ACT OF MARCH 4, 1911

'Provided, That no part of this amount shall be paid for the use of any car which is not sound in material and construction, and which is not equipped with sanitary drinking-water containers and toilet facilities, nor unless such car is regularly and thoroughly cleaned: Provided further, That after the first of July, nineteen hundred and eleven, no pay shall be allowed for the use of any wooden full railway post-office car unless constructed substantially in accordance with the most approved plans and specifications of the Post Office Department for such type of cars, nor for any wooden full railway post-office car run in any train between adjoining steel cars or between the engine and a steel car adjoining, and that hereafter additional cars accepted for this service shall be of steel, or with steel underframe, if used in a train in which a majority of the cars are of like construction: Provided further, That after the first of July, nineteen hundred and sixteen, the Postmaster General shall not approve or allow to be used or pay for any full railway post-office car not constructed of steel or with steel underframe, if such post-office car is used in a train in which a majority of the cars are of steel or of steel underframe construction."

The plain intent of such act was to limit the use of wooden railway post-office cars and prohibit the department from paying for the use of same in any train wherein the majority of the cars were of steel construction and to provide certain limitations as to the type of car to be contracted for thereafter.

This act was further amended by the act of August 24, 1912, which provided that after July 1, 1917, cars not constructed of steel or steel underframe could not be used. It also provided that at least 25 per cent of the railway post-office cars not conforming to the provisions shall be replaced annually with cars constructed of steel.

ACT OF AUGUST 24, 1912

"Provided, That no part of this amount shall be paid for the use of any car which is not sound in material and construction, and which is not equipped with sanitary drinking-water containers and toilet facilities, nor unless such car is regularly and thoroughly cleaned: Provided further, That after the first of July, nineteen hundred and seventeen, the Postmaster General shall not approve or allow to be used or pay for any full railway post-office car not constructed of steel or steel underframe or equally indestructible material, and not less than twenty-five per centum of the railway post-office cars of a railroad company not conforming to the provisions of this act shall be replaced with cars constructed of steel annually after June, nineteen hundred and thirteen; and all cars accepted for this service and contracted for by the railroad companies after the passage of this act shall be constructed of steel: Provided, further, That the Postmaster General is authorized to pay for full railway post-office cars necessarily used in service by the Post Office Department from July first, ninteeen hundred and eleven, to March first, nineteen hundred and twelve, when in his judgment reasonable and proper effort was being made by the railroad companies to comply with the provisions of the act of March fourth, ninteeen hundred and eleven, but on account of insufficient time the requisite work could not be completed on July first, nineteen hundred and eleven.'

The plain provision of the law was ignored by a number of the railroads with, apparently, little effort on the part of the Post Office Department to carry into effect the law passed. Some railroads evidenced an honest effort to comply with the law and did secure equipment, conforming in part with this provision of law. For some reason, the provision of the act

"And not less than 25 per cent of the railway post-office cars of a railroad company not conforming to the provisions of this act shall be replaced with cars constructed of steel after June, 1913"

was evaded with the evident consent of the Post Office Department, for wooden railway post-office cars were rebuilt and reinforced with steel braces according to plans of the department and some of those cars are still in use to-day. Some railroad companies, such as the Southern Railway, or the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad never had a steel car until about 1924, regardless of the law passed 12 years prior. Those roads still have wooden cars in use. This is not alone an employee's problem as the Government is also involved, financially, Every clerk who is killed or injured while on duty involves a financial obligation on the part of the Government. To illustrate, a recent case might be cited. A clerk running on the Keysville & Oxford R. P. O., on the Southern Railway, was probably totally and permanently disabled in a wreck. The United States

Employes' Compensation Commission estimates that it will result in a financial obligation on the part of the Government of about $20,000, less any amount that may be recovered from the railroad. An investigation discloses the fact that this mail car was so old and rotten that the railroad company was finally forced to run it on the rear end of train. Such was done for a short time, and then it was replaced at the head of the train. A wreck followed, with the clerk disabled for life. The Post Office Department did not enforce the law and permitted the car to remain in service and also paid the railroad for the use of same. is only one case. There are many others.

