Aloha-

Within my collection of my Bainbridge Colby documents I have a pile of prototype proposals and the full schematics for a braking system on trains dated 1930 !!!!!  Now our Government and our railroad officials denounced the idea.   However South Africa and several small stretches of RR lines actually introduced this system and it worked well.

In the past couple years the news has been reporting that there are recent attempts to develop and build just such a system acting as though it is a NEW concept that only recently could have saved lives.

When the truth is the idea of braking safety for trains was indeed available in the mid 1920s into the early 1930s.  These documents really show the way that the public is always the last to know these things and it is only by a twist of fate that i know and actually have these documents in my possession !!!

Here is some info on what i have .....

e documents I have are the Congressional papers and pamphlets and letters involving the safety issue. There are multiple booklets. I will list what is in this lot of documents by name and date. The documents I have have been numbered in order by Mr Colby and I am not sure if there were more or not but what I have is a great historical find and compilation of technical and moral issues on the Safety of our nation’s Railroads. There is also a personal Letter/ invitation to Mr Colby from Mr Regan to attend a party and Mr Colbys reply to tie the fact that these gentleman wee close friends and this issue was one they dealt with in congress and privately for several decades. It is a treasure trove of information of the trials of the systems, the competition, the costs, the result and the need. It includes original copies of the government congressional reports as well as typed discussion and speeches by mr colby and mr regan wtith scribbled notes throughout for changes in the final drafts. To the serious historian of RR memorabilia and exact dates times, trials, track miles, positives and failures are all in these documents. I have taken photos of the covers and front and back pages to show what I have, but I believe ebay will only allow me to post 12 photos so you may need to send email to see the rest. I do believe that a TRUE historian will find these documents to be of significant relavance in this period of time in history with the railroads.

1. Three separate bulletin pamphlets titled “The Regan Automatic Train Control System. Two of them are titled “Bulletin No. 6, Intermittent Inductive Type”, they are 6 pages long and dated October 20^th 1926.. They describe and show the function and photographs of the individual safety devices and their locations. These consist of the RELAYS (located on the top back of the coal car), the INDUCTOR (located about center on the bottom track wheel area), the VALVE (located just behind the Cab on the top of the train by the bell/horn), the RELEASE SWITCH (located by the conductor within the Cab), the SPEED CIRCUIT CONTROLLER (located on the front wheels of the Engine car.) The Third Booklet The booklets have some tears and damage bit are readable and still white with clear text and photos. The third pamphlet has the same name but is only two pages long and on the cover it shows a Chicago Rock Island & Pacific Railway company engine fitted with the “REGAN SYSTEM..”. These booklets also show the track parts of these operating systems.

2. Another pamphlet is a copy of a congressional speech dated 1924 produced bt the Washingtn Government Printing office. It is called “AUTOMATIC TRAIN CONTROL. SPEECH of HON.HOMER P. SNYDER of New York in the HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES – Thursday, December 11, 1924. It is a 16 page booklet dealing with the history of train control and not defining any singular companies system but instead on dealing with the humanitarian side of the issue and saving lives.

3. Another foldout pamphlet is called simply on the cover side “WORTHWHILE INFORMATION…”. Inside the folded sheet is a short article called “A SATISFIED BUYER..”. It deals with the November 1923 Chicago Rock Island and Pacific Railroads installation in compliance with the Interstate Commerce Commisions equipting the Illinois Division, 330 miles of track, with the REGAN RAMP TYPE Automatic Train Control Speed Control system. The installation was approved in December 1923 and the pamphlet discussed the costs at about $719.00 per mile at a total cost of $170,403.00. It is a Regan Safety System booklet offering the facts for other Railroad systems to consider. Published in NYC at 522 Fifth Ave., as well as at 1941 Strauss Building in Chicago Illinois.

