Cheyenne transporter. [volume] (Darlington, Indian Terr.) 1879-1886, 1882-04-10
How To Heat Cars.

Deen lately directed TO the question o.
safe,y heating cars. In regard to thi'
subject, Supt. TOucey, of the New
York Central, said to a New YOri
Tribune reporter:
There are many and serious ohjec
tions to taking steam from the locomo
tive engine for heating purposes. Ii
the first place, you cannot by any sys
tenn 1 have seen get enough steam t(
heat thoroughly more than eight OF
nine cars. Then there is the grea
drain on the engine in consequence o.
so much steam being taken from 1t
The steam is of course all wasted, being
blown out the rear of the car"
"But are there not systems by which
the steam is returnedp
"Well, we have been experimenting
for the last two years with all sorts Of
steam-heating arrangements. We die
try to return the steam to the boiler
but it was not success. An engine
wants all the steam she can make fOl
motive power"
Gould not the boiler be enlarged, Of
an engine built with separate boiler
for heating purpOses?"
"In order to make the boiler large
enough for that the gauge Of the roa(
would have to be widen.d. The pro
ject of having seperate boiler fCl
heating purposes has been advanced
1t has been proposed to place boiler
in the baggage-car, from which steam
could be supplied, but here another ob
lection comes in; and it is one which
applies to all systems in which eacl
car does not carry its own heat. Sup
pose that long train could be success
fully heated from the engine-which i
can't-and Car is switched off on tn,
side track to await another train
it frequently is. The minute the ca
is detached from the train the sourc,
of heat is lost, and the consequence O.
this, at some Out-of-the-way station, il
the depth of winter can really be i'm
agined. Then another difficulty. Sup
pose the train is heated from a bOile,
in the baggage car. Why, just as like
ly as not, between here and Buffalo
that car will have to be cut out of tn,
train because of broken wheel, or on,
that is likely to break, or for som,
good and sufficient reason. There
where's your heat?"
"Then you are of the opinion tha
in a successful system every car mus
carry its own heat"
81 am, indeed. Last year we spen
$4,000 trying to perfect systems o.
heating from the engine, but all to NJ
purpose. That coroner's jury in thu
Spuyten-Duyvil case has given people
an idea that we are slecpy-heads W
here, but it is not so. We have tried
our best to get good and safe heater
for our Cars. am testing something
now which works so we'll as to max,
me think that / am on the right tracl
at last. 1t is the method of heating {
train by steam from small boilers fas
tened under each car. Under the boil
er is the fire-grate, and the whole thins
is encased in an iron box. When th'
fire is started the boiler makes steam
which is distributed through the ca
in pipes placed at such an angle tha
the steam, as it cOndenses, runs bacl
into the boiler; thus, theoretically, n,
water is lost. OF course there is som,
loss, but we have run a car four week.
without putting in more water. Th,
great difficulty is one of construction
it is very hard to get the boiler, as i
is in two pieces, absolutely steam
tight"
"But would there not be almost al
great danger from fire in the case of /;
collision, as there would if stoves wer,
usedp"