not hold the dust. There were 53,500 passenger cars in use
on the steam railways of the United States in 1915, or about one car to five miles of tracks.
A cheaper grade of passenger car is known as the emigrant or tourist car, equivalent to the second-class car of Europe. Many companies use their older woodm cars for this service, but the cars built for this traffic are simply a cheap grade of car, with usually cane-covered seats, fewer conveniences and slight decora tion.
The standard sleeping car is 72% feet long, of all-steel construction, has 24 berths and weighs 152,000 pounds. It is increasingly common to build them with two to a dozen separate compartments, like state-rooms on a steamboat, each compartment having two to four berths and toilet conveniences. Some sleepers are built with several compartments and the remainder of the car constructed as a parlor and observation compartment, so that a party or small number of passengers can have the conveniences of both bedrooms and draw ing-room. The form of sleeper that is alter able to a day coach, the berths folding away, appears to be less popular than formerly.
Observation cars, with extra large windows, and often with individual seats, have come into considerable use in transcontinental travel. The term parlor car is now used by the railways for a day coach, handsomely fitted up with in dividual chairs, and for which an extra charge is made. Sometimes these are called chair cars. The terms palace car and drawing-room car are going into disuse.
Smoking cars are run on practically all pas senger trains, and have usually imitation leather covered seats. Sometimes they are provided with card tables. The cafe car is not only a smoker, but card-room and bar-room combined — a high-class café or saloon on wheels. The dining car is fitted up with a kitchen, and the passengers are expected to come in to the tables to take their meals, or sometimes the service is extended through the train. The buf fet car is fitted up for a simpler class of meals and a less extended menu than the dining car.
The business car is a recent innovation, hav ing tables, desks and stationery for correspond ence; also typists and stenographers in attend ance. The private car, built for railway offi cials and people who wish to travel in luxuri ous seclusion, is fitted up as a living suite of rooms, with hotel conveniences and elegant ap pointments.