The Portland daily press., 1888-11-24
TWO HUNDRED MILES PER HOUR.
The Bicycle Locomotive Now Build
Ing In this City.
What is Expected OF the Recent
Novel Invention.

ing In this City.
What is Expected of the Recent
Novel Invention.
TITS the oldest thing you ever saw on
trucks. and it would puzzle you to name it
on looking at 1t for the first time. 1t is an
experiment; there never was anything like it
before. but tell you l believe something s
going to come of IL. said on trucks, but
excepting two little pony trucks under the
fire box, there isn't but one wheel under it.
and that's why 1t is odd." said the machinist
to the PRESS reporter yesterday. as he led
the way into the "setting up shop" of the
Portland Company's great locomotive works.
The scene inside was a busy one, and quite
as novel as busy. Here were the huge iron
skeletons.of half dozen locomotives. Some
OF the big machines were almost completed.
and lacked only the finishing touch to be
ready to go majestically forth for a hum
ming trial trip over the road of steel, while
others were but just begun. But the report
er was not there to look at ordinary locomo-
-tives. although the process of making them
is indeed Interesting. "Now show me your
great bicycle locomotive" said he after a
glance through the noisy shop. "This way"
said the guide, "here it is. Now how does
that strike your"
. Well 1t is an odd thing, known, or rather it
eventually will be known, as the "Boynton
bicycle locomotive" The Portland Com
pany has had men actively at work upon it
for some three weeks now, and although 1t
is fast nearing completion, considerable yet
remains to be done upon it, Its boiler is
shaped about the same as the common loco
motive boiler, not differing much in length,
but rather smaller in diameter than that of a
railroad locomotive. Its FIRE box is deeper.
and the cab will be two stories high. the fire.
man occupying the lower and the engineer
the upper story. 1t has two cylinders of the
same shape. but little smaller than the or
dinary locomotive cylinders, located quite
close together under the part of
the boiler farthest from the cab.
Then under the middle Of the boiler is one
giant, steel tired driving wheel. 1t is eight
feet in diameter and was cast at the Portland
Company's foundry last summer. Tue tire
Is deeply grooved, and on either side of the
great driving wheel is crank, to take the
place Of the treadles Of common bicycle.
The pistons Of the cylinders are attached by
means Of driving rod to these cranks and
by the power of steam the novel railroad BIZ
cycle will be propelled, it is claimed, any
where from one 20 two hundred miles per
hour How much will 1t cost? ?" From ten
to fifteen Thousand dollars, perhaps more,
and win weigh say twenty-five tons.
Who's invention is this, and when was
the thing begun?" asked the PRESS man.
THE inventor is Z. Moody Boynton, and
ne is very enthusiastic over it, and seems to
have plenty Of money with which to carry
out his ideas. The cars will also be made to
run ON one rail and will be two stories high
to correspond with the cab of the bicycle To-
connective which will be some sixteen feet
high"
"But what will prevent the whole thing
from toppling oyer2"
THE track will be built thus: There will
be rail above as well as under the train.
The upper rail will be supported by strong
iron columns planted on either side OF the
lower rail at sufficient distance apart to
allow the train space to pass between them.
Grooved wheels of a small size as compared
with the driving wheel. will be fixed to the
tops Of the cars and locomotives will be run
on the upper rail. In this way the train will
be prevented from toppling oyer. Now, 1t is
claimed that by this arrangement the friction
viii be much less and. therefore, the train
can be propelled faster and with less power
the expense Of constructing the road bed win
be much less than the cost of the road
bed OF the railroads of the existing sys-
TEN, very narrow road bed being
all that Is required. The machine was be-
gun at Newburyport but they found the un-
dertaking too great for them and SO the con-
tract was given to us. The boiler is made to
garry steam. pressure of $50 pounds to the
square inch, being made OF steel. Oh, Mr..
Boynton has got big ideas, and, as said be-
fore. lots Of money back sof them. Some
says oh. the thing will never-be success.
" don't amount to anything Well, don It
think 1t will be success, but 1t is step in
the right direction and believe will lead to
something successful At any rate 1t isn't
bad way for rich men to spend money"
The machinist went to another part of the
shop leaving the reporter to examine the big
steam bicy Gle to his hearts content
OF what horse power is the boiIer?' he
ventured to ask of one of the half dozen men
who were at work upon different parts of
the odd locomotive.
Its something new," was the laconic
reply, don't know anything about it."
Where will it be used?" W
Don't know that either, but understand
that 1t will be tried at Old Orchard Beach,"
mot before another summer. suppose,
Maybe not, but there's big talk about Civ
ing ita trial at once, say the first of the year
or as soon as itis completed"
It's only a new invention, but who
knows what may come of it? In this age of
hurry and restlessness nothing moves too
quickly. and who can say that the next gen.
GRAFTON win not 60 whizzing over steel roads
at the rate of 200 miles per hour. passing
from ocean to ocean. say in couple of days9
A standardization of space, so to speak.