Another act was passed July 28, 1916, which provided:

ACT OF JULY 28, 1916

This

"All cars or parts of cars used for the Railway Mail Service shall be of such construction, style, length, and character, and furnished in such manner as shall be required by the Postmaster General, and shall be constructed, fitted up, maintained, heated, lighted, and cleaned by and at the expense of the railroad companies. No pay shall be allowed for service by any railway post-office car which is not sound in material and construction and which is not equipped with sanitary drinking-water containers and toilet facilities, nor unless such car is regularly and thoroughly cleaned. No pay shall be allowed for service by any wooden full railway post-office car unless constructed substantially in accordance with the most approved plans and specifications of the Post Office Department for such type of cars, not for service by any wooden full railway post-office car run in any train between adjoining steel cars, or between the engine and a steel car adjoining. After the first of July, nineteen hundred and seventeen, the Postmaster General shall not approve or allow to be used, or pay for service, by any full railway post-office car not constructed of steel or steel underframe or equally indestructible material; and all full railway post-office cars accepted for this service and contracted for by the railroad companies hereafter shall be constructed of steel. Until July first, nineteen hundred and seventeen, in case of emergency and in cases where the necessities of the service require it, the Postmaster General may provide for service by full railway post-office cars of other than steel or steelunderframe construction, and fix therefor such rate of compensation within the maximum herein provided as shall give consideration to the inferior character of construction, and the railroad companies shall furnish service by such cars at such rates so fixed."

This apparently was construed as superseding all previous acts for it then seemed optional with the railroad companies as to replacement to be made. We also were confronted with a construction placed upon the words "cars accepted for service" that such meant the original acceptance of each car and the Post Office Department could not prohibit the use of any car that was in use prior to July 28, 1916. The railroads did not have to replace that car with steel as required by the act of August 24, 1912. The department did permit the railroad to build the car and reinforce same with steel plates and beams and such cars are still in use. We have them in use in transcontinental trains. No explanation is forthcoming as to the failure to enforce the act of August 24, 1912, which required at least 25 per cent of the cars to be replaced with cars of steel construction each year after July 1, 1913.

CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION OF FULL AND APARTMENT RAILWAY POSTOFFICE CARS

[Issued by Second Assistant Postmaster General in 1920]

SECTION 1.-NEW CARS

(a) In all features of construction steel full cars must conform to the standard specifications for such cars approved March 28, 1912, as revised to February 2, 1920. This also applies to steel apartment cars in their entirety, and to combination postal and passenger apartment cars. In cars of the latter class the requirements of section 18, revision of February 2, 1920, construction specifications, which provides that the sum of the section moduli of vertical end members shall not be less than 65, may be considered as applying at passenger end to the vertical end members of the body of the car and main members of the vestibule taken together.

(b) The interior arrangement and fixtures of full and apartment railway postoffice cars shall conform in all material, respects to the specifications of fixtures

for mail cars approved March 28, 1912, as revised to February 2, 1920; to standard floor plans and drawings redrawn or revised and bearing date of February 2, 1920; to floor plans dated April 21, 1916, and January 27, 1917 (narrow gauge).

(c) Under the provisions of the act of Congress of August 24, 1912, all new full cars, (that is cars not in existence, or in process of construction, or under contract for construction at the time of the passage of the act) shall be constructed of steel. This means all-steel cars and therefore bars the acceptance of steel underframe full cars except those in service or under contract or construction on or prior to August 24, 1912.

(d) Under existing rulings of the department, apartment mail cars intended for operation in connection with steel or steel underframe cars may be either a steel or steel underframe type. Steel apartment cars shall conform in all features of construction to standard specifications except as stated in paragraph (a) of this section. The underframes of steel underframe apartment cars shall conform in all features of construction to standard specifications for full-steel postal cars before referred to. The superstructure of such cars must either conform to the specifications of August 25, 1914, for the construction of wooden mail apartment cars, reinforced by metal vertical end members, or the framing of the superstructure may be of steel. In both types the section moduli of the vertical end members shall not be less than 65, distributed as provided in section 18 of the standard construction specifications, revision of February 2, 1920. (For narrow-gauge cars see circular of May 31, 1916, and for electric and self-propelled cars see notes 1 and 2, secs. 5 and 18, specifications of Feb. 2, 1920.) New wooden apartment cars intended for operation only with wooden cars should conform substantially to the specifications of August 25, 1914, as modified by circular of November 23, 1916.

The provisions of paragraph (a), so far as relating to steel apartment cars, also apply to steel underframe apartment cars.

