Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1892-01-29
MAMMOTH IRON HORSES.
Progress Made in the Building O.
Locomotives.

The development of railroads and
everything connected with them dur
ing the past decade has been almost
phenomenal. The Northwest has
been as much blessed in this respect
as any other section of the State.
A reporter was discussing this sub
ject with railroad man when the lat
ter remarked: "I see that you had
some selections from a Union Pacific
circular in which there was much of
interest about the developments of To-
comotives. Now that is subject of
which l have quite knowledge, be-
cause good part of my experience
has been in connection with the pur-
chase and inspection of engines. A
railroad to do good work must be we'll
off in this respect, but some roads are
better equipped than others. A dis.
abled locomotive made so from too
much wear and tear is no better
than lame horse on race track.
Those that have the best ones make
the best time. The trunk lines that
enter Chicago alone estimate the
value OF their engines at over $40, O,000,-
600, which is only to te increased in
proportion to get the value for the en-
tire land. The roads on the Atlantic
slope have not the occasion for invest
ing in heavy locomotives that those
which climb the Rockies and Sierras
necessarily have.
"It is we'll to note that the old
policy OF allowing engines to rest is
dying out. Formerly it was supposed
that it must secure so much rest and
they were changed at every. short di-
vision, but now the men who manage
and work them alone are relayed. An
engine will wear just so long and no
longer, no matter whether it runs so
many miles and stops off until the
next day or not. Companies found
that the dead capital represented by
inactive engines didn't begin to be
made up by any saving in the wear on
the machinery. With proper care one
will run 600 miles as we'll as 200.
"Another change has taken place.
Formerly certain engineers had GER
tain engines which they always ran,
and to which, therefore, they became
almost romantically attached. Now
all is changed. The big iron horses
are constantly being moved about,
and a man has one this day and
another the next day. At least this
is true on roads where many trains
are run. 1t is found to be a great i'm
provement. Under the old regime a
man would take too good care of his
engine and never drive it hard for
fear of injuring it, and so causing him
to lay off, doing nothing until it was
repaired. Now they work an engine
all they can, and aware if it does give
out they will not be out of employ
ment.
"The speed obtained by engines
west of the Missouri will not compare
with that east of it. There most of
the roadbeds are comparatively level
and in good shape, and hurry along. at
anywhere from forty to fifty-five miles
an hour. 1t is considered good speed
if thirty-five miles is obtained out
West, even by fast mail. A standard
engine can draw in pinch as high as
fifteen coaches, but ten or eleven gen.
orally comprise the number. The
moguls in use on the east-hound
freight trains of the Chicago division
have a hauling capacity of 1,227 tons,
or forty five loaded cars. Some en-
gines average 5000 miles of travel
each month, and some have even gone
10000 miles without being thorough
ly overhauled. Before the boilers give
out and an engine is practically dis
abled, during the twenty years of its
existence, it should have travelled
100000 miles or more.
"The Union Pacific, Northern Pa
cific and Great Northern systems own
some colossal engines for use on their
heavy grads. Take the decaped, or
hill engine, which is used so much.
The hauling capacity OF the decaped
on level tangent, exclusive of engine
or tender, is $3.50 tons, or ITO loaded
cars, each weighing 80 tons. On a 4
per cent. grade this capacity is re-
duced to 423 tons, or only IA loaded
cars. These decapods cost ON an
average about $4,000 apiece.
zone thing else-did you know
that they have no cabs on the engines
in England, and the engineer and fire.
men are exposed to the cold blasts Of
the winter? Hardly a cab can be
seen among hundred engines"