The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-11-27
CAPACITY OF FREIGHT CARS
Increased from 10000 Pounds in 1850
to $4,000 in the Present Year.
Cost Of Transportation Reduced By Using the
Larger Ones-Modsrn Railroad Appli-
ances-BOycOtts and Commissions.

tile present day of thirty cars represents a
train of ninety cars twenty-five years ago,
so much has the capacity of cars been IN
creasedr He then gave some points OF in
terest as regards the Increase in capacity OF
cars since 1850. In 1850 a majority or
freight cars rested on four wheels. and had
. carrying capacity of from 1900 to 1900
pounds. About that time the eight-wheel
car. with two trucks. was introduced. with
q carrying capacity of 5000 TO 10000
pounds. This was thought TO be a wonder
full advance In railroad business. For
ten years following but little change
was made. About 1850 an Eastern road
built some cars which had a carrying
capacity or 10000 pounds, and q number of
roads refused to allow such cars to run over
their lines. fearing they would break down
their bridges. These fears. however, soon
subsidized. and cars of O.0OO-p0unds capac-
tty became quite cOmmon on the more Im-
portant roads. and the lighter cars were
sold TO short reads for local business. In
1870 q number of the better class of roads
had got their tracks In such condition
that they increased the capacity of the cars
they used In through service To 10000
pounds, the Merchants Dispatch fast
freight line being the first to build cars of
such capacity. The demands of shippers
and the competition soon forced all the I'M
pOrtant roads to begin to increase the Ca
pacity of their cars. and the Pennsylvania,
the Erie and the New York Central COM
menced building, in the seventies. cars OF
$4,000 pounds capacity. and by 1880 half of
tho cars in the through service were built
tocarry SO. 900 pounds. Meantime the weight
of locomotives was increasing. ana the
demand of shippers cars of more capacity
increased, and in 1887 the Pennsylvania
led oft in building cars of sixty thousand
nnnnda onaQrfu SanAa that data N nj thu
frsr-class roads have been introducing
these cars, until so per cent. of the cars In
through service on what are considered the
Eastern and Western trunk lines will carry
safely sixty thousand pounds, and the
question is asked Is the limit yet reached.
Cars of light capacity are put In the local
service. and when worn out are replaced
with the heavier cars. But a few days ago
one of the heavy consolidated engines on
the Big Four road hauled ffty-two loaded
cars from Delaware. o.. to Cleveland.
Every car was of sixty thousand pounds
capacity. and the weight of freight on that
one train was 3.126,6OO pounds; weight Of
cars. averaging them at thirty seven thou
sand pounds per car, 1.924.OOO pounds; total
weight of the train, 5.C44.G0 pounds. In
the fifties this tonnage would have loaded
at least $50 cars of the capacity then built.
The above statement shows that the cost
of transportation has been greatly reduced
as well as rates, but not probably in 30
great O ratio.
Modern Railroad Appliances.
w. j. Hartman, mechanical expert for
the Westinghouse Air-brake Company. is
visiting friends in this section. Mr.. Hart
man was for four years professor in the
Rose Polytechnic Institute, Terre Haute.
leaving the Pennsylvania lines as an en-.
gineer 10 accept that position. Three years
ago be accepted his present position. He
has instructed IL. 900 trainmen in the proper
use of the air-brake. For twenty-four
years he has been watching with interest
modern railway appliances. and has done
much to bring the present air-brake so
near perfection In q general talk with a
reporter OF a Louisville paper Mr. Hart
Man, IN speaking OF the duties OF lOcOmo-
tive engineers and the experiments now
making TO improve the railroad service,
said: The use of the air-brake Is steadily
increasing. many of the roads using it on
thelr freight as we'll as passenger trains
locomotive engineer now than tdid several
years ago. In former years an engineer
had simply n steam engine to operate.
Now, in addition, he has the alr-brake,
steam heat. electric lights and headlights.
air signals. side-feed lubrIcators and black
signals. The coming Improvement in en-
gines Is the electric headlight, now being
used on the Chicago, Milwaukee IL st.
n huis tAO 1lOhOh ~ W
Chicago. the Vandalia and the Northern
Pacific roads. With these q rabbit can be
seen running across the track at a distance
of three thousand feet. The present head
about three telegraph poles. or five
hundred feet ahead of the engine"
He did not think electricity w0uld sup
plant steam as q motive power in its pres
ent stage of development. In his opinion
the burning of Oil would come next. This
will do away with the smoke and sparks
from coal. The railroad men thought they
bad solved the spark question when they
put the extension front on the engines and
used straight stacks. Ii has since been
found that these fill up after the first few
miles. and the rest of the cinders go out of
the stack as usual. The time lost in clean
ing ont the accu mulated cinders would be
too much. and IL they were allowed to fall
be in a cloud. The Chicago, Milwaukee q
ST. Paul road is now having made two en-
gines which will attain n speed of eighty
miles an hour. OIL will be burned to gen.
crate heat. and the smoke nuisance will be
forever dore away with. Whether or not
these Will be a success remains to be seen.
The Breach Widening.
On every side evidence is accommodating
that the breach between the board of rul-
ings. OF the commission question. and the
railroads Is widening. and the boycottine
of railroads which pay commissions has
but little effect one way or another. except
on those roads which are keeping no the
show of q boycott and losing business.
The announcement that the Chicago. Bur.
lington * Quincy would pay commission
has stirred up its competitors. and General
Passenger Agent Sebastian. of the Chicago
d Rock Island. not proposing that the 90
shall have the exclusive benefit of such
advertisements. says that Mr.. Eustis. OF the
20 Is not the only Western agent who IL
paying commissions in Central Traffic and
Trunk-llne Association territory: In fact
authorized by their general officers TO &c
ahead. he says that as soon as the Louis
vile ~ Nashville commenced every body
followed suit. and that the system is in CD.
GRAFTON IN Eastern territory almost as ex-
tensively as before the boycott went into
effect
Generous Action of RAILWAY Managers.
One Of the pleasing features in the rail
road service Is the growing disposition OF
railway managers TO establish n friendly
feeling between officials and employees. The
general managers and general superintend-
ents of q number of roads on Monday issued
circulars to employees stating that il was
the desire Of the management that all EN-.
ployes who might wish should lave oppor.
tunityt to spend Thanksgiving at home with
their families. Heads of the several de.
were requested to so arrange
without detriment 10 the service which