4. Three booklets produced by the Washington Government Printing Office in 1923. They are

A)7709 INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISION no. 13413- In the Matter of Automatic Train-Control Devices 44983- 23- 1, 29 pages

B) apparently an addendum to the above printing written by George B. McGinty secretary of the I.C.C. commission. No. 13413 ORDER Attendees of the ICC general session on the 14^th January, a.d. 1924.

C) government printed booklet 9641 INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISION no. 13413 In the Matter Of Automatic Train-Control Devices. 4247-24-1. 28 pages

D) another addendum Report of the Commission 8999 no 13413 (sub-no. 1) 77136-24 discussing the first installation of the automatic train-control devices in service March 1920 on the Rock Island between Blue Island & Joliet, ill. For 22.6 miles of track consisting of 20 locomotives &34 roadside ramps in connection with 32 automatic signals.

E) a single page copy of a supplemental report to the commission explaining the corrections needed to no. 13413 it is not a handwritten signiture but a typed signiture of George B. McGinty Secretary.

F) one sheet of carbon paper from a letter from W.W. Hoy General Manage south African Railways and Harbours, Johannesburg South Africa dated sept. 9, 1926.

G) resume for Maxwell A. Kilvert

H) an 11 page paper and its carbon copy of information on the automatic train control system. I do nt know who wrote it or where it was presented but it mentions the other documents and pamphlets in this lot.

I) about 17 pages of a REPORT OF WABASH RAILWAY COMPANY COMMITTEE INSTALLATION ON ERIE R.R. 9-27-1922 – marked 8

j) another 4 page packet on the Regan Device marked 9

K) AN ACTUAL LETTER SIGNED BY JAMES B. REGAN TO BAINBRIDGE COLBY DATED JULY 14^TH 1930 INVITING THE COLBYS TO A BIG PARTY AT THE LAKEVILLE GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB AT GREAT NECK LONG ISLAND, N.Y. ATTACHED TO IT IS A W.U.T. DATED JULY 17^TH 1930 INFORMING MR REGAN THAT THE COLBYS CAN NOT ATTEND DUE TO OTHER ENGAGEMENTS.

EXPLANATION OF A.T.C.

Automatic Train Control (ATC) is a train protection system for railways, ensuring the safe and smooth operation of trains on ATC-enabled lines. Its main advantages include making possible the use of cab signalling instead of track-side signals and the use of smooth deceleration patterns in lieu of the rigid stops encountered with the older ATS technology. ATC can also be used with Automatic Train Operation (ATO). There are several implementations and versions of ATC and each is different.

While cab signalling and speed control technology has existed since the 1920s, adoption of ATC only became an issue after a number of serious accidents several decades later. The Long Island Rail Road implemented its Automatic Speed Control system within its cab signalled territory in the 1950s after a pair of deadly accidents caused by ignored signals. After the Newark Bay Lift Bridge Disaster the state of New Jersey legislated use of speed control on all major passenger train operators within the State. While speed control is currently used on many passenger lines in the United States, in most cases it has been adopted voluntarily by the train operating company.

Partly because of the wartime leap in technology, railroads and signal companies were able to perfect new circuits and hardware to vastly increase the safety and capacity of existing lines. The introduction of reliable, high-visibility signal lights allowed railroads to begin the replacement of the high-maintenance mechanical semaphores. Another leap in safety came in 1922, when Congress legislated that all railroads with high-speed passenger trains (above 80 miles per hour) introduce an "Automatic Train Control" system designed to safely stop trains should the engineer miss a signal. That nearly 50 railroads were affected suggests the level of intensity at which the rail network was working.

One of the places it was tested was actually in Erie Pa. and NY areas not far from the last few years of acidents.  Does anyone know where this kind of information might be important or sought after?? 

I would gues that a news agency covering the train wrecks might to put a better perspective on how long it has been known that these systems are 100% essential and that it has just been by the grace of god that more people have not died while there were systems built to automaticaly stop trains so long ago !!

This is very interesting information isnt it..

                    Joed

I hope all you history and rail road buffs enjoy these.... joed