Road Pennsylvania Railroad, for example, is divided into Grand Divisions, Superintendents' Divisions (each about one hundred miles in length), Supervisors' Divisions (about thirty miles), and Subdi visions (two and one-half miles). This company has in practice a system of premiums to supervisors and foremen for the excellence of condition of the roadway under their charge—a plan that has been found to work admi rably in practice, and has doubtless contributed in no small degree to the maintenance of its road-bed and track in that high condition of excellence for which it is famous both in the United States and in Europe.
Rzilcs for Roaa' will be useful at this point to indicate some of the rules issued by the company for the direction of the division officials, since they are instructive in exhibiting the care which is bestowed upon minor details: " The track must be in good surface; on straight lines the rails must be on the same level, and on curves the proper elevation must be given to the outer rail and carried uniformly around the curve. The elevation should be commenced from roo to r5o feet back of the point of curvature, depending on the sharpness of the curve, aud increased uniformly to the latter point, where the full elevation is attained. The same method should be adopted in leaving the curve. The track must be in good line. The splices must be properly put on, with the full number of bolts, nuts, stop washers, and stop-chairs. The nuts must be screwed up tight. The joints of the rails must be placed midway between the joint-ties, and the joint on one line of rail must be opposite the centre of the rail on the other line of the same track. In winter a distance of AT of an inch, and in summer 1-113 of an inch, must be left between thc ends of the rails, to allow for expan sion. The rails must be spiked on the inside and outside of each tie on straight lines as well as on curves.
" Cross-ties must be properly and evenly spread, sixteen ties to a 3o foot rail, with ro inches between the edges of the bearing-surfaces at joints, with intermediate ties evenly spread a distance of not over 2 feet from cen tre to centre, and the ends, on the outside on double track and on the right-hand side going north or west on single track, must be lined up par allel with the rails. The ties must not under any circumstances be notched, but, should they be twisted, must be made true with the adze, and the rails must have an even bearing- over the surface of the ties.
" Switches and frogs must be kept well lined up and in good order. Switches must work easily, and safety-blocks must be attached to every switch-head. The switch-signals must be kept bright and in good order.
" Ballast must be broken evenly and not larger than a cube that will pass through a 2;-iirell ring. There must be a nniform depth of at least 12 inches of clean broken stone under the ties. The ballast must be filled up evenly between, but not above, the tops of the ties, and also between the main tracks and sidings. In filling up between the tracks larg-e stones must be placed in the bottom, to provide for drainage; but care should be taken to keep the coarse stone away from the ends of the ties. At the outer end of the ties the ballast must be. sloped off evenly to the sub-grade. The road-erossing planks must be securely spiked; the planking should be ;14: of an inch below the top of the rail and 2Y? inches from the gauge-line. The ends and inside edges of planks should be bevelled off: " Ditches must be graded parallel with the track, so that the water may pass freely during heavy rains, and that the road-bed may be thoroughly drained. The lines must be well and neatly defined and made parallel with the rails. The necessary eross-drains must be put in at proper intervals. Earth taken from ditches or elsewhere must be dumped over the banks and distributed over the slope. The channels or streams for a considerable distance above the road must be examined, and brush, drift, and other obstructions removed. Ditehes, culverts, and box-drains must be cleared of all obstructions and the outlets and inlets of the same kept open, to allow a free flow of water at all times.
" Telegraph-poles must be kept in proper position, and trees near the telegraph-line must be kept trimmed, to prevent the branches touching the wires during high winds.
"All old material must be gathered up at least once a week, and neatly piled at proper points. Briers and underbrush on the right of way innst be kept close to the ground. Station-platforms and the g-round about them must be kept clean and in good order." Plate 25 (fig. r4) shows a sample track of this road furnished with a traek-tank for taking- on water for the supply of the locomotive while the train is moving at high speed. Figure 15 is a view of a signal-station of this road. Figure S shows a typical cross-section of its road-bed, and Fig ures 3 and 9 the manner of making- a connecting-joint between rails.