The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1892-01-01
Written For the siFfkR,
RAILROADS-PAST AND PRESENT.
No. 10.

The locomotive Of the past, compared
with the locomotive of to-day, is an in
teresting study.
The contrast between George Steph-
enson's "Old No. l." built 66 years
ago, and weighing four or FIVE tons, with
the present locomotives manufactured
by the Baldwin" the "Hinckley,"
the Boston, the Taunton" the
,Danforth," the "Blood," the Grant"
the "Rogers," and other locomotive
works, is quite marked, and especially
so from the fact that these engines all
weigh anywhere from 80 to 40, 65, 50
and even 100 tons.
OF course there are different kinds
and styles of locomotives, each firm
having their particular pattern, which
distinguishes it from others.
A switching engine, for yard work, is
much lighter than road engine, and
is usually SO constructed that the engine
and tender are a combination resting
upon four driving wheels and one pair
of small wheels.
A regular locomotive varies some
what from ''switcher," inasmuch as
it is larger and heavier and has from
four to six, eight and ten driving wheels,
set of trucks or 'lead Wheels" and a
detachable tender.
A passenger engine is similar to a
freight in construction, except that the
driving wheels are larger in diameter
than those of ''mogul' or "hog-back"
locomotive.
Last March the Baldwin Locomo-
tive Works." of Philadelphia, compile
ted monster engine, the heaviest ever
built in America, if not in the world,
and which weighed, when in working
order, over 81 tons. 1t is Of the class
known as a ''tank" locomotive, and has
no tender. The tanks are on both
sides of the boiler, and their capacity is
1000 gallons of water. 1t has five
pair of driving wheels feet and 2 in
ches in diameter; wheel base of Is
feet and inches; cylinders % by 2S
inches; boiler 6 feet and 2 inches in
diameter, with $50 fues, 2 / inches in
diameter, and 13 feet and 6 inches long;
and fre-box 1 / feet long and 3 J feet
WIDE
One of the six big locomotives re-
Gently ordered by the New York Cen
tral railroad for fast service on the
Empire State Express was compile
ted last month at the Schenectady Lo-
comotive Works" The engine alone
weighs over 81 tons. Its driving
wheels are 6 feet in diameter, or 8 in
ches more than the average Of ordinary
passenger locomotives. The fire-box is
8 feet long by 3 feet and 4 inches wide,
and has depth in front Of 3 feet and
10 inches, and feet and s inches in
the rear. The cylinders are 19 by "a
inches. The engineer and fireman are
perched upon seats 8 feet above the
rails.
China's first locomotive was built by
an American entirely of odds and ends
which he procured without attracting
attention. Before it was completed,
however, its preparation became known,
and orders were issued that it should
be stopped.
Eventually, its builder was allowed
to finish it, and the engine was named
the "Rocket of China" precisely 100
years after the birth of George Stephen
son.
On November 8, 1881, this locomo-
tive took a party of Chinese officials
over the road at speed Of 20 miles an
hour, after which the objections to en-
gines were removed.
In 1890 the number of locomotives
in the world was 105, 1000, representing
nearly 100000 horsepower, the lbrse-
power of an engine being equivalent to
the power of three horses, and the
power of horse equal to that of seven
men. If all the locomotives in the
United States, of which there are more
than 10000, were coupled together they
would cover distance of 800 miles.
The cost of that number of locomotives
is about s45O,000,000. To every FIVE
miles of railroad in the United States
there is locomotive. The average
daily earnings of locomotive are not
far from $4,000.
CARSON.
An Unique Ornament.