New-York tribune., 1870-10-31
LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES.
HISTORICAL REMINIsCENCEs-HOw THE ENGINES
ARE MADE-HOw TEsrED-NUMBER YARI-
ETY., AND POWER FROM ONE ESTABLISHMENT.
Eighteen hundred men make q locomotive en-

AIg
ARE MADE-HOw TEsTED-SUMBER, vARI-
ETY., AND POWER FROM ONE ESTABLISHMENT
| Eighteen hundred men make locomotive en-
cinc I'm one day-boIler cylinders frame driving wheels
truck stack cab pilot and tender eompee-the speed
OF forty miles an hour and the power OF Thousand tun'
| created in "A day
on the 25h OF April, 1881, miniature locomotive en-
eine drawing two with seats for four persons w
act in motion ON track laid in the rooms OF "Poales
Museum" IN the City of Philadelphia Great numbers
~ noonle not only from the city but from distant parts
vsed the Museum 10 witness the performances OF TINS
wonderful machine Previous to that date only tbree
attempts had been made in the construction OF locomo
tiyes by American mechanics Two engines, tue "fnp
nix and the "west Point" had been built at he "es'
Point Poundery In $780, for the South Carolina fnoa"
and third the "De Witt Clinton, for the Mohawk ana
Hudson Railroad was completed in the spring OF 1851
Two locomotive engines had been imported rom E,
gland one in 1923, for the CarDondaie ana honesdae
Railroad In Pennsylvania, and anoher Iof ,ne plona w.
and Hudson Road, in 1890 The little engine ahushg t
yistors at PeaIes Museum was the invention ana work
of Mr Matthias W. Baldwin then skillfui ana enter
In tfe foIoWinr wear Mr. baldwin received order
| from the Germantown Railroad Company for the con
strucfOn of locomotive engine to run on thelr ROAD
This was at tho time, a very formidable undertaking.
| only mechonc in America had yet sncceehcd ~. IN
erecting locomotive that would draw more than ts
own weight horizontal track Several unsuccessful
attempts had made, resulting In loss and disconr-
| agcment to the cxpermenters However MI BALDWIN
had confdenoe In his ability surmOunt all difficulties,
and he agreed to build the engine Without tools, pat
only his genius to guide him. and the 23d
Noyember ak months sL.sr dn reces tbe roa1
Its success and the sensation which II produced are
now matters Of history II IL enough tn say that es
tabished reputation for ts builder that secured Tor
him more work than the capacity Of his shop could ac
connodate Before the close Of 1894 he had completed
engines New shops were erected and in 1885 four
tesn locomotives built; In 1885, forty aud in the
next year. foriyrge. The business was, therefore, tuy
est tabshed and grew year to year, experiencing
with other departments Of manufacture and trade per-
odca rcyuls0us. Int vet moving forward until me
baldwin Locomotive Works assumed and maintained
the enyabe distinction Of being the most extensive loco
motive establishment in the world and from the ca
pacity OF small engine in six months, the WORKS,
within third of century, attained the capacity 0f ono
engine day three hundred OF the most power
ful and complete railroad locomotives IN year.
