Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-08-27
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DISPATCH,

locomotive, which Is expected 10 solNe Tue
problem of rapid and economical transit.
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPATcH.i
NEW YORK, August 26.-The first loco
motive made for the Boynton Bicycle Rail-
way Company lett Portland, Me-, on
truck attacked to a train last Saturday,
bound for New York 1t will reach this
city some time tomorrow afternoon, and
will be taken at once to the Sea Beach Rail-
road, to Gravesend station. where the Bl-
cycle Railroad begins. So far ! 4 miles of
road have been built. Starting from Graves
end, on the Sea Beach road, and following
the tracks of the old New York and Brighton
Beach road, it runs to the corner of the
park way and the Concourse on Coney
Island. Three-fourths Of the road is on
trestle, over swamps, and the remainder is
on sandy ground, so the new locomotive
will have by no means the best kind of
roadbed on which to operate. The COM
pany will order a trial trip this week, if
the big bicycle is uninjured by its journey
from Maine. A large crowd Of engineers
and sightseers will witness the first trip, in
response to invitations.
EVERYBODY WATCHING IT.
This bicycle locomotive has attracted
widespread attention, both in this country
and in Europe. The fundamental principle
of the locomotive is that of common BIZ
cvcle, running over a single steel rail, and
being pushed by steam power instead of by
muscular force; but in order to provide
safety and comfort in travel, an upper or
guiding six-bv-eight-inch wooden rail is
used, held in position by a lateral structure,
firmly secured to the track. So, instead of
a two rail horizontal strack, with gauge of
feet So inches, this system uses a lower
steel rail with gauge of 10 feet, apd ver-
tically above it a guiding wooden rail.
Between these two rails the locomotive and
cars run, resting upon two-wheeled trucks,
the wheels of which are grooved or double
fanged. and have instead of the ordinary
wheel axle, bicyle spindles.
GRoovED BETWEEN RAILS.
Directly above each truck, and firmly at
tached to the roof of the car, there are two
12-inch horizontal wheels, placed one oD
each side of the upper rail, with a halt inch
play between wheel and rail, so that it may
be said that the train is grooved between the
upper and lower rails, and therefore. aided
by mechanical contrivances, the train is
expected to move smoothly and safely and
never to jump the track.
The maximum width of the vehicles is 48
inches, and the gauge of the ordinary rail-
road track being feet II inches from center
to center of rails, two bicycle trains can run
in opposite directions, one over each rail,
and leave IL inches between them. There
lore the company claims by simply erecting
the superstructure which holds the upper
rail, single track railroad is easily con-
yerted into double track bicycle railroad
without interfering with the running of the
present trains during or after the erection of
the structure. The expense Of erecting this
superstructure is said to average about S. 600
q mile.
THE TEST LINE.
The line selected for the experiment is
mainly composed of a 10 curve on 92 feet
ascending grade, followed by 6 curve on
an so foot descending grade, and a level
tangent !, 200 feet long, ending in a "a
curve. There is no longer tangent over
which the highest speed of the locomotive
can be tested, but one will be built if it
works well on the 4 miles of road alleady
built.
Mr.. Boynton describes the advantages of
the bicycle locomotive as being: First
Greater cheapness in almost every item of
construction; second, a great reduction in
the first cost and wear OF the rolling stock;
third, greater proportion OF the live to the
dead load in the same; fourth, greater
proportion of the active to the resisting
forces in the train motion. The company
believes that the locomotive will solve the
problem of rapid transit. One of the Off
GERS said:
REAL RAPID TRANSIT.
1t will carry train from the Battery to
Harlem river in minutes, and / expect to
see this feat accomplished by the time the
Columbus exposition is in progress. When
we tried it in Portland, Ore, it proved to
be perfect success, and when we get it in
operation, on Coney Island, its possibilities
will be fully shown. And We are not going
to stop there. We are already building an
other locomotive on an improved plan. 1t
will be ready for use in a short time. At
Portland, with one quarter steam and con-
sumption of 50 pounds of coal per hour, the
20-ton engine was moved back and forth, a
majority of times with the steam shut off,
working by expansion. From $50 to 600
revolutions or turns, equivalent 20 80 miles
per hour, are its piston speed and valve &C
tion.
SAFETY INCLUDED.
1t is expected to take four cars, each seat
ing SS passengers, 100 miles per hour, if
necessary. The safety at 100 miles per hour
will be greater than the ordinary trains at
20 miles. There is no wedging or side strain
or oscillation with the bicycle train, which
is grooved both above and below, and can
not leave its track, and when made of steel, |
II feet deep, it can neither break nor burn. |
and, with additional safety wheels wreck |
ing is practically impossible.
The locomotive in course of erection
weighs seven tons. has two cylinders by
10, with a working pressure of boiler $50
pounds to the square inch. driver feet in
diameter and makes 600 turns a minute
with 80 pounds of steam, two-thirds press
ure. 1t is designed to take a single car,
weighing seven tons, seating 100 passengers,
so miles an hour. Mr.. Boynton says that !
it will consume only S12 worth of coal in a |
journey between New York and Boston.