Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-05-13
WHOLE NO. 1246
TRICKS OF ENGINES
A FEW or THE ILLS TO WHICH 10.
coMOTNsS ARE SUBJECT.

=
CoMOTNES ARE SUBJECT.
ins"-The Trick of Going Lame-The
Odd Feat of Jumping-BreakinS .
Spring.
One Of the most common tricks that en-
gines play is that of running away. The
engineer viii 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 next
thing he knows she is shooting up the
track at the top of her speed, and when
she gets away she generally keeps on run
ming until her steam gives out. That may
not be until she has run into another
train, but little does she care for conse-
quences; she is of on tear and she
means 10 make the most Of il. just why
engines do this or how is mystery. How
the throttle can open itself or how the en-
CINE can run with its 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 on their good behavior for q few
in them is high. 20 play this particular
prank, and therefore they are generally
successful when they try it.
Another trick they have Is that OF
''foaming." Without any warning or ap-
parent reason the water in the boiler will
begin to foam instead of making steam,
and it will bubble up like the boiling
water in n teakestle and look like a very
much disturbed tub of soapsuds. No
steam can be obtained from foaming
water, and the only thing the engineer can
do is 10 let it run out and turn in fresh
supply; but that takes time and causes q
delay, and all for whimsical notion
that tho engine got into her hard head
Foaming, however, is "A trife compared
with the trouble that is caused when she
''goes lame. " and the work Of getting her
trim Is not nearly SO great. She goes lame
from two causes. She does not stub her
toe or have any one step on her corns, but
she either slips an eccentric or does not
cough regularly. The eccentrics work
on the axle of the main drivers and
sometimes the outer ring will slip of the
inner, or eccentric proper and fall down
on the axle. As the eccentricS work the
valves in the steam chest, the supply of
steam is cut of from the cylinder when
one of them slips, and consequently the
engine stops as short as grandfather
clock.
NOT AN EASY JOB.
Then the engineer has to crawl under
the machine. take out the bolts which
hold the ring, place it back in position
and screw 10 on again. That II easy
enough 20 talk about, but not 80 easy to
do, for the ring and rod attached to it
weigh over 100 pounds. II Is by no means
light task TO get underneath an engine
or move ali iron ring of that weight into
position. The coughing is not the result
of cold, but is the discharge OF the
steam from the cylinder after it has been
used. She ought 10 cough four times tn
each revolution Of the driving wheel but
when the valves choke she will only cough
twice or three times and to remedy that
the cap Of the steam chest must DO re-
moved and the valves given dose of OIL.
One of the oldest feats that an engine
performs is that of jumping Il is not
the intention to tell the old stories of how
one engine jumped over another 10 avoid
a collision, or OF that engine in the wild
west which jumped across n canon when
the bridge had fallen; but really engines
do jump little. When they are travel
ing at a very high rate OF speed and they
run over a stone or any little obstruction
on the track, they will jump clear Of the
track ten or rgeive inches, and In almost
every case they viii light squarsly on the
rails when they come down. That IL
probably because the engine knows that
1t is dangerous thing u jump of the
track, and, as she is not at all vicious in
playing her prenks, she leaps up. then
IN alG sci, 3.
neer and fireman good scare. When an
engine il in a bad humor. instead OF play
ing some innocent trick Of that kind she
breaks down completely and then she
makes lame trip 70 the shops.
BREAKING A SPRING
The most frequent accident il the break
ing Of one Of the springs on which tho
body Of the engine rests. That Is liable
10 occur whenever she runs over rough
joint in the track /; would seem irnpcsS-
sible 10 raise the body back 70 It's position
IL the accident should occur any distance
from the shops, but the engineers have a
very simple way If doing il Blocks IL
wood are placed inst behind the wheels
on the side on which the spring broke.
The engine IL run back and the wheels,
running on the blocks, lift that side so
high above the ground tina. the body IL
level A beam IA placed under the body
and the blocks are then removed. the
wheel falling back TO the track. That
leaves the body In It's original and proper
position, and blocks Of wood are snhs,itu-
ted for the broken spring. In that oondl-
ton she Ia run 20 the shop for repairs
The straps which hold the driving barr 10
the pins in the wheels sometimes break.
too. and frequently the pins are aiSo
broken, but accidents ~ that kif.d gen
orally occur on slippery track W'hsa
the RATS are wet II the engine has . heavy
load, the wheels will slip around At a
lively rate. bat the engine viii not move
forward an inch. Thea the engineer
opens the sand box, and II he posfs too
much sand on the rass the wheels vii
take hold TOO suddenly and the strap
snaps, Or out comes the p8n Then ths
engine IA totally psralyzed on tia, slSs
and she has 70 he :un into the shop with
Ne side only.
These are few ~ the Ilis % which .
locomotive u subject. and her ailments
begin at her birth. AMI end Only uhea shs
Is consigned 20 the junk piis.-st LoE1s
Republican.