(e) The present rules of the department do not require that new apartmnet mail cars shall be of steel or steel underframe construction except such as are intended for operation between steel or steel underframe equipment adjoining or in trains in which 50 per cent or more of the other cars are of such construction. However, the department prefers that new apartment cars, especially those intended for service in fats heavy trains, shall be of steel construction. In view of the fact that the present trend in new passenger equipment is very largely in the direction of steel construction, it would appear to be to the advantage of the companies to have new apartment cars of such construction.

SECTION 2.-RECONSTRUCTION OF FULL AND APARTMENT RAILWAY POST-OFFICE CARS

(a) Full cars may be rebuilt into apartment cars, provided they are so built as to permit of their operation in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (c), section 4, of these instructions.

(b) Steel underframe cars, conforming to standard specifications for steel postal cars (revised to Feb. 2, 1920), with end construction meeting require ments set forth in section 18, any be applied to plan No. 1, wooden full mail cars, which are converted into apartment cars, or used in lieu thereof, or to wooden apartment cars built substantially to plan No. 1, or in accordance with the specification of August 25, 1914, and be operated in association with steel or steel underframe cars.

Wooden cars, either full or apartment, not built substantially to plan No. 1, or the specifications of August 25, 1914, for wooden apartment cars, must have side sill plating equipment to the metal reinforcement for side sills required in the specifications referred to; or have side sills, which may be in the form of Z-bars, angles, or equivalent, as part of the steel underframe, which will meet above requirements.

Cars not blocked, to which steel underframes are applied, may be reinforced on sides, in lieu thereof, by application of metal plates not less than 1 inch by 6 inches, extending diagonally from ends of end plates to outside sills, securely connected to plate and sill, together with bolting to side posts to prevent buckling. (If during rebuilding inside sheathing is removed, diagonal plates shall be rabbeted into side posts.) The bottom connection should preferably be made as far from end of car as location of side doors will permit, but in no case shall be less than 3 feet from the corner posts of the car.

It should be understood that where steel underframes are applied to any cars, and the requirements set forth are not fully met, such cars shall be regarded only as reinforced wooden cars, not acceptable for operation with steel or steel underframe cars adjoining, or in trains in which 50 per cent or more of the other cars are of steel or steel underframe construction.

(c) In the reconstruction of wooden apartment cars which are to continue as wooden cars, it is required that they be sound in material and construction and preferably be constructed substantially in accordance with specifications of August 25, 1914, for wooden cars. They must at least be strengthened by application of antitelescoping features, as set forth therein, except where the rules paragraph (c), section 4, of these instructions apply.

(d) Creep doors shall be installed between mail and baggage, or mail and passenger apartments, in all cars not now so equipped when those cars are next shopped for general overhauling.

SECTION 3. INSPECTION OF NEW AND RECONSTRUCTED CARS

(a) New full and apartment cars should be inspected twice and where possible three times during course of construction.

(b) First inspection should be made when underframe is complete and body framing in place, but before floor is laid or inside sheathing applied.

(c) Second inspection should be made while insulation is being applied and floor is being laid.

(d) Third and final inspection should be made when car is ready for delivery. (e) Full report covering all inspections should be made on proper forms. (f) A certificate, Form 5292, from railway companies, is required for all new full and apartment cars and all cars to which steel underframes are applied before such cars can be accepted for service. These certificates are to be sent through division superintendents of Railway Mail Service, who will see that they are received and verified before cars are allowed to be put into service.

(g) Railway and car-building companies must keep division superintendents of Railway Mail Service fully advised as to proposed construction or reconstruction of full and apartment mail cars and the dates when such cars will be ready for inspection, in accordance with the requirements of this section.

(h) Cars being reconstructed should be twice inspected. The first inspection should be made when the framing of the superstructure is exposed, so it can be checked up and conformance with the specifications verified; the second and final inspection to be made when car is ready for delivery.

SECTION 4. OPERATION

(a) Steel underframe cars may be operated in connection with steel cars. (b) Wooden R. P. O. cars (either wooden apartment cars or wooden full cars in apartment car service) must not be operated between adjoining steel or steel underframe cars, or between such cars adjoining and the engine.

