Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-04-30
ABOUT THE RAILROAD sHoPE-A NEW
VALVE MOTOR.

The work upon the new railroad foundry
building on the fill in China slough is pro-
gressing rapidly. The structure is all In
| closed except small portion on the western
side. Men are now at work painting the in
side, while bricklayers are busy putting in
annealing pits. There will be lightweight Of
| the latter constructed at once. and there is
room for IS many more, which viii be sup
piled when needed. These pits will hold
twelve car wheels each. A new cupola will
be constructed for the wheel foundry, with q
capacity Of so tons, and one of the old ones,
having capacity of % tons, will be removed
to the new building. thus providing for the
manufacture of $50 wheels per day. This
can be increased to 800 If desired. The
works now Ia use will make but so wheels
per day. The foundry for general work viii
be furnished with two cupolas, having total
capacity of 80 tons of metal. 1t is expected
that the building will be ready for occupa.
ton in July.
Werk has been begun at the railroad shops
on q monstrous locomotive, which, when
completed, will be the largest in the world.
When fully equipped for use it will weigh
about les tons. There will be five pairs of
drive-wheels, with four-wheeled truck in
front. The cylinder will be twerty-one
incnes in diameter, with stroke of thirty-six
inches. Extra large steel boiler plates have
been ordered from Cleveland, Ohio, to the
end that the boiler may have the fewest pos
sible seams. This locomotive will be ten or
twelve tons heavier than the unusually large
ones which were recently received from Pat
ersdp, New Jersey. An ordinary locomotive
weighs about forty.fve tons, while some do
not exceed twenty.eight tons.
In addition to the twelve extra size locomo-
tives. weighing SO tons each, which were
built in New Jersey for the Central Pacific
Railroad, and are now in service, Is moro
are being constructed and will soon bs sent
to this coast.
In about two weeks from the present time
tbs two boilers for the new Oakland and San
Francisco ferry boat will be completed. They
are of SO large size that workmen are re-
quired to use ladders and scaffoldipg as they
would in the construction Of small house.
They ere each 29a feet long and 10 feet in
diameter, while from the bottom Of the fire
box to the top Of the steam chimney it is "a
feet. The steam chimney is IA feet in length
and s feet inches in diameter.
Master Mechanic Stevens has recently OBJ.
tanned patent on valve motion which may
revolutionize the engines of the world. 1t is
for Glide valves, and consists in having valve
tOr ohCu cuQ u Cyluuer operated Dy /
dependent valve stems. The stems are con.
nected with a carrier bar at point between
the steam chest and the rocker The carrier
is connected with the cross-head in such q
way that lap and lead are given TO each valve
independently, and remains constant for all
points of cut off. Motion is given to tie
rocker by one eccentric, and the engine is re-
versed By an intermediate connection work.
ing above or below the center of the rocker
on its outside arm. The result of this arrange
ment is to give variable motion to the
valve in les travel that resembles greatly the
effect produced by en- independent cutoff
motion; the effect being reduced by less
than one.half the number of connections and
with the use of but one eccentric. The'indi-
Gator cards taken by this motion show more
economic uss of steam than is obtained
by the shifting link motion, the valve opeI-
ing quick to admit steam and maintaining o
free expanse to the point of compression
One engine has already been fitted up with
the new motion, ahd is now in service, run
ming between this city and the bay. 1t gives
perfect satisfaction. It is claimed that by
the new motion much more power can be OBJ.
tanned with the same amount of steam than
by the motion now in use. It is also less ex-
pensive for construction, and being much
more simple is less liable to wear or to get out
Of order. This is problem which mechanics
in the East have been trying to solve for
MANY wears.