The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1881-08-10
THE TRACK TESTER.


: An Almost Human Automaton-Ho,
q the Pennsylvania Railroad Engin
q GERS Detect False Gauge, Fault
Curves and Dangerous Joints.
Its purpose is to ascertain accu
;, rately and record automatically ant
: exactly the condition of every foo
. of track over which it passes
Whether there is any dip or spread
If there be anywhere dangerous
curve or defective joint, these ar,
! the questions-often of vital import
. ance to travelling thousands-whicl
it answers. Flaws that the mos
vigilant inspector could not detect
or the most experienced foreman
locate, are by this machine deter
mined alike as to their nature, ex
tent and exact situation, and through
its guidance remedial measures may
be applied when necessary without
loss of time or uncertainty as to tn,
place.
The contrivance is built from plans
prepared by Alex. Voigt, u draughts.
man of the company, under superin.
tendence of Chief Collins. of that
department, and L. N. Ely, superir.,
tendent of the motive power of the
road. 1t was built in the shops OF
the company, under the personal
care of Master Mechanic G. w. STRAIT
ton. 1t possesses pretty nearly the
accuracy of chronometer and the
delicacy of a jewelers. balance.
Similar contrivances have been used
in England and France, but this is
believed to be the best of all-in
fact, it is thought to combine their
best features. Its first visit here oc-
CURED last August, when the gener-
al yearly inspection of the road was
made. 1t is now being used to as
certain the exact state of affairs on
the main line, with view to quick
er time in the near future. 1t is to
be kept in constant use over the en-
tire road from this time forward.
\ The indicator is always "run spe-
cial' and is always pushed ahead of
its locomotive, so that the observa-
tions may be influenced as little as
possible by the weight of that ma
chine acting on the rails. The speed
generally adopted is about fifteen
miles an hour, though Q fair record
may be obtained up to twenty-five
miles an hour. The condition of
the track is determined by its effect
on the car, which is very accurately
hung. A defective joint cause a jolt,
which is always proportioned to the
extent of the unevenness. The
point to be solved by the inventor
was how to make an ineligible re-
cord of the jolt which would locate
it and give a notion of its extent.
The principle he adopted was that of
automatic graphical representation,
so successfully applied in meteorol-
ogical observations. Over two drums
in the car broad paper ribbon (it
is about twelve inches wide) is
stretched. At the beginning of the
route it is coiled on the drum nearest
the rear of the car. AS the journey
progresses an ingenious arrangement
of cranks and wheels, connected with
the wheels of the vehicle, imparts
such motion to the forward drum
that for every mile the car traverses
four feet of the paper are drawn off
the other drum and coiled upon it
passing meanwhile under a set of
pencils, which record upon it, in
faint zig-zag lines, the observations
obtained by instruments to which
they are attached. Every one who
has ridden on fast train knows
what effect an increase of speed has
on ease of motion, so in order that
due allowances may be made a re-
cord of the rate of travel is first nec-
essary. A pencil touching the paper
near its right edge is connected with
an electric clock. For four minutes
and fifty nine seconds straight line
is made, as the paper passes over
the roller; at the end of the five
minutes circuit is broken by the
clock and the pencil marks tick.
If but little section of the paper
has passed from the roller between
ticks-in other words, if the ticks
are near together-the travel is slow,
and faults in the road ought to make
their minimum disturbance. If the
paper is running fast the car is going
fast, and little flaw may make
big jolt.
Near the space occupied by this
device is series of lines like music
lines, only not SO near each other.
There are two groups, of eight lines
each, and they correspond respec-
lively with the right and left rails.
The pencils which work over them
record errors of level in the track.
AS long as these are smooth the zig
gag is confined between the fourth
and fifth lines of each series. A
projection causes it to deviate to one
side, depression to the other. The
lines measure the defect, and an
eighth of an inch makes a percepti-
BILE variation on the paper. The
pencil is connected by a series of
cranks with rod attacked to the
spring of the car. AS various ex-
crescences set the body rocking on
the springs, the rod sets all the
cranks and through them the pencil
in motion. Between the two groups
of lines, corresponding with the two
rails, is a single line, along which
the elevation" or swing of the
curves is determined. AS the car
rounds these the pendulum within
it is carried in one direction or the |
other, according to well known prop |
critics of that instrument, and by a
very simple arrangement it records
the extent of its deviation on either
side of the standard line, according |
to the direction of the arc. On the
left of the paper are three more lines.
On one of these an electric device
makes a mark each hundred yards |
that is covered. On the second one
the person in charge of the car notes
Hx~ ,~rr,ho~ xAo xs,s1o ,,Dpkc faxuarx,