The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-04-25
Tricks of the Engines.

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say that such and suchsa thing works
with the regularity of a. machine, and
one is not surprised when such compar-
ison is made, for machines are said to work
with mathematical regularity, and never
to vary from speed or action to which
they are set. But there is one piece OF
machinery which is striking and puz-
zing exception to this rule. 1t seems de-
cidedly opposed to honotonously per-
feet performance of its work, and to rid
itself of the depressing effects of same
ness, it indulges in the most fanciinl and
inexplicable freaks, driving its whilom
master into bewildering wonder. This
strange mechanical creature is the loco
motive, and to attempt to tell all of its
curious ways would be quite as--great an
undertaking as to attempt to tell why a
woman doeslthus and so.
The only parts Of machinery necessary
to be touched to move the engine for
ward, back her or bring her to a stop are
the throttle. the reverse lever and the
air brake. The throttle is the lever
which controls the main valve of the en-
gine, which admits the steam to the
cylinder or shuts off the supply. The
reverse lever runs over a semi-circular
bar of iron, in which are cut several
notches. When this lever is thrown for
wards and the engine throttle is opened
the engine will move forward, ana to re-
verse the engine the reverse lever is
thrown backwards, and therefore its
name. Four pipes rise through the floor
of the cab, and all of them empty into a
brass cock which is controlled by the
lever. Turn it suddenly to the left and
the powerful air brakes will be applied
SO sharply and with such force that the
engineer will be in luck if he does not
fly through the front window.
Thee is the injector, which throws
water in the boiler, and the lubricator,
which keeps the interior of the engine
well oiled, and other pieces of machinery
Of greater or less importance, but the
three levers mentioned are the ones that
govern the engine. Their use may be
mastered in five minutes, and after their
uses have once been explained. any one
can run an engine yet it requires n long
training TO fit a man for the position OF
an engineer, and that is simply because
engines are tricky, and are not to be re-
lied on.
One of the most common tricks that
engines play is that of running away
The engineer will close the valves and
get out of the cab, leaving her standing
quietly and submissively, and all of a
sudden she takes notion to run away
and the nextthing he knows she is shoot
ing up the track at the top of her speed
and when she gets away she generally
keeps on running until her steam gives
out. That may not be until she has run
into another train, hut little does she care
for consequences, she is on tear, and
she means to make the most of it. just
why engines do this or how is mystery
How the throttle can open itself or how
the engine can run with the throttle
closed is beyond the ken of engineers,
but they do it, and sometimes play havoc.
too. They generally pick the time when
they have been OH their good behavior
for few days, and when their masters
confidence in them is high, to play this
particular prank, and, therefore, they
are generally successful when they try
it.
One of the oddest feats that an engine
performs is that of jumping. 1t is not
the intention to tell the old stories OF
how one engine jumped over another to
avoid collisionssor of that engine in the
wild west which jumped across a canyon
when the bridge had fallen but really
engines DO jump little. When they
are travelling at very high rate of speed
I
obstruction on the track, they will jump
clear off the track ten or twelve inches
and in almost every case they will light
squarely on the rails when they come
down. That is probably because the en-
gine knows that it is a dangerous thing
to jump off the track, and, as she is not
at all vicious in playing her pranks, she
leaps up, and runs smoothly along after
giving the engineer and fireman a good
scarce. When an engine is in bad hu-
NOR, instead of playing an innocent trick
of that kind, she breaks down completely
and then she makes lame trip to the
shops. The most frequent accident is
the breaking of one one of the springs
on which the body of the engines rests
That is liable TO occur whenever she runs
over a rough joint in the track. 1t
would seem impossible to raise the body
back to its position if the accident should
occur any distance from the shops, but
the engineers have a very simple way OF
doing it. Blocks of wood are placed just
behind the wheels on the side on which
the spring broke The engine is run
back and the wheels, running on the
blocks, lift that side so high above the
ground that the body is level. A beam
is placed under the body and the blocks
are then removed, the wheels falling
back 10 the track. That leaves the
body TO its original and proper position,
and blocks of wood are substituted for
the broken spring. In that condition she
is run TO the shop for repairs.
These are few Of the ills to which a
locomotive is subject. and her ailments