. Railway track and track work . st 1 ft. below thetop. From the taut wire are suspended the cross-heads to which the brass ribbonsare attached. On four-track sections the posts are 52 ft. 84 ins. apart at the levelof the rails. Mail Cranes. These are the frames to which are hung the bags to be snatched off by thecatcher on the mail car of a passing train. Tlie crane usually consists of a WATER AND COALING STATIONS. 205 post with two hinged horizontal arms, to which are attached tiie straps onthe top and bottom of the mail bag. These arms extend towartls the track,and when not in use lie verti
. Railway track and track work . st 1 ft. below thetop. From the taut wire are suspended the cross-heads to which the brass ribbonsare attached. On four-track sections the posts are 52 ft. 84 ins. apart at the levelof the rails. Mail Cranes. These are the frames to which are hung the bags to be snatched off by thecatcher on the mail car of a passing train. Tlie crane usually consists of a WATER AND COALING STATIONS. 205 post with two hinged horizontal arms, to which are attached tiie straps onthe top and bottom of the mail bag. These arms extend towartls the track,and when not in use lie vertically against the post, so as to be out of the long swinging arm may be used to reach across an intervening sidetrack,but on four-track lines, where the inside tracks are for passenger trains, aniron crane is used by the New York Central Ry. It is set between the tracks,and has the upper part turned parallel with tliem when not in use. This isshown in Fig. 131, together with the gage for erecting it at its proper j)osition. Fig. 131.—Mail Cra-ie^ in relation to the catcher on the mail car. When placed between passenger andfreight tracks these are spread 15 ft. 10 ins. c. to c, and the center of the cranepost is 7 ft. 5f ins. from the center of the passenger track. The stand shouljbe carried on the ends of two long ties, so that any alteration of level of thetrack by surfacing, heaving, etc., will not affect the relative position of thecrane to the car and rail. The wooden mail crane shown in Fig. 131 is very similar to that recom-mended by the Railway Mail Service Bureau of the Post Office arms are shown in position for the bag, but when it is taken off they swingto a vertical position, the upper one against the back and the lower one againstthe front of the post. Small rubber blocks prevent jarring when the armsfall. The iron tongues have no springs to hold tlie strajDS of the bags, a slight 206 TRACK. groove in the irons and the tension on the straps du
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