While reading this thread, and at least one before it, I ran across
references to concerns about Smoke Abatement in Chicago a few times. There
was a
1,177 page definitive study of this problem that Chicago faced regarding
smoke abatement issues completed in 1915 titled Smoke Abatement And
Electrification Of Railway Terminals In Chicago: Report Of The Chicago
Association Of Commerce Committee Of Investigation On Smoke Abatement And
Electrification Of Railway Terminals, Published by Rand McNally & Company,
Chicago,
1915. (Of some historical note, a copy of this tome could be purchased for
$6.00 in 1915.) This Smoke Abatement Committee was formed in 1911 and
charged with the task of measuring smoke and toxins being emitted into the air
by steam locomotives entering and operating within the city limits, dust
from general construction projects throughout the city and stationary coal
burning boilers in residences and factories found throughout the city.
The book presents the scientific techniques used for sampling air quality
in some detail. Perhaps of more interest to a Q fan, it also presents
detailed block by block map sections/plates of the entire city (150
plates)showing the location of all rails and railroad facilities in the city.
These
maps were extremely well detailed by draftsman of a time when accuracy was
of utmost importance and a matter of pride. The maps allow a "Q" fan to
follow the CB&Q from just outside the city limits through all its yards and
facilities right into the old Union Station. There are also some old
historic photos from around the city showing grade crossings such as the
crossing
of the CB&Q at LaGrange, IL. If my memory serves me correctly, there was a
chart that said that the "Q" employed six flag men to protect crossings
within the city limits in 1912. One chart shows that while the CB&Q had
68.46 miles of main line track within the city limits in 1912 it would have
had
to electrify well over 200 miles of total track including yards and
sidings. There are photos of the CB&Q triple track with its semaphore signal
bridges at LaGrange, IL and the St. Charles Air Line to mention but a few.
There is a photo of the "old" Union Station (opened in 1881) with the old
mansard roof on a snowy winter day. One chart tells us that in 1912
7,890,599 passengers were handled at Union Station (the CB&Q handling over 4
million of these passengers) while the average number of intercity trains
arriving at Union Station on any given week day was 72 with 69 scheduled
departures, as well as the 61 arrivals and 61 departures of suburban trains.
The
remainder of the book is crammed full of charts and photos of every major
railroad found within the city limits, some suburban depots some freight
houses, engine facilities (round houses) and steam locomotives. There are
also charts and tables telling us that a steam locomotive on start up would
emit more smoke, cinders and particulate matter than one in motion, something
that even a casual observer would have been aware of, but it's here none
the less. The book has material of the same quality presented for the CB&Q
for all the railroads serving the city. The study also presents similar
scientific findings from other US cities as well as some European locations
for the purpose of comparison.
Perhaps the most telling chart is the one that shows that steam
locomotives within the city limits consumed 2,815,400 tons of coal in 1912,
steam
vessels consumed 92,368 tons, high pressure steam stationary power plants
consumed 9,147,334 tons, low pressure steam (apartments and residences)
consumed 4,646,910 tons, gas and coke plants 253,867 tons with furnaces of
steel
plants and other large manufacturing plants consuming 4,253,007 tons. So
one can see that railroad operations were using about 13% of the total
tonnage of coal burned within the city that year. Another chart presents some
interesting facts about the overall percentage of gases of combination in
smoke including nitrogen. Railroads produced 11.44% of airborne gases in
1912, furnaces of manufacturers 20.12% low pressure steam plants 21.34%, steam
vessels 0.56%, and the largest polluter of all high pressure steam and
stationary power and heating plants 46.54%.
Conclusions reached by the commission showed that electrification of
railroads within Chicago would account for about a 20% reduction in smoke
abatement and overall air pollution, the amount of soot, ash, and fuel
particles
discharged would be reduced by 5% and the amount of gaseous products
reduced by not more than 5%. So the committee concluded that while the RR's
were a significant contributor to the overall problem it would make little
sense to electrify them while not mitigating the other contributing factors.
(See page 283 section 115.02 for more precise wording of their conclusions.)
It is understandable that the railroads would not spend the significant
amount of money necessary to electrify unless mandated. So it never
happened. On the other hand, some western railroads did the accounting
necessary
and quickly determined that it was a cost savings for them to electrify
rather that replacing wood tressels and structures frequently destroyed by
errant sparks. It's all about the money!
Later, Dave S. Tucson, AZ
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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