Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1886-03-06
eNcLs4 CARS ANO Loc 3MoTvEs.
rh' Impression They Make Upon an
American Observer.
lHarper's Magazine

'h' Impression They Make Upon a
American Observer.
fHarper's Magazine
: The first impression which AN Ameri
can who is experienced in railroa,
travelling in his own country derive
, from the exterior aspect of an Englisl
} tram Is unfay0rable. The cars. as h,
, must necessarily call them, seem to b,
, small; they lack, apparently, the weigh
and so.idity of the American passen
ger coach; the compartments mr.,
narrow, the ceilings low. In,
ventilation apparently doubtful. The,
stand upon two, three or NOR,
pairs of gaunt high wheels, tt
the axles OF which their springs arc d.
rectly geared. He misses the little in
dependent ehicle, the truck, or borie
with its four or six small, compact
solid blocking, wide-fanged wheels
which sustain each end of the car--tbat
rolling gear which looks so strong. So
adapted to Inc ,uality of rail or curve.
SO resourceful against disaster, AMI Sc
complete in its equipment.
The cars are smaller there il M
doubt of L. They are narrower and
they are shorter, and to the American
eye they look even shorter than they
really are, because they have no
pro. Getting platforms at the ends.
no oVerhanging roof or hood.
out are buckled up close TO
each other and their contact con.
trolled By small metal buffers. the
springs of which allow a play of from
eighteen inches to two feet and n half
between car and car The Miller plat
form, the Janney coupler, the link and
pln--of all the familiar devices of tho
nited States, there is not one to be
seen. The brakes; None visible. Nor.
LOT the matter of that, brakeman
ms influential and numerous person
mas no existence in England. There is
NOT oven documentary type of him.
mat you do not find him is the first
stern intimation you receive that in
English railroading there are no auto.
Gratis. The wheels are fitted with
brakes, however, and the trained eve
notes rubber hose connection between
the carriages, quite different in its an.
pllcation to that known at home hpt
brake.
lie takes account of tho distinctions
OF class, and reflects upon his country's
Yelled progress in that regard in the
matter OF parlor cars and limited OK
press trains Then he finds that there
are no baggage masters to watt the VIOLA.
Tie saratoga to its doom, as his own
newspapers would express it. There Is.
perhaps, luggage van or two, or there
are IN the carriages themselves luggage
compartments according to the way In
which the train is made up, the length
Oh Quincy 1t is to take, or the custom
OF the particular line under observa-
ton. His final contemplation is perhaps
devoted tothe engine, and, if he has
ever given any OF his attention to the
Ameri.an locomotive, it fills him with
q deep concern. He recalls the impos
ing splendor OF the latter, its comforta.
Die and lofty cab of oiled and polished
wood. its gay brass bell, the souls
ring whistle, the noble head light and
the cow destroying pilot, the great Gin
der-eonsuming smoke-stack unless Il
be hard-coal burner, in which case
tnat feature shrinks to moderate pro-
portions), the powerful drivers and
compact cylinders, the eccentric con
Meeting rods, all its parts radiant with |
the glitter OF polished steel or bur.
hished brass, or decked with appropri.
ate vermtlion or emerald green.
In all OF these matters the English In.
ecomotive compares with it much MS n
lawn mower does with New York fire.
engine. 1t is humble, awkward. green
Or inonochromatic machine. IL has
neither polish nor decoration about il
There is no cab. The engineer and his
is to say, the engine.
1rlver and his stoker, as they are styled
N tngland-perform their duties with
only such shelter as is afforded by a
BOARD screen in front of them, pierced
oy TWO round apertules filled with stont
siass' technically kno WI as 'spectaces.,"
! ne smoke stack is short and thick
mere is an unsightly green hump on the
PACK OF the boiler; the cylinders are
lnder the front of the latter, instead of
m each side before the drivers: the 4
Wheels are all large, and the BODY of the
ng'ne is perchod high up above them
ND looks top-heayy and dangerous.
The whole thing is rigid and stif,
ooklng, and to the observer who has
lad to do with the external aspects of
locomotives it is unprepossessing and
nlovely; The practical American en-
ineer whistles thoughtfully as he sur
eys 1t, and wonders to himself how
ong 1t would lie before he would ditch his
ram II he had to run on new western
abroad with such an engine. Where
'ould he be on sharp curve, or how
'ould such running gear adapt itself to
n unevenly balanced track9 The low
enter of gravity of the American loco.
iotlve, the weight distributed well
own between tho wheels, the play Of
nc small, broad DANCES under the pilot
'uck, and the external gearing of the
rlvlng- wheels, all give the American !
lglne an appear ance of stability which ,,
npreSses not orly the layman, but also ,
10 expert. !
Wonderful Pyrotechntc nisnl.v