OCR Text |
Show Year-Round Roads Needed for Motor Transport Lines i creased. This has been met by putting extra bearing surface under the weight. For instance, the big engines now have sixteen driving wheels, whereas the carl3' engines had only four. Load Limits. It would have been as sensible fifty years ago to have prohibited the use of locomotives larger than tho little four-wheel drivers as it would bo today to limit tho weight, of the motor truck on any other basis than tire width, and the number of wheels under the weight, which in the case of largo locomotives loco-motives give several hundred per cent greater hauling capacity, with probably prob-ably only Hid per cent greater weight, of rail. Without, the development of the large locomotive, and the increased size of railroad cars, freight rates would probably be double what, they arc now. Tf an artiticial limit on motor Irueks is set it. is handicapping what is fast becoming an important means of transportation, trans-portation, and adding to the cost of every article of food or clothing, and placing a generally greater economic burden on the country. Build the roads to carry t ho load. Along with tho great national movement move-ment for better highways comes the question of weight of loads, speed and many other factors. In the solution of tho matter, plain, ordinary common sense should prevail. Unimproved roads, in gobd weather, when they aro dry and sound, can stand a great deal of traffic with little or no damage. They can even bear tremendous tre-mendous loads if tho widlh of the fire is sufficient . When these roads are solid, big steam traction engines, with threshing machines or corn shcllcrs, run over them with no damage; in fact, with benefit, as they act like rollers. Moderately improved roads likewise can stand much traffic in good weather. The big trouble with these roads is that they are not what can be called all-year-round roads. They should be improved to meet the normal requirements require-ments of traffic, so that full benefit may be derived from them at all limes. Loads and Price. Tho weight of the load should be determined on the basis ef width of tires. Routes between large cities or important commercial and industrial centers serve an enormous lonnagc, and the larger the units in which this ton-u-u'C is hauled, the greater the rcon omv of hauling. These routes arc main arteries of traffic, and anything which increases the cost of transportation on them is paid for by all the people regardless re-gardless of how far tlu-y may be from These main arteries. When it is taken into consideration that a oO per cent increase in the si.e of the unit hauled n.Mkcs a 1o per cent decrease in the cst of transportation, the ma, ter becomes be-comes one of great economic importance, impor-tance, with tonnage running up into the millions. Roads and Railroads. On these roads the weight is fully taken care of bv the -.00-ponnd hn per inch width of lire. For every m , ,ds, an inch is added to the bearing urfaco. of the tires. W . h the add, Hon of a trailer the weight or the lo. d can be doubled without doubling ihe strain on the road, b,., siinply add to the wheel base. The load. v,hile greater. Is distributed over teere -h-U of rro-portionale rro-portionale tire wuiJi. A --T''" .lustration of this Piye'y?"I roads. While heavy rolling s. ock, s.i. h as the big compound engines winch are now used on our railroads, are much heavier than the robing .--oc . ol years nm. the weight per inch ol bear- ing surlace has no. been great ly .n- |