Life, 1922-03-16 · page 12 of 34
Life — March 16, 1922 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This article by Don Herold explains railroad accordion pleats—the canvas joints between train cars that allow expansion and contraction on curves. The top diagram illustrates how these pleats work: the inner side of a curved track compresses while the outer side extends, causing the pleats to "spread." The bottom cartoon, captioned "Galosh!" shows bewilderment among older party-goers at young women's new fashionable footwear—apparently galoshes or similar rubber overshoes were a surprising fashion development that contrasted with previous styles. The page combines technical railroad explanation with social satire about changing fashion trends, juxtaposing industrial innovation with contemporary cultural shifts.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFE Keep the Railroads Crooked Don Herold AVE you ever noticed the accor- “Filberta.”) We approach a curve. This gives us the effect of a rubber dion-like canvas connections or As Pecan and Filberta follow the train. joints between the vestibules of two tracks of the curve, there is a tendency And without the expense. cars of a modern railroad . The same principles apply train? ‘We have expansion i 2 when there are more cars, These have a purpose, a ae poluts A, Band C TOP VIEW OF R.1. TRAINON CURVE Imagine how many more very serious purpose, and I gp points. D Hon ts wrecks we should have if will do my best to make it trains were brittle from one clear and cryptic. end to the other. Only the Without these accordion 7 very stoutest trains would pleats, with which science has mT < YY get around the curves. and | so kindly provided the rail- S y hate to think what would road train, the railroad train FN ] happen to the curves could never in the world get If it were not for the ac. around curves; either the cordion pleats in a train, the railroad train would break railroads simply could not into pieces or the track aa have curves. The railroads would break into pieces; you if would all have to be perfect- cannot make a stiff railroad ly straight. Think of the ex- train bend around curvy curves. for the train to get shorter on the in- pense of that; heaven knows, it costs Let us, for the sake of simplicity, side side of the curve and longer on enough to build the railroads crooked! suppose that we have a railroad train the outside side of the curve. What If there were no way to crook the with only two cars. It is a vestibuled happens? The accordion pleats on the trains, the railroad companies would train, and there are accordion canvas inside side of the train come closer to- have to build their railroads as s t joints between the two cars. (One of gether and on the other side they and pretty as they look on the : the cars is called “Pecan” and the other SPREAD! in the railroad timetables. Bewilderment of old parties at recent development in young women’s footgear comicbooks.com