Prevention of Waste.

Hard times suffered by railways all over the world during recent years have naturally resulted in widespread campaigns to prevent waste in every form. On the London & North Eastern line, in England, an interesting development has been the establishment at Darlington of a big permanent-way material reclamation depot, serving the whole of the system. The work carried out consists of the examination of all used permanent-way page 16

A corner of the York Signalling School.

material, and its classification as between serviceable stuff and scrap; the reclamation of all material fit for immediate re-issue and the reconditioning of other still serviceable material; and the sale of scrap, either in its original form or by its being converted into some other form in which it is more readily marketable.

Rails, chairs, points and crossings, spikes, fishplates and fishbolts, points levers and sleepers, are the principal materials handled. A separate area or dock is provided for dealing with each particular article, and each distinct section is equipped with modern magnet cranes and other convenient handling appliances. Classification has been reduced to a very fine art. Used rails, for example, are examined and classified under five heads A,B,C,D, and E, according to whether they are fit for re-use on primary tracks, secondary, tertiary, or sidings, or merely as scrap. As a result of the operations carried out in the reclamation depot, a great deal of work has been saved in the various district engineers' stores, while the centralising of reclamation activities facilitated operations generally and enabled better markets for scrap to be secured.