on every tie, both on tangents and curves, and four % in. screw spikes are used with each tie plate on curves and two screw spikes on tangents. It was formerly the practice of this road to use rail braces on curves, as follows: On two degree curves a rail brace on every third tie, both on the inside and outside rails of the curves, and on curves over two degrees, rail braces were installed on every other tie, both on inside and outside rails of the curve. At the present time no rail braces are used, the shoulder tie plates taking their place. FIG. 7. SHOWING STANDARD 100 LB. RAIL AND SPLICE BAR-N. Y., N. H. & H. R. R. From the above description and drawings it will be seen that these companies are providing against excessive mechanical wear of their ties in the electric zones, and have doubled the number of spikes per tie to guard against spreading track, it being generally conceded that the electric locomotive with its lower center of gravity exerts a greater outward pressure on the rails. than the steam locomotive. ALLOYED STEEL RAILS The Committee has nothing to add this year to the progress report as made by the Way Committee of 1912 (see page 592, 1912 Pro ceedings). It believes that this subject should receive further attention on the part of your Association, particularly with reference to the collection of data tending to show whether the increased life obtained is economically profitable to the purchaser, and your Committee, therefore, recommends that this subject be continued. SPECIFICATION FOR SPLICE BARS Your Committee has had several meetings with a Committee of the American Society for Testing Materials, which is engaged in the preparation of specifications for splice bars, but it has not been able to agree on a mutually satisfactory specification. The American Society for Testing Materials has prepared specifications for four different grades of bars, which have been approved on the floor of its annual Convention, but your Committee cannot consistently recommend any of these specifications for girder-rail work, as in the matter of tolerance, a vertical camber is permitted in the center 1/16 in. high in 24 in., and it is not specified that if there be any variation from the straight line, in a horizontal plane that it shall be such as to make the bars engage the rail first at the juncture of the rail ends. Your Committee believes that the permissible vertical camber should not exceed 1/32 in. in 24 in., high in the center, and that it is essential, if there should be any variation from a straight line in a horizontal plane, that it should be such as to engage the rails first at their ends where the greatest wear takes place, and an accurate fit is of prime importance. Your Committee has, therefore, prepared a specification covering two grades of steel for girder rail splice bars, one moderately soft, which may be used in the various patented joints now in use, as well as with the softer grades of steel rail; the other, quite hard and more suitable for use with the high-carbon rails which are coming into such general demand. This specification, except in the matter of tolerances, conforms very closely to the specifications of the American Society for Testing Materials for similar grades of steel and have been prepared after due consideration of the objections on the part of one manufacturer to the tolerances proposed. Your Committee recommends the specification given in Appendix A, for adoption by your Association as Recommended Practice. REVISION OF THE SPECIFICATION FOR GIRDER AND HIGH T-RAILS The Committee on Way Matters for 1912 in presenting a revision. of the Association's Specification for Girder and High T-Rails (see page 596, 1912 Proceedings) as made by a joint Committee of the American Society for Testing Materials and your Association, stated that this Specification had met with the final approval of the American Society for Testing Materials and was now in the hands of its Form Committee for revision in form, though not in substance. Your Committee finds that the revisions and alterations made by the Form Committee of the American Society for Testing Materials has not materially changed this Specification, and believes that, as your Association has no standard form in such matters to which to adhere, that the specifications of the two Societies should be identical, in form as well as in substance. Your Committee, therefore, submits this finally revised specification (Appendix B of this report) with the recommendation that it be adopted as Recommended Practice, superseding the specification adopted in 1912. NINE (9) INCH GIRDER-GROOVED AND GIRDER-GUARD RAILS; SEVEN (7) INCH GIRDER-GROOVED AND GIRDER-GUARD RAILS The following reference is made to the work of previous Committees upon this subject as a matter of record: The Committee on Way Matters for 1907 presented for consideration several sections of girder-grooved and girder-guard rails (Vol. 1, pages 120-127, 1907 Proceedings), recommending for use in cities. where T-rail was not approved, the nine and seven-inch girder-grooved rails shown upon pages 122 and 123 of the aforesaid volume. The Committee on Way Matters for 1909 confirmed the report of the 1907 Committee (Vol. 1, page 111, 1909 Proceedings) recommending these two sections for adoption as Recommended Practice upon streets "where the traffic is confined to the railway strip or is so congested that the railway strip is continually used by vehicles." The Committee on Way Matters for 1910 approved the principles outlined in previous reports and submitted other designs for consideration. (Pages 53-58, 1910 Proceedings.) The Committee on Standards for 1910 (page 502, 1910 Proceedings) approved the recommendations of the 1909 Committee on Way Matters