of
the manufacturers who have co-operated with them in this work.

In the matter of Rail Sections, the Rail Committee of The American
Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way Association has not arrived
at any definite conclusions. The new sections "A" and "B" of The
American Railway Association have not given as good results as was
expected of them, and the whole matter is yet under consideration. The
Committee reported as follows:[D]

"The instructions of the American Railway Association require us to
study the A. R. A. sections 'A' and 'B' in use and submit a single
type for standard. Owing to the conditions existing in 1908, very
little rail was laid, and practically none of the A. R. A.
sections, in such manner as to give the needed information. This
year, several roads have laid A. R. A. sections of rail, with a
view of determining the relative merits of the respective sections.
These rails have been in the track so short a time that we are not
justified in drawing any conclusions as to which of the A. R. A.
types, 'A' or 'B,' or if either, is better than the A. S. C. E.
sections.

"_Bulletin No. 116_, issued October, 1909, gives the statistics for
rail failures for six months from October 31, 1908, to April 30,
1909, as reported to the Committee. These statistics do show that
the difference in section can be entirely annihilated by difference
in chemical composition and by the treatment in furnace and mill.

"The results so far obtained from the heavy base A. R. A. sections
are disappointing, as we have received some rail from the mills of
the new section which was as bad as we did with the old
A. S. C. E. section, showing that the quality of the rail does not
depend entirely upon the section.

"The tests to be inaugurated by the Committee, combined with the
results of the tests at Watertown and the performance of the rail
in the track, will give us valuable data to aid us in coming to a
final conclusion."

A careful study of the results already obtained, on both Bessemer and
open-hearth steel rails, indicates that the next necessary step will be
the use of a much heavier rail, and I think the sooner this is admitted
and trial lots of say 1,000 tons each of 110-lb., 120-lb. and 130-lb.
rails rolled, of Bessemer and open-hearth steel, and put in service
under the most severe conditi