St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-12-06
HEATING RAILROAD CARS.
Precautions for the Comfort Of
Passengers.
Rot WATER OR STEAM.
Representative Railroad Officials Sub
init Responses to a Circular
of the Commissioners.

"
the two, railroad managers Will ere long
have to decide for heating passenger
| cars. This factis demonstrated by the
communications received by the state
railroad commissioners, who are now
instituting an inquiry as to the best
means of heating passenger and sleep
ing cars, with special reference to the
| safety of passengers from accident by
| fire. At the beginning of November a
| circular letter was addressed 10 general
managers of railroads, and the most i'm
| portant questions asked were:
First. the number OF passenger cars owned
and operated; second, the number equipped
Der furnished with the Baker heaters or
other system of warming by means of hot air
or hot water circulated by pipes; fourth, the
number heated by means of steam taken
from the boiler of the locomotive: fifth, are
you experimenting in the heating of cars?
The commissioners also sig nified their in
tention TO recommend that the legislature fix
by law a date beyond which the use of the
common car stove shall not be permitted
A number of replies have come to
hand, containing variety OF opinions,
but demonstrating that in the future
passenger cars will be heated by either
water or steam. All the officials agree
upon one point-that the present winter
is one to be entirely devoted to expert
ments in the line of
HEATING PASSENGER COACHES.
A Marvel, vice president and general
manager of the Manitoba, supplied the
largest and most detailed cOmmunica-
ton. There are 224 passenger cars
owned by this road, land 1902 are equipped
with the Spear safety stove, and 81 with
the Baker heater. There are no cars
heated by means of steam taken from
the locomotive, and the company is
prosecuting no experiments, but lis
closely watching the results of expert
mentS on other lines" Mr.. Marvel
also adds: II have lately visit
ed Chicago and interviewed, not
only those who are making
a trial of the device for heating cars
from the locomotive, but also talked
with the master mechanic of one of the
prominent car heating companies, who
is endeavoring to introduce his APP
planes in the West. The information
i obtained is that many OF the appli-
ances supposed to have merit. and used,
to some extent, last winter, have proved
insufficient in one way or another, and
have so far resulted in its being con-
tinual series of experiments, with car
stoves still remaining ready to be fixed
up. and used in an emergency. and often
called into use by the fact that some
part of the apparatus has tailed to
work." Mr.. Marvel states that,
in his opinion, it is too early
to determine the particular date when
common car stoves should not be per-
mitted. adding: '"This whole question
can safely be left to the railways them
selves, as the great interest that is now
being taken in it and the advantages it
offers if it can,as it undoubtedly will be,
made successful would induce its adOp-
ton without the necessity of legis-
lation."
President Cakes. of the Northern Pa
cific, furnishes much interesting mat
ter. So far as our experience and OBJ
seryation have extended he writes,
mo system of steam heating for trains
has vet been devised which will be
satisfactory in the severe
WINTER CLIMATE OF MINNESOTA.
The expense of applying any present
system of steam heating to trains is ex-
cessive. We sincerely hope that no
arbitrary action will be taken in this re-
gard until practicable and reasonably
inexpensive method of steam heating has
railroads interchanging passenger
equipment" Mr.. Cakes states that 269
passenger cars are owned by the North
ern Pacific, and 1888 have combination
stoves. SiXty-SiX Bakers and Searle's
hot water, and fifteen Spears hot air.
Two trains five cars IN alb are heated
by steam taken from the locomotive,
but in severe weather trouble is expert
enced in keeping the pipes from freez-
ing.
The Chicago, st. Paul 81 Kansas City
railroad has siXty-nine passenger cars,
fifty-four of which are owned by the
company, twelve bOudoir cars, two
Pullmans and one Woodruff. All the
cars are supplied either with the Baker
or Spear heater; the former is hot water
anu the latter hot air. A test made on
this road with exhaust steam from the
locomotive proved unsatisfactory, but
an experiment is contemplated to use
steam from the locomotive in connection
with the Baker heater. General Mana
ger James NJ. Egan remarks upon the
present unsatisfactory results OF heat
ing the cars by water or steam. and
sums up as follows: eve consider that
in order to thoroughly test these inven-
tons that are now being used, we
should know now they will go through
the coming winter and be prepared for
the winter of 1889 with the best and
most practical invention that has been
demonstrated
TO THE RAILWAY OFFICIALS,
who have money to carry out the objects
in view"
General Manager T. D. Underwood,
of the $500" line, reports ten passenger
cars in regular use on this road in Mill
nesota. All these cars are being fur
nished with the improved fire-pro0f Ba-
ker heater. II think the heating Of
passenger coaches by steam from the
locomotive is not practicable" he says,
'for the reason that a shock sufficient
to cause damage through the ordinary
stove would likewise fracture the pipes
which conduct the steam, the result be-
ing to scald the passengers occupying
the coach and further iniuring them by
the exhalation of STEAM"
W. I'll. Truesdale, as receiver, replies
on behalf of the Minneapolis 81 st.
Louis railway. This company operates
the following equipment: Eighteen
coaches, seven combination passenger,
mail and baggage cars, two baggage
cars, two mail and express cars, two
baggage, mail and express cars. Two
trains of three coaches and two bag
gage, mail and express cars are heated
with steam direct from the boilers of
the locomotives. Other cars are being
similarly equipped" Mr.. Truesdale
adds: 1--WE have been running the
trains between st. Paul and Watertown
heated in this manner since the 1st of
October. This being the only eX-
perience we have had with cars heated
from locomotives, SO far we have not
discovered any defects in the mechan-
ism which threatens to impair its use
fulness." Mr.. Truesdale thinks that if
n I L
stoves shall not be permitted, it should
not be made prior to Nov. or Dec. 1,
1889. sit is our opinion" he writes,
from what experience we have had.
that heating passenger cars with
STEAM DIRECT FROM ENGINES