One of the secrets of the great success Of tho WORKS
lay In the genius Of their founder Mr. BALDWIN was
gifted with mind fertile in practical inventions to de
gree rarely found in any country. During the earlier
years of his experience locomotive builder, almost
every engine produced in some particular an I'M
proyernent over any of its predecessors many new De
vices or changes in continuation giving increased
chimes. The rs great improvement ia hs engines T5
the invention Of She ground joint which Hupersedsd
the old and red lead joints then IN use Inc ue
vice of the half crank axle by which an inside c0nncc yea
engine with outside cylinders was made possible ths
flexible parallel beam truck for the two forward P,is , ~
drivers on the old pattern Of freight locomotive with ror
pairs of drivers and the arrangement Ia connection Nm ~
pe rmit % free and e Hibe action on curves ana inda m
lions in the trsel-these are some 9i she lnpIr m
proycments in locomotive building WHICH "stb iao i
dnced by Mr. Baldwin Tie device last named hls since
been superseded hut at that time II was an lmpVr.a
among the nnor nveutions may De named the forming
of the pump chamber within thc gu%ine % r ao o rim
OF the iron wheel center with wood ming netWsch
and tire This latter device was paieIen Dy t & io "
in 1855 The copper lsre9and. on 'ns s nafented
the Arc-bOx end Of lorOuotve tubes, was diso att,o
by Dir. Baldwin in the same year All tne bauMln ~
patents taken out before the D9iniS Oh , 70 Hnir
bii ding at Washington ln lSb' "cIc sun lIu
as no effort was made to renew the rtcOtds; Hont o
these as the two last nalgG & @yre noss Yeae IMPROVE
meuts made by this thoroughly liberal mechanic were
not reserved to ~. %Wn @ bS W naccd in smperSrty
or skill and workmanship than IN letters patent
to maintain ne 5eag[sn RoTFs X ar located ON North
Rroaist, philadelphia, and occupy the greater part Oh
three blocks, from PennsyiTaniaaYe 10 spring Gar
don II and an area 2i0OO9 square feet On the center
OF the roldst front stands the old shop three stores
In high erected by Mr.. Baldwin IN 1884 Here are the
olices store room, and drawing department. ana also
what is called the Hamton-st shops lhciudhg DQHer
story machine shops" and pattern loft south or TINS
building is the WlOw-st shop, where cylinders ana
are made Adjacent to this building on the west is u
brick building 266 feet long 20 feet deep IN tue central &
central part OF the building and the east wing are used
about a locomotive, except the truck wheels, is made
The west wing is used as hammer shop One large
steau hammer rated at five thsusand pounds IL IN con
stant use here working scrap and bar iron into blooms
from which the engine frames are made. on the north
side, beyond ButtonWOod 81, Is inc erecting snOp
wher all parts tend. and whence complete locomotives
emerge. Two large buldlngs ana lot OF grouna, de
tached from the main establishment are employed as
bla ksmith shop stable and stoy1Sercom not enumer
dtfd Ia the above.
The different varieties OF locomotives usually manu-
featured in the establishment technically designated
in the baldwin classification by certain letters and mum
bers The letters indicate tho plan or kind Or engine
the numbers the size Orweigh The combination OF the
letters and numbers indicates precisely the class To
Xplain more clearly The letter b ~ used TO designate
a engines having single pair Of drivers C. those with
two pairs OF drivers d. those with three; and f.. those
with pairs Of drivers connected. Then certain nI
bcr now merely arbitrary but originally intended to in
drac the WEIGHT of the machine ia gross tuns are Joined
with the letters aud the combination des natcS partic
uar plan and size OF locomotive Tue ordinary type OF
the American locomotive, It Is well known is an engine
on eight WheelA four OF them under the bOX part Of
tje machine and acting as "dvycTs" and four smaller
wheels combined into truck tn carry the forward part
Of the engine. such engine, IN the Baldwin tech
ucuogy WOnd hc "C engine, by Vlrtue of It's having
frO pa ofdireTS CONNECTED. II tscy ndersaGe sixteen
inches in diameter, the boiler must lie large enough to
furnish them with stcu and all the tOther parts of the
machine must conform size The agrc gate weight of
The engine according gly governed by the dimensions of
the uder Now the figures 2 indicate these facts We
have then the combination 24 10 des nate locomotive
with oght wheels, OF them drivers with cylinders
sixteen inches in diameter, and "A certain aggregate
wei gt for the whole machiue In like manner all the
other classes of gines are appropriately designated.
Mos definitely for the benefit OF the profession and Of
those who ike Mr. Gradgrind delight la absolute
facts" we may tabuate the different classes OF engines
toll.