Transport: Bars Banned

On the 1,700-odd U. S. railroads from the Aberdeen & Rockfish to the Yreka Western, all conventional locomotives have what engineers call a ''Johnson bar" —a manually-operated seven-foot steel lever which puts the locomotive either in reverse or forward motion and also controls the flow of new steam into the boilers to adjust speed. On small engines the Johnson bar causes no trouble, has been used for 50 years without improvement. When bigger engines began to appear 20 years ago, however, handling the bar became back-breaking work and the Brotherhoods of Locomotive Engineers and of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen began agitating for relief. Then came the power reverse gear which did the same job by air or steam-pressure released by nicking a small lever. Insisting on its installation, the Brotherhoods four years ago got the Interstate Commerce Commission to order it. Because each installation costs $500, the railroads fought the case to the U. S. Supreme Court where the I.C.C. ruling was reversed because of a technical error.

Meanwhile the 131 railroads which operate 97% of the nation's tracks compromised with the Brotherhoods by agreeing to put the power reverse gear on all new engines and on old ones brought in for Class 2 repairs. The Brotherhoods then asked the I.C.C. to drop the matter, but the I.C.C., anxious to assert itself, refused. Last week it ruled that the gear must be installed on all new engines and on old ones brought in for Class 3 repairs.* The minor U. S. roads for whom the change will be a major expense indicated that they would again appeal.