Milford chronicle., 1889-04-05
A New System Of Steam Heating
adopted on the Pennsylvania
Railroad.


adopted on the Pennsylvania
Railroad
After two years OF trials and expefi-
ments the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company has adopted a system for
heating the passenger cars by steam,
which experts declare to be the best.
safest, and surest mode Of heating yet
devised.
The Philadelphia Times of March
l4ni thus describes IL:
The system Is what is known as the con-
densation system. Two straight iron pipes,
two inches in diameter, are placed under the
floor Of the car and are connected by cross
pipes in the centre. A small pump is fast
ened TO one corner Of the tender and con-
nected with the boiler by pipe. The steam
passes through the pump, enters one pipe aud
passes through it to the centre ofthe car.
Here it goes up through a valve and bran
ches off into two iron pipes. These pipes
extend across the width Of the car and are
joined TO two long wrought-iron tubes run
ming leugthwise Of the car. From these pro-
ject short spur pipe under each seat. The
steam goes through these pipes, passing up
through the radiators in each end Of the car
and is then drawn down through cast-iron
pipe back to the centre of the car, where it
passes through a valve and enters the return
pipe.
The little pump on the tender is constantly
at work and creates vacuum which draws
back to the pump the condensed water. In
addition to this the exhaust from the pump
and the air-brake are both directed into the
tank. The valve in the centre of the car is
so arranged that when the temperature is
high enough, by turning small cock under
the centre seat the supply of steam is shut
off from that car and it rushes through the
pipe to the next one. In this manner one
car can be without any heat while the thei-
mometer climbs up in the nineties in the
Others. Or in the same manner one side Of
the car can be heated to higher tempera-
ture than the other, if necessary. When the
steam reaches the centre of the last car it
goes up through the valve, enters the heat
ing pipes and radiators and then is caught
by the vacuum and drawn back to its start
ing place.
GOOD VENTILATION AFFORDED.
No steam escapes in any place and the
pipes from the rear of the centre Of the last
car have no steam in them, while the car
itself is well warmed by the pipes on the
inside ~. fI,;e ,,,s,,,s 80 q.;~..,;... ,...--
and the vacuum is so strong that the steam
pipes are entirely free from water, and in the
event Of wreck and the pipes were broken,
the vacuum is so powerful that it would suck
the air in instead of allowing the steam to
escape. In making up train Of cars, The big
pipes under the car floor are connected by
means of slip grip aud about a foot of
strong rubber hose. Underneath each seat
is hole two inches wide bored through the
floor Of the car in such manner that when
the cold air rnshes in it strikes the hot iron
pipes on the inside and becomes heated.
This arrangement keeps constant current
Of warm, fresh air IN the cars at all times, and
the vacuum in the pipes draws what little
water there is in the pipes, so that when the
cars are Hncoupled there IS not a drop of
water TO fall Gil the road-bed or station floor.
It requires but little steam to run the pump,
aud OH yesterdays run from Philadelphia to
New York, with a train of twelve cars but
five pounds Of steam pressure was used.
This was sufficient to create vacuum in the
return pipe averaging fourteen inches. In
he
and on the engine nineteen inches or nine
aud one-half pounds. The average temper
ature during the run was seventy-fve de-
grees.
EXPERIMENTS WITH THE TEMPERATURE.
Several experiments were made to find
out how high the temperature could be
raised. In some ofthe cars the mercury reg
lsteTed ninety degrees, and IN others when
the steam was shut off it dropped twenty
and thirty degrees. As the train went rush
ing along the wind came through the apera-
lures in the floor and purified what would
otherwise haye been a close atmosphere.
The iron pipes are covered with thin wooden
and the passenger who is troubled
with cold feet can warm his toes as well as
if he had them wrapped up in hot-water bot
ties The new system works to perfection,
and not hitch or break has occurred to mar |
the perfect success of the system.
BY this method Of heating every
desirable point is gained. A suhi-
cient amount of heat can always be
secured and it can be regulated to any
desired temperature. There is no hot
water in the pipes to scald or burn in
case of accident, and an ample supply |
Of pure fresh air is supplied through |
the aperture for ventilation.
On the Introduction OF this perfect
system Of heating, the car stove with
all its terrible possibilities will be for
ever discarded. The oil lamp has
already given way to the electric light,
and with the abandonment of the
stove. the last Objectionable feature in
railway travel will be happily gotten
lid Of No event. IN the history of
will serve to stimulate
ravel so greatly.
1t is expected that all of the passen-
ger cars of the Pennsylvania railroad
will be fitted with this appliance be-
ore another winter.
Is It Safe
10 NEGLECT vonrseif; II tro,,bfad ,v;tt, .,,,, 5;s