The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-02-28
MOSSBACK ENGLISH RAILROADS.
Inventive Genius Makes American Roads
far Superior to Them.

inventive Genius Makes a mericen Roads
far Superior to Them.
Few people among the general public know
that the locomotives and cars in use on English
railroads could not run on American roads
they would stick on the curves. This is due to
the fac. that the American railroad man has
advanced UNNECESSARILY beyond the English
man in the evolution of railroad rolling stock,
and the result is that he can run his train over
sharp curves around the shoulder of noun
tain, while the Englishmans train would stick
on the curve without hope of escape. Thus in
order to avoid curves the Englishman bores
tunnel through a mountain at enormous
pense when the American would circle around
1t with comparative cheapness.
George Stephenson an Englishman, invented
the locomotive, but Ross Winans, of Baltimore,
made immense improvements upon it, which
adapted 1t to modern requirements.
contrast of the railroads of the two coun-
tries Is contrast of the characters of their peo-
pie. The English railroad man has made little
progress since the days of George Stephenson's
Rocket" compared with the immense strides
made by the inventive genius OF America in the
evolution of the railroad and its train. The first
idea OF a steam train one with solid trucks
running straight and comparatively level
track, and English railroad and rolling stock
construction has not wandered much from
this idea The locomotives and cars are still
built on solid bogy trucks, with wheels fixed at
right angles to the breadth OF the car so that
they cannot round a sharp curve. The sharpest
standard curves on English roads have radius
OF LOCO feet and even to get around them the
cars have to be built very short The locomo-
tiyes have no equaliZing beams or levers so
that when they strike piece OF rough track the
weight is liable to be confined to two or three
driving wheels, which thus become the only
point of friction. Hence there is great loss of
power.
These objections have been overcome years
ago on the American roads, but John Bull de
clines to take a hint from his cousin He goes
on building roadbeds solid as rock, laying
ninety-pound rail on them, burrowing through
a mountain when an American would wind
around it on sharp curves, or laboriously grind
ing around a long sweep in order to reach a
point, and carrying far larger proportion of
dead weight in his rolling stock than the
American.
The American locomotive or car is hung on a
swivel to the bogy trucks and thus the direc-
tion in which the wheels are moving may often
be at a sharp angle TO the line of the car length
wise. This arrangement enables trains in this
country TO round curves which would give an
English railroad man a fit. The curves
on standard roads in this country have 57S feet
radius, and there is one on the Pennsylvania
railroad at Pittsburg OF 800 feet on the Man
haitian Elevated road OF New York. which does
the heaviest passenger business in the world
some of the curves in rounding street corners
have less than 100 feet radius. BY means OF the
swivel bogy truck great Pullman cars seventy
feet long round curves of 900 10 800 feet radius
while IN England freight cars little larger than
al express wagon could not round Il curve OF
less ;han 900 feet radiu-, and car as long as
the Pullman would stick beyond hope of escape
The American engine also has egualizing beams
or levers, whose object is to keep the full weight
Of the engine on all the driving wheels in case il
is running on rough track. The English engine
in such place might balance itself on two or
three driving wheels.
English locomotives were tried once on this
continent many years ago, The Grand Trunk
road OF Canada was built by Engiishmen, and
they put.ocomotiyes and cars OF the English
pattern on it The trains refused togo and had
to be rep. aced with those OF the American pat
tern But the projectors did Ok take the lesson
home with them, and the English roads are
laundering along according to antiquated
ideas.
The American type OF locomotive is used in
nearly all the new countries OF the World-Can-
ada, Australia south America and Mexico
The English type is used in the British Islands
and on the Coutiue al Euruua