REPORT OF THE SECTION OF RAILROAD SAFETY, TO THE INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISSION To the Commission: WASHINGTON, December 1, 1955. I have the honor to present herewith the annual report of the Section of Railroad Safety, Bureau of Safety and Service, for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1955. This report contains information concerning results of inspection of safety appliance equipment on railroads, hours of service of railroad employees, installation and inspection of signal systems, interlocking and automatic train-stop and train-control devices, investigation of railroad accidents, transportation of explosives and other dangerous articles, and prosecutions for violations of laws administered by the Section, as well as other Section activities. SAFETY APPLIANCES Table 1 in the appendix shows separately for the individual railroads the number of freight cars, passenger-train cars, and locomotives inspected, the number found with defective safety appliances, the percentage defective, and data for comparison with the preceding year. A total of 1,208,586 freight cars were inspected; 56,180, or 4.65 percent, of these had defective safety appliances, and 65,225 defects were reported. There were 41,040 passenger-train cars inspected; 1,384, or 3.37 percent, of these had defective safety appliances, and 1,768 defects were reported. A total of 14,177 locomotives were inspected; 314, or 2.21 percent, of these had defective safety appliances, and 422 defects were reported. The total number of cars and locomotives inspected was 1,263,803, the percentage defective was 4.58, and the number of defects per 1,000 units inspected was 53.34, as compared with 50.85 for the preceding fiscal year. The following statement shows the results of inspections of safety appliances for the years ended June 30, 1951, to 1955, inclusive: The following table shows the number of freight cars, passengertrain cars, and locomotives inspected, the number found with defective safety appliances, and the percentage with defective safety appliances each year for the past 10 years: Tables 2 and 2a in the appendix contain the results of train-brake tests made by inspectors of this Bureau. Table 2 covers tests of air brakes made prior to departure of trains from terminals. It shows the roads on which the tests were made, the number of trains on which brakes were tested, the total number of cars in such trains, the total number and percentage of cars which were controlled by air brakes, and the number of brakes with impaired efficiency because of excessive brake-cylinder piston travel. It also shows the number of cars set out and the number of cars on which brakes were repaired after inspection began, in order to procure the percentage of operative brakes shown by the report of tests. During the year, air-brake tests were made on 2,590 trains, consisting of 123,418 cars, prior to departure from terminals, and brakes on 123,334 cars, 99.9 percent of the total, were operative. Table 2a contains similar information concerning the condition of air brakes on trains at the time of arrival at terminals. Air-brake tests were made on 1,572 trains, consisting of 94,971 cars, upon arrival at terminals, and brakes on 93,363 cars, or 98.3 percent of the total, were operative; however, of those brakes considered operative, 7,171, or 7.6 percent, were of impaired efficiency due to excessive piston travel. In departing trains on which terminal tests of air brakes were made, all except 84 cars had operative brakes; however, to procure the percentage of operative brakes shown above, 2,883 cars having defective brakes were set out, and brakes were repaired on 4,504 cars remaining in trains. These trains had been prepared for departure, yet when afterward tested by our inspectors it was necessary to set out or repair the brakes on an average of 2.8 cars per train. Had these trains departed prior to inspection by the Commission's inspectors, the percentage of operative brakes would have been only 93.9. The following statement, covering the year ended June 30, 1955, and the preceding 4 years, shows the number of cars set out and the |