The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-01-24
fphladelnhia Record.

Il
Mr.. Angas Sinclair, of the American Ma
chjaist as he jumped down from the loco
Dotive of the New FORK and Chicago Limit
a that had just rumbled into the Broad
'street station; sand the trip over from Jer-
sey City to this point, on the engine draw
ing it, is wonderfully interesting one, not
only to railroad man, but to the most un-
observing person.
The engineer and fireman reached the
round-house about half an hour before It
was time for the train to start, and each pro-
ceeded to do his own line of work in prepar-
ing the engine for the run. The engineer
proceeded to oil his charge, an important
matter where ninety miles have to be tray
ersed without stopping. As he moved
around the engine his trained eye detected
the smallest defect, and he examined eyery
cup and reservoir At the same time the
machinery got a final inspection, and the
air pump was started going. Meanwhile
the fireman was attending to his duties
giving the ire its finishing touches, filling
oil cans and brushing the dust off the cab
fittings.
Then the engine backed up to the train.
The air hose was coupled, two minutes fast
pumping of the air pump charged the car
reservoirs with their full pressure of air, and
all was ready for the start. While waiting
for the signal peep into the fire box dis
closed furnace ten feet long by forty-two
inches wide filed up with coal to depth of
fen in0hQG If fonE oh 10. l.
of coal to make this fire ready for the road.
The train consisted of five Pullman sleep
Ing ears and one dining ear, the six weigh
ing 2OO tons. The engines and tender, in
working order, weighed IA tons, which gave
a total weight of 274 tons to be moved by the
force exerted by the pistons.
As the signal was given to start a sprink-
ling of sand was dropped upon the rails, the
Unbelievable was opened little wider, and
with resounding exhausts the engine worked
into speed. From the start the necessity of
pushing forward and utilizing every second
o. time was recognized. The train had not
moved more than its own length when a
speed Of ten miles an hour was reached 1t
covered the first two miles, with heavy
upgrade, in four minutes. Then speed
of forty-seven miles an hour was attained,
but it was. soon checked, because bridge
was to be passed over. Several miles were
HI,
the impetus was reduced.
Thus it was through the whole strip--a
struggle to get up speed, followed by an eff
fort to dissipate part of the power gained
The engine maintained speed of sixty miles
an hour easily enough, but it was labori
GUS proceeding increasing the speed in
couple Of miles from mile in two minutes
to mile in one minute. Several heavy
grades were assembled, one of them three
rniloa Iono .T7Tai oh
second two miles to thirty miles an hour.
The engineer exhibited remarkable skill
and intelligence in handling the engine.
The water was carried steady, without anv
fuctuation, which enabled the fireman TO
maintain the steam at even pressure Where
the speed had to be reduced no more brak-
ing was done than absolutely necessary, and
the brake was applied so gradually that it
was hard to distinguish that the speed was
not being reduced merely through natural
loss of inertia.
The fastest running was done under the
favorable conditions of a straight, level
track, or descending grade. With the big
diving wheels of the locomotive, and at
speed of sixty miles an;hour, the wheels
made 25Sa revolutions per minute.
The f1reman's part of the work of getting
the train over the road was no less skilfully
done than that of the engineer. During the
first seven miles of the trip he did nothing
for the fire other than crack up some coal
Jumps. All the coal burned was broken
down to pieces about the size of two bricks.
When he seemed to think the proper time
had come he glanced at the fire, then threw
in one shovelful of coal. To pitch coal onto
the right spot in frebox ten feet long re-
quires considerable skill when the engine is
swinging at mile minute speed, but this
youth seemed equal to the task. He did not
pile in load of coal and then climb up into
the cab and wait for it to burn, as is the
practice Of a poor fireman. After he began
to fire he kept at it. About every two min
utes he got in a shovelful of COAL When. the
engine was working hard getting into speed
he varied his intervals Of firing; but he
worked on system, which was to keep up
the body OF fire and maintain the tampera-
ture as nearly even SIS possible. He followed
scientific methods, whether he understood
anything about science or not. He never
hesitated about the spot where the coal was
going, but pitched it in and closed the door
quickly, waiting till the turn of the next in
stalment came around By this means the
steam never felt the chilling effect that re-
suits from heavy charge firing. About eight
miles from Philadelphia the fireman stopped
putting in coal and in the remainder of the
run he several times used the hoe to level
the fire.
When we stopped at the station about four
inches of glowing cinders covered the CRATES.
AS the train came rushing along electricity
enabled the train dispatcher in his Office at
Jersey City to follow its progress and move
every obstacle that might cause delay.
The entire run of the Limited from Jer-
sey City to Chicago is 912 miles, which is
run in twenty-five and one-half hours, or at
an average speed of $500 miles per hour.
All known ras0urcas of mechanical sciancn