Show a tRUCK mUCK TRAIN I NO NOW A REALITY Combination Auto Railway Makes a Losing Venture a Winner Through the use of ot motor trucks tho the numerous necessary In rail ral railroad rail rail- road freight shipments 1 laVe have aye been re reduced ro- ro wll with a n consequent of time timet t and expense and example of ot large savings saving's made mado by the tho thom m In this manner abound on every hand In California however the development development develop develop- ment of this phase of bf motor haulage has been unusually unusually active active the quality of or the roads and the keen Insight of the Western estern business man being contributing contributing contributing con con- factor factors of considerable Importance Interurban railways which are common common common com com- mon In the West est and have given an efficient and much needed service have have- in the past enjoyed a large traffic f fic flo o in the collection And u. u distribution of agricultural products of all kinds but during recent years ears the motor truck tuck and motor bus have havo made mado very serious encroachments on this class of Business By th the use of of the th motor truck shipments have been m made de direct from farm to city market from town t to country and frD from n ono one village to toa a another other The low cost of operation has made pc possible more frequent service than could bo be offered by any railway on small lot shipments the convenience dIspatch and economy e system h have e commended it lb It to to- the favor of ot farmers farmers merchants and big business nten PROFITS ARE CUT The experience of a short Interurban interurban ban railway in tho the Imperial valley alley of California C supplier an interesting and typical al' al example of this diversion of oft t ti traffic tlc from the to the motor argon wagon gon shippers At tho same time h however It Illustrates Illustrates- tho the manner in genius and commercial instinct h Ve e united in the f a press- press I Iroe and vital problem Between El and I s me e twelve miles mUes' ap apart t there is an road called the Holton In- In railway This is owned by W I. I F. F Holt one of or the valleys valley's pioneers a ter r whom the town of has rutS hasi b been n i named For many years ears the snort haul traffic of ot this road has provided pro pro- vM vided d a very profitable income but buto butof o of late the motor tr k Shippers s havet have hae t en much of the business by offering a a. cheaper and superior service The he net earnings of M iho road five rhe years ars ago were In the neighborhood of 5 2000 annually while during the last f av v years rears the annual losses losses' have been nearly The difference was at first due only to th the diversion of passenger passenger passenger pas pas- tra traffic fic but with the development development develop develop- ment ent of intercity motor haulage the tile fright freight business decreased aU alt P PROBLEM WORKED y OUT It t was WitS quite clear cleat to Mr Holt who has given glen the problem much mach st i study y that the small lot traffic was the pred predominating pre- pre d dominating influence in determining f tile the profit or los loss i of hi his i t r toad road d and for tl la ls class of business the motor trucks operated in single units were the ideal tri transportation medium It It seemed e equally obvious that some t some som t tk n of the two systems ms uniting the rf flexibility of the motor wagon and the Ideal roadbed and unobstructed right of ot way of the railroad would offer a i permanent solution The Holton lies in a very fertile ferUle valley and is flanked on both skies sides by many large f farms whose products were sold principally in El EI Centro entro From points near Holtville s shipments could be made direct to El Centro by motor truck at a cost only a lItI little litle greater Teater than the expense of shipping shipping shipping ship ship- ping to Holtville dud and loading on the cars of ot the Holton line The railroads railroad's problem under these circumstances was to gather shipments shipments shipments ship ship- ments at the farms and ranches and deliver them direct to tho the city mark mar- mar k keU u returning direct with city product product prod prod- for the country consumer It was logically reasoned that what could be done done done-by by motor t trucks nicks on the highways could be be accomplished surely as well and undoubtedly much cheaper by similar motor trucks operated over the railways railway's steel roadbed SPECIAL WHEEL EQUIPMENT To make this idea entirely feasible loll Mr Holt des devised sed a new type of motor truck wheel provided at its Us inner side with a a. steel tire and flange lane of the regulation reg reg- u railroad pattern and at Its outer side aide with a somewhat larger rim carrying carrying carryl car car- a solid rubber tire The inner sections of tha wheels are of a n. gauge suited to the width of the railway way track on which they operate like tho the wheels of arty any railway vehicle lb the front wheels being rigidly locked III ht a straight forward position The sections of or the wheels which carry the tho rub rubber or tires are considerably larger In diameter than the flanged sections so that tWit the tho litter latter will not cut the I rents pave pave- ments when the machine travels on the highways At the sarta lime the ruber rub rub- I per ber er tires are small eno jh h to clear tha tI tires when whelP the tho machine is operated on the rails rans To allow the machine to pass switch frogs and crossovers ers wood runners are laid Wd outside the rails raUs with one end fl flush sh with the top of ot the rail and the other inclined downward to receive I th the e rubber tire in its lowest position At t street or road crossings extra guard rails raUs are laid outside the regular I t k rails and at a sufficient distance I Ito to to allow liow the tires to pass between This This p pre eats derailing when passing crois- crois at high speeds E EARNINGS RESTORED Vader Under the present system of operation opera opera- tf tion n the motor truck calls at the store or ot warehouse of or- the and takes lakes O load It then gD goes S 'S to the Holton railway way at any road or or street crossing air a ana runs on to the tracks iracks If It freight ha hag had f b been n billed to tnt ant point between tb tHe thea termini the machine leaves the rails raUs at that place WRT proceeds ds to Its Us destination on the highways way having Havin- delivered Its Us cargo returns it to to the rails and continues tOo to the I next neit destination On th return trip I I collections are mal made at the farms and and 1 ranches the delivery being made by I rail raU and road direct dire to destination The he machine which is a two-and-a- two ton half ton vehicle Is r ran n on vu a regular schedule and is capable of of a maximum sp speed ed on the r ralls Us of forty miles an hour which is redu reduced crossings at at- at It is h handling a considerable volume of traffic which is grog lag So fo rapidly that other machines will probably soon b be Installed The question of passenger passenger ger er traffic Is rec receiving attention and it is quite pO thai possible motor buses will be placed In bECote b tote long |