and these recommendations were approved by the Convention. (Page 513, 1910 Proceedings.) The Committee on Way Matters for 1911 made a careful revision of the work of the previous Committees and submitted a nine-inch girder-grooved rail, and an analysis of the principles involved in its design (pages 520-525, 1911 Proceedings) and recommended that further consideration of this rail, and the design of a nine-inch girderguard rail, and seven-inch girder-grooved and guard rails be undertaken by the 1912 Committee. The Committee on Way Matters for 1912 approved the design submitted by the 1911 Committee and presented the three additional designs asked for, recommending the same for adoption as Standard (Pages 587-589, 1912 Proceedings.) The Committee on Standards for 1912 (page 389, 1912 Proceedings) disapproved these recommendations and referred the question back to this Committee for further action. Your Committee has noted the principles by which previous Committees have been governed in making their designs, the discussions of these designs upon the floor of the Convention, and the objections raised thereto, and herewith submits new designs (see Figs. 8, 9, 10, II) which differ in some respects from those submitted by the Committees of 1911 and 1912. In preparing these designs, your Committee has given consideration to the matter of weight, believing that a standard rail should be commercially practicable for the average use, and of proper weight to meet the average conditions of traffic for which the rail is intended; in this connection, however, it should be borne in mind that the use of girder rail is intended to be restricted to points where vehicular traffic is confined to the railway strip or is so congested that the railway strip is continually used, and that at such points the street railway traffic is also usually heavy and continuous; and, therefore, a reasonably heavy rail should be provided to meet such conditions. Your Committee has also been governed in a measure by the thought that its design, if practicable, should be made to fish exactly with certain existing sections, thereby presenting fewer difficulties to the manufacturers in making alterations in rolls, as in the case of the nine-inch guard rail, where any change is unnecessary until such time as there is a general demand for the straight line rails, that will warrant the making of the slight changes in the rolls that are required to bring their present existing guard section to your standard. It is to be noted also, as the fishing surfaces are the same in the proposed nine-inch sections, which fish exactly with certain existing sections, that no change will be required of the manufacturers in their rolls for fish plates, until such time as the demand for the design of fish plate recommended by your Committee will warrant the preparation of new rolls. The principal changes made by your Committee, from the recommendations of the 1911 and 1912 Committees, and reasons therefor are as follows: WEIGHT: NINE- (9) INCH GIRDER-GROOVED RAIL The design recommended by the Committee in 1911 and 1912 (page 520, 1911 Proceedings, and page 588a, 1912 Proceedings) would weigh 140 lbs. per yard, which about corresponds in weight to the heaviest girder grooved sections at present rolled for strictly street railway purposes. The design proposed by this Committee will weigh 134 lbs. per yard. DEPTH OF GROOVE: THICKNESS OF TRAM: After reading the written discussions as presented in the 1912 Proceedings, pages 622 to 630, and noting the diagrams of wear submitted, your Committee has concluded that additional metal should be supplied in the tram, and that more flangeway space, if practicable, should be allowed in the groove. This has been effected by lowering the under surface of the tram at the fishing surface 3/16 in. and at the same time deepening the groove 1/16 in., thereby increasing the thickness of the tram 1/8 in. ANGLE OF THE GROOVE: This has been changed from 37 deg. to 38 deg. in order to meet the increase in depth of flangeway. It is not thought that the change will affect the self-cleaning feature of the groove. TOP FILLET AT GAUGE SIDE OF HEAD: The radius of this fillet has been increased from 14 in. to 3 in., as it was thought that by so doing there would be less cause for the metal to flow over the side, thereby forming a lip, which in guard rails is an obstruction, causing horse's feet to be caught. It was also thought that, as the wheel gauge and track gauge so nearly conform, the increase in the radius of this fillet would tend to reduce the wear on the fillet of the wheel flange, thereby reducing the number of sharp flanges. FILLETS AT WEB: These have all been made 3 in. radius instead of 1⁄2 in., thereby decreasing slightly the weight and increasing the fishing surface. Your Committee believes that these fillets should be of no larger radius than sufficient to prevent the tendency of the head to bend over the web or of the web to bend over the base. So far as is known there have been no failures in this respect in rails having a 3 in. radius fillet and there is, therefore, no reason for making it any larger. THICKNESS OF WEB: The thickness of the web at the base has been decreased from 3/4 in. to 5% in. principally to effect reduction in weight, the Committee believing that this web will meet present requirements for a standard rail, and may be increased later if so desired without affecting any other parts of the rail or the fishing requirements. THE BASE: The thickness and width of base have been decreased, principally to effect a reduction in weight. Your Committee does not agree with the Committees of 1911 and 1912 in thinking that a rail having a 61⁄2 in. base would not require the use of tie plates on wooden |