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Show PALACES ON WHEELS Improved Service Is Keynote Of Railroads' Bid for Trade WNU Features. Faced with the keenest competition in their long history from the modern automobile, bus and airplane, American railroads are leaving no stone unturned in their all-out bid for passenger preference, if the new streamliners now entering the transportation picture are any criterion. These new streamliners, sleek and beautiful in their exterior appearance, appear-ance, are modern palaces on wheels inside. the greens, and the skies and lakes set the interior color tones for the blues and grays. Further decorative effects are obtained ob-tained through use of colorful fabrics fab-rics for shades and chairs, and mirrors mir-rors in flesh or gold tones are used for bulkhead ornamentation. Tinted murals also have made their appearance appear-ance in postwar equipment, done in special monochromatic coloring, matching or contrasting to the wall tones. No Spilled Coffee. A new postwar diner, with diagonally diag-onally placed seats and tables, has made its debut. This diner seats its patrons at the sides of the car at square tables, which are placed diagonally di-agonally along the car wall. This modern arrangement permits patrons pa-trons to pursue a direct conversational conversation-al attitude at the tables; permits serving from between tables instead of from the aisle, and obviates the ! necessity of reaching in front of one Determined to replace outmoded1 rolling stock, the railroads are adding add-ing equipment at an ever-increasing rate, as builders slowly recover from a wave of postwar strikes and work stoppages that have kept strategic supplies of steel, roller bearings, air-conditioning and cer-; cer-; tain electrical appliances, hardware and other materials coming into their plants in "a mere trickle since V-J Day. Traffic and revenue reports on America's first four postwar-built trains constructed by Pullman-Standard Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing company com-pany show that the public not only Is showing great interest in the new trains, but also is backing it up at the ticket window. The new equipment is bringing improved service, and the public is responding with increased in-creased patronage. Stress Comfort. Postwar railroad coaches are designed de-signed from end to end for passenger passen-ger relaxation and comfort. One of the greatest postwar improvements im-provements is In seating. Coach seats of the Sleepy Hollow type provide pro-vide the ultimate in comfort. This seat, so spaced as to give ample leg room and provide a wide range of adjustment of back and foot-rest po- : -: r , 1 K i - 'is ' A patron to serve another, as is the custom in the conventional diner. Although the railroads and equipment equip-ment builders have emphasized beauty and comfort in the new postwar post-war train, no compromise has been made as to safety features, for here, too, new ideas have been incorporated incorporat-ed into the finished product. Basically, the streamline train must be lighter in weight than the old conventional equipment. It must be sleek of surface but strong enough to meet rigid requirements re-quirements of the railroads. Development of new materials for construction of lightweight cars created cre-ated many new problems, and the choice of car-building materials and processes came as the result of Intensive In-tensive investigation by welding engineers en-gineers and other research agencies. It is the conclusion of the nation's largest car-building plant that the so-called so-called low alloys of steel, of high tensile strength, and the strong alloys al-loys of aluminum together with the advantages of girder type construction construc-tion offer the combination of qualities quali-ties most suitable for the building of modern lightweight passenger train cars. Extensive testing and service use, and experience with severe forms of shock, have confirmed the soundness of these selections of basic car-building materials and designs. No Rude Awakenings. Postwar cars are equipped with the famous titelock coupler, which offers maximum safety by making virtually impossible the accidental accident-al uncoupling of cars and also adds to the riding comfort of passengers by permitting no slack between the cars to cause jolts in starting or stopping. Double pane, shatter-proof glass is used throughout the new lightweight equipment, assuring insulation not only against frosting and steaming of windows but also against outside noises. Special materials control temperatures and reduce outside noises. On some of the new equipment, fool-proof electric impulses are replacing re-placing the deft hand of the locomotive loco-motive engineer in stopping highspeed high-speed passenger trains. Engineers on these streamliners merely press a button when they wish to stop and a robot electrical "aide" makes all the decisions from there on. This new system results in smoother smooth-er and faster stops because the maximum max-imum of efficient braking is applied automatjcally at each speed range Loss of efficiency in stopping, which takes place when train wheels slide is eliminated by a decelostat Yes, the postwar transportation he dV"? UaU adds UP the best deal tne traveling public ha yet been offered. as SOLID COMFORT . . . Ultimate in comfort is afforded coach passengers pas-sengers In the new streamline trains now reaching the nation's railroads. The chaise-longue chafr shown above provides full-length relaxation. sitlon, was developed as a direct result re-sult of studies of 3,867 persons who were measured by a university scientist sci-entist to determine the sitting requirements re-quirements of the average passenger. This reclining seat is adjustable to 10 different positions and the foot rest has four positions. In the main seating, compartments compart-ments of the new postwar cars, a new type of lighting affords a high degree of reading comfort and convenience. con-venience. The reading lights, installed in-stalled in the overhead baggage rack, are equipped with two lenses over each cross seat, one to give light for the window passenger, the other for the aisle passenger. Each light has an individual switch to permit per-mit a passenger to read without disturbing dis-turbing his neighbor. The new trains are particularly particular-ly interesting from a color standpoint, inasmuch as the new color themes are set by the route of the train. In an effort to have these streamliners express In color the characteristics of the countryside through which they pass, colored pictures are taken and studied by the builders. As a result. Interiors are strikingly pleasing to passengers, for the rock formations furnish the inspiration in-spiration for the tans and browns, the foliage provides |