STANDARD HEIGHT OF DRAWBARS
INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D. C.
WASHINGTON : GOVERNMENT PRINTtNQ OFFICE : t0OS
STANDARD HEIGHT OF DRAWBARS
INTERSTATE COM^MERCE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D. C.
23439—08
At a General Session of the INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISSION,
held at its Office in Washington, D. C., on the.6th day of June,
1893, the following action was had:
"t^Tiereas, by the fifth section of an' act of Congress approved
March 2, 1893, entitled " An act to promote the safety of employees
and travelers upon railroads by compelling common carriers engaged
in interstate commerce to equip their cars with automatic couplers
and continuous brakes and their locomotives with. driving-wheel
brakes, and for other purposes," it is provided, among other things,
" That within ninety days from the passage of this act the American
Railway Association is authorized hereby to designate to the Inter¬
state Commerce Commission the standard height of drawbars for
freight cars, measured perpendicular from the level of the tops of the
rails to the centers of the drawbars, for each of the several gauges of
railroads in use in the United States, and shall fix a maximum varia¬
tion from such standard height to be allowed between the drawbars
• of empty and loaded cars. Upon their detennination being certified
to the Interstate Commerce Commission, said Commission shall at
once give notice of the standard fixed upon to all common carriers,
owners, of lessees engaged in interstate commerce in the United
States by such means as the Commission may deem proper." * * *
" And after July first, eighteen hundred and ninety-five, no cars,
either loaded or unloaded, shall be used in interstate traific which do
not comply with the standard above provided for," and
■Alrereas the said American Railway Association did thereafter,
and within the period of ninety days after the passage of said act,
to wit, on the 2Gth day of May, 1893, duly file with the Interstate Com¬
merce Commis.sion the certificate of their action, designation, and de¬
termination in manner and form as follows, viz:
The Aiierican R.\ilw\\v Association,
Office of the Seciíetarv, 24 Park Place,
Neio York, May 22,1893.
The Interstate Cowaierce Cojiaiission,
WaMiington, D. (J.:
In coinjiliance Avith tlie fifth section of an act of Congress approved
March 2, 1893, entitled, "An act to promote the safety of employees
and travelers upon railroads by compelling common cariicrs engaged
in interstate commerce to equip their cars Avith automatic couplers
and continuous brakes, and their locomotives Avith driving-Avheel
brakes, and for other purposes," the American Raihvay Association
(3)
4
hereby certifies to your honorable body that at its regular meeting
held at Chicago on April 12, 1893, it adopted resolutions as follows :
Resolved^ That the standard height of drawbars for freight cars,
measured perpendicular from the level of the tops of the rails to the
centers of the drawbars, for standard-gauge railroads in the United
States shall be thirty-four and one-half inches, aird the maximum
variation from such standard height to be allowed between the draw¬
bars of empty and loaded cai-s shall be three inches.
Resolved^ That the standard height of drawbars for freight cars,
measured perpendicular from the level of the tops of the rails to the
centers of the drawbars, for the narrow-gauge railroads in the United
States shall be twenty-six inches, and the maximum variation from
such standard height to be allowed between the drawbars of empty
and loaded cars shall be three inches.
The Awerigan E ail way Associatioît,
H. S. Haines,
President.
W. F. xVllen,
Secretary.
Xow, therefore, in pursuance of the provisions of said section five
of said act,
It is ordered^ That notice be at oîice given to all common carriers,
owners, or lessees engaged in interstate commerce in the United States
that the standard height of drawbars for freight cars, measured per¬
pendicular from the level of the tops of the rails to the centers of the *
drawbars, has been designated and determined by the American Eail-
way Association, mentioned in said act, as and to be thirty-four and
one-half inches for standard-gauge railroads in the United States,
and twenty-six inches for narrow-gauge railroads in the United
States; that the maximum variation from such standard height to
be allowed between the drawbars of empty and loaded cars, both for
standard and narrow gauge railroads in the United States, has been
fixed and determined by said association at three inches; and that
such determination has been duly certified by said association to the
Interstate Commerce Commission.
And it is further Ordered. Tliat such notice be given by mailing
a copy of this order, with the recitals therein contained, attested by
the seal of this Commission and the signature of its secretary, in a
sealed envelope duly addressed to each known railroad carrier in the
United States engaged in interstate commerce, whether owner or
lessee, at its prmcipal office or place of business, and by publishing
the same at least once in each of the following-named papers, viz:
The Eailwaj^ Eeview, published at Chicago, 111.; the Kailway Age
and Northwestern Eailroader, published at Chicago, 111, ; the Eail-
road Gazette, iniblished at New York, N. Y. ; the American Engineer
and Eailroad Journal, published at New York, N. Y. ; the Eailway
Equipment Guide, published at New York, N. Y, ; the Travelers'
5
Official Guide, published at New York, N. Y. ; the Engineering News
and jVmerican Railway Journal, published at New York, N. Y., and
the Railroad Car Journal, published at New York, N. Y.
The Interstate Commerce Commission gave notice of said standards
to all common carriers, owners, and lessees engaged in interstate
commerce in the United States, as directed by the last paragraph of
the foregoing order of the Commission.
The foregoing is a true and accurate statement of the proceedings
had, and a true and accurate copy of all orders made and entered
as set forth herein.
[seal.]
Secretary.
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