The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1885-08-28
LOCOMOTIVES.
on THE SICK LIST AND IN THE HOS
PlTAL FOR REPAIRS.
Tho Historical "658" Which Drew the
Special Train to Elberon Wear and
Tear Of an Engine-Some
"Old-Timers."
New York Sun.1

by Tar tno most interesting ouildlng oil
the Pennsylvania railway repair shops, on
the meadows between Hackensack and Jer-
sey City, is the round-house. where stalls
are provided for forty-one locomotives,
aside from the three- -antrancss. which can
be utilized at pinch Engines in all man.
ner Of undress costumes are resting in these
stalls, receiving respite from their arduous
work. One Of them, a freight, is just in
from the line to have her sand-boI repaired,
and will return to her labors in an hours
time. Another, known as the "P" class,
which constitutes the heaviest engines run
on the road, Is stripped bare Of ell its eI-
terror arrangements, and even to its five
footeight drivers and its 181Sx24 cylinders;
its identity Is only known by common
chalk mark on its naked boiler, LOSE. This
Is one Of the engines that hauls the bulky
southern and western mail trains, and was
constructed especially for that pur.
pose Its weight, equipped for service,
Ia fifty tons, or four tons heavier
than the *" engine 3l7, which
stands undressed near it The latter, with
its long legs-its drivers arc six feet six
inches In diameter-appears to DO more
weighty but the former makes up the diff
ference in the length Of its boiler and the
size of the cylinders
Hard by ara several other passenger en-
gines known as the "a" class. whose mum.
bsrs run from 1880 to 1,045. and whose
weights average 45k tons These are the
most popular engines on the road, and can
steam. work and run better with eight or
ten cars than any other class Many OF the
locomotives are now in the shops receiving
q stopping fre-box instead OF the old-fash.
ioned fiat surface The new style of box
rests upon the frame Of the engine, allows
eight inches more OF heating space, and
lessons the chances Of spreading the wheel:
by close proximity to the fire-box. Thus
far only twelve engines have been furnished
with the new arrangement, but so soon as
the half-dozen locomotives that are now be.
ing put into shape for the Long Branch
route are out Of the way the innovation in
heating will be extended to others.
Among the engines that will leave the
shops this week is the historical 65s, which
day DIR. Frank H. Hamilton was sum.
moned to Garfields bedside. At half an
hours notice it whrled the special train
from Jersey City to Philadelphia In one
hour AMI thirty eight minutes including
one stop and several slowdowns. And
again in the following September, when
Garfield was taken to Elberon, 65S was de-
tailed to haul the special train; and two
weeks later the 65S began the mournful
ride which, starting at Elberon, ended at
Cleveland, Ohio. Last year 6oS was put in
charge Of Engineer Mclean on the Long
Branch limited express, and ran l24 miles
every day for twelve weeks in a few min
utes over three hours, including eight stops.
In September she went to the shops for a
thorough overhauling. and has bsen there
ever since Next week $50 will resume its
old trips under its old engineer. This en-
gine Il one Of the lightsst on the road. 1t
weighs only thirty mine tons
@How often is an engine In need Of re-
pairsa" was asked Of one OF the head me-
chanics.
THAT Is dependent as much upon the engi-
nssr as upon the engine itself. For instance.
some engineers handle an engine very care
fully and easily, while others pound them
to pieces in quick order. The fast express
engines suffer the most The wear and tear
upon them is beyond the comprehension of
the ordinary passenger. For instance, an
engine is sent to the shop for slight repairs;
say her tire has worn down. Very often
that will lead to the read justmsnt of her
motion work, and thorough renovation Of
all her parts follows We ought to get 50,-
0OO or q, 900 miles out Of an engine before
she requires complete overhauling There
have been exceptions, where locomotive
has run 20 600 miles without the need of a
single repair beyond the kind that the en-.
gineer himself can attend to; on the other
hand, some have been returned here with a
record Of only 40, 900 miles"
"How do you account for the discrep-
ancyp
at runs in the metal altogether. One
piece Of steel will not yield to dynamite.
Another will succumb to pressure of fifty
pounds to the square inch. Science. ex-
perience, and brains have not as yet been
able to overcome the metal while it is in
this tickle and capricious condition. or to
explain why it is So"
A short distance Off was q locomotive
graveyard, where a row Of dismantled en-
zines 'gloomily stood awaiting the railway
Charon to consign them to oblivion. They
were regular old timers, and were doubtless
looked up to by our fathers with feelings Of
awe and veneration for hauling them over
to Philadelphia In the @unprecedente cd time
Of four hours. stopping at all the principal
stations" The sight of this melancholy
Processiap suggested another question: -
tiver
The guide laughed. Railway experts
differ radically upon that point The life of
An engine ought to be taken from the work
1t does-its mileage. We base hero all our
expenses upon mileage But theis are other
contingencies, such as the durability Of the
metal and the man who drives. II two en-
gines Of the Same class arc taken, duplicat
In every respect and one is put on q slow
train on q small branch road. with nothing
to do but draw three or four coaches, and
the other Is assigned to fast express on the
main line with ten or twelve cars, both per-
forming the Same daily mileage, which one
will live the longerr