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Car and Train Standards.

Compartment cars are by degrees completely taking the place of the saloon coach in suburban passenger service. This reversion to the compartment design is very noticeable at Home. Not long ago the London, Midland and Scottish Company decided to adopt the compartment design as standard for suburban working, and now a similar decision has been arrived at by the Metropolitan Railway.

The new standard trains on the Metropolitan line accommodate 482 passengers, as compared with 372 passengers in the existing open type of carriage. The trains are formed of two motor and five trailer cars, having a total length of 382 feet and a total weight of 225 tons. The motor equipment is of 2,500 horse power, exerting a tractive effort on starting of 30,600lbs., and having a rate of acceleration of 1.2 miles per hour per second. The open type of passenger carriage is still employed on the London Underground lines, and on many suburban routes of the mainline systems in London and the provinces, but the gradual replacement of this class of vehicle by compartment stock is likely in the future.