George L. Vose

The subtitle of the "Handbook of railroad construction: for the use of American engineers. Containing the necessary rules, tables, and formulæ for the location, construction, equipment, and management of railroads, as built in the United States." already explains the purpose and content of this work. It wants to offer rules, tables, and formulæ for the location, construction, equipment, and management of railroads. In the Preface Vose further explains that:

... the object of this work was to give in the plainest possible manner all instructions, rules, and tables necessary for the location, construction, equipment, and management of railroads.

As a general thing, American engineers are not educated for their business; and when they do possess a knowledge of pure science, they are at a loss how to apply it.

The reader is presumed acquainted with the elements of arithmetic, geometry, algebra, and mechanics ; being thus provided, he will, by a perusal of what follows, be enabled to correctly proportion bridges, of wood, stone, and iron ; abutments, piers, retaining walls, superstructure, and locomotive engines; and to plan and lay out, execute, and estimate any description of work occurring upon railroads.

As the object has been more to be useful than original, the best engineering writers and experimenters have been consulted ; among whom are, — Gauthey, Navier, Vicat, Tredgold, Barlow, Totten, Fairbairn, Hodgkinson, Clark, and Lardner. Also a great number of reports by American civil engineers upon railroad matters.[11]

Organization scheme of a railroad, 1857.

Costs of Operating and Maintaining a Railroad, 1857

Vose further explains that the work is written as "handbook" and not a "treatise", more meant as office companion than as a text-book for students.[11] Fifteen years later he renewed this work, entitled "Manual for railroad engineers and engineering students: containing the rules and tables needed for the location, construction, and equipment of railroads as built in the United States". This work had the similar table of content but was prepared for both railroad engineers and engineering students.[12]

The last chapter of the 1857 handbook was devoted to management. In there Vose started explaining that railroad management can be divided into two major sections:

• Financial management
• Operating management

The financial management embraces the entire systems of accounts, and relates to everything to:[13]

• Adjusting the tariffs
• The transport of passengers and freight
• Ticket and receiving offices, steamboat, stage, and railroad connections.

The operating or operations management relates to:[14]

• Maintaining the road-bed, superstructure, bridging, masonry, buildings, and fixed stock in working order
• Making all repairs, renewals, enlargements, and alterations
• Purchase, inspection, maintaining, and operating of the rolling stock.

1873 Vose Manual for Railroad Engineers book cover

Vose further goes into the general principles for efficient operation; a part extracted from McCallum (1856). The rate and direction of subordination are presented with a functional organization structure (see image), in which the General Superintendent is in charge. Vose had notified earlier, that financial management does not properly come in his days.[15] And indeed, the financial management function is not incorporated into the organisational structure pictured.

A special feature of the 1857 Handbook, were two classification charts of the organization and the costs of a railroad (see images) given in its last chapter on management. After explaining the duties of employees, the number of trains to be used, and the amount of service of engines, Vose goes into expenses, receipts, and profits. He presents another classification chart of the whole cost of operating and of maintaining a railroad (see image).[16]

This article incorporates public domain material from Wilson, J. G.; Fiske, J., eds. (1889). "Vose, George Leonard" . Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton.; and from Rines, George Edwin, ed. (1920). "Vose, George Leonard" . Encyclopedia Americana..