(c) In the apartment-car service, in heavy trains operated on fast schedules, it is required that wooden cars be constructed substantially in accordance with the department's plan No. 1 for wooden cars or the specifications of August 25, 1914, for such cars. In no case shall the mail car be of less strength than a majority of the other cars in the train. When 50 per cent or more of the other cars in the train are of steel or steel underframe construction, the mail apartment car shall be of like construction. Apartment cars having six or eight end posts without steel end reinforcements may be permitted to be operated on side-line trains (not exceeding four cars of about the same strength) on slow schedule (not exceeding an average of 21 miles per hour) so long as they are kept on these branch lines. If these light trains are run partly on branch lines and partly on main lines, or wholly on main lines, the cars should at least be reinforced on ends by the application of four track rails, as per blue print dated May 8, 1914, revised to April 6, 1915. If these light trains are run wholly on side lines and the average speed exceeds 21 mile an hour, but does not exceed 27 miles an hour, the mail cars, to be acceptable for operation in such trains, should have the four trackrail reinforcement applied at least to the mail end of the car. Apartment cars with four end posts only should be strengthened on ends even if operated on exclusive branch-line trains. This antitelescoping device is to be applied to cars as they go to the shops for periodical overhauling as contradistinguished from reconstruction and rebuilding.

(d) Mail cars, both full and apartment, whether of steel, steel underframe, or wooden construction, which have the letter case in the end shall not be operated with the letter end next to the tender of the engine where it is practicable to turn the cars so as to run the storage end forward.

POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT,
SECOND ASSISTANT POSTMASTER GENERAL,
Washington, May 23, 1927.

Subject: Mail cars- -Construction and operation.
All railroad companies:

OPERATION OF CARS IN APARTMENT CAR AUTHORIZATIONS

There was published in the Postal_Bulletin of May 18, 1927, amendments to sections 1580 and 1583 of the Postal Laws and Regulations of 1924 as follows: "Section 1580, paragraph (d): Apartment mail cars intended for operation in trains where a majority of the cars in the train are of steel construction shall be of steel construction. Steel underframe mail apartment cars shall not be operated between adjoining steel cars or between steel car adjoining and the engine. The underframes of steel underframe mail apartment cars shall conform to specifications for full all-steel postal cars. (See par. a.) The superstructure of such cars shall conform either to the specifications of August 25, 1914, for the construction of wooden mail apartment cars, reinforced by metal vertical end members, or the framing of the superstructure may be of steel. In both types the section moduli of the vertical end members shall be not less than 65, distributed as provided in section 18 of the standard construction specifications.

(e) New mail apartment cars, especially those intended for service in fast or heavy trains or to be operated on main lines, shall be of all-steel construction. "Section 1583, paragraph (a): Steel underframe cars constructed in accordance with the foregoing regulations shall not be operated between adjoining steel cars or between steel car adjoining and the engine or in a train where the majority of the cars are of steel construction.

"(b) Wooden railway post-office cars (either wooden apartment cars or wooden full cars in apartment car service) shall not be operated between adjoining steel or steel underframe cars, or between such cars adjoining and the engine, or in a train where the majority of the cars are of steel or steel underframe construction.

"(c) In apartment car service, operated in heavy trains, wooden cars shall be constructed substantially in accordance with the department's former plan No. 1 for wooden cars or the specifications of August 25, 1914. In no case shall the mail car be of less strength than a majority of the other cars in the train. Apartment cars without steel end reinforcements may be operated on branch-line trains (not exceeding four cars of about the same strength) on slow schedule (not exceeding an average of 21 miles per hour) so long as they are kept on these branch lines. If these light trains are operated partly on branch lines and partly on main lines, or wholly on main lines, the cars shall be reinforced at least on ends by the application of four-track rails, as per blue print of May 8, 1914, revised to April 6, 1915. If these light trains are operated wholly on branch lines and the average speed exceeds 21 miles per hour, but does not exceed 27 miles per hour, the mail cars to be acceptable for such operation shall have the four-track rail reinforcement applied to mail end of the car at least."

În connection with the above amendments the following should be observed in the operation of cars in apartment car authorizations:

In passenger trains in which a majority of the cars are of steel construction the mail apartment car, or full R. P. O. car, in apartment car service must be of steel construction.

Steel underframe mail apartment car or full R. P. O. car in apartment car authorization must not be operated between adjoining steel cars or between steel car adjoining and the engine.

In mixed trains, if mail apartment is not of steel construction it must be operated on the rear of the train. (This applies to side-line service only.) The foregoing to be effective January 1, 1928:

CONSTRUCTION OF FULL R. P. O. AND MAIL APARTMENT CARS

Under date of July 11, 1921, circular letter R. A. 503 was sent to all railway common carriers requiring that all nonstandard full and apartment R. P. O. cars be made to conform substantially to the plans and specifications issued by the