The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1893-06-02
RAILWAY EXHIBIT.
Sights To Be Seen in Transport
tation Building.
ENGLISH AND AMERICAN ENGINES

wnlcn Is typical American railway train,
and on the other a train from the London
and Northwestern railway Of England. A
fully equipped English railway train is
novelty, sure enough, and the polite young
men kept here for the purpose by the Brit
fish corporation are busy from early morn
ing till late at night explaining to inquisi-
tive Americans the mysteries and pecul-
iarities Of the locomotive and coaches. 1t
Is rather odd appearance that the Eng
lish train makes in such close proximity
to locomotive and coaches Of our own
build. The foreign locomotive is without
that graceful and sometimes useful ap-
pendage known in this country as "cow-
catcher" This is not needed in England
because the track-or permanent way"
as the English have it's never bothered
with cows. The line protected by fences
or walls which are cow-proof. The top of
the English locomotive does not look
much like one Of our engines for many
reasons. 1t has no bell, probably for the
same reason that it has no cow-catcher,
and for the additional reason that there
are few If any grade-crossings in England.
The streets and roads are all run under or
over the permanent way. The foreign To-
connective has a whistle, but 1t is SO little
like an American whistle that you would
never guess it's identity. The top of the
big boiler has no huge dome, no orna-
mental work of brass or iron to win the
undying admiration of the small boys
along the route over which 1t runs. 1t lisa
locomotive, of course, but it surely doesn't
look like one, according to our standard.
"The Queen" is the name of this i'm,
ported flyer. It Is an express engine, of
the type used to make the rapid runs for
which the road which sends it over here is
Justly famous. One Of these locomotives
will take train of ten or twelve English
cars, which are not as heavy as our Amer
lean coaches, and haul it from London to
Aberdeen, distance of $50 miles, in twelve
hours and five minutes, making dozen or
fifteen stops On route. This is very nearly
City miles an hour for the whole dis
tance, and 10 fast run-faster than any
of the long distance runs In America. For
shorter distances, such 90 between London
and Liverpool London and Edinburg, the
express speed Il ffty-six miles an hour,
and is made many times a day and every
dry in the year.
ON what is known as rigid frames. They
have no trucks before or after the drivers.
It has been supposed they could not be run
over our American roads, with their
sharper curves, but this train was brought
entire from New York to Chicago over the
New York Central line, and, as the British
railway men say, without any trouble and
with every journal cool and nice. Still,
the English type would not do on the
average American road. Just as soon as
1t attempted to round some Of the sharp
curves at a pretty good rate Of speed 1t
would find itself in trouble and perhaps in
the ditch.
II may well be doubted if an American
engineer could be hired to run one Of these
British machines. He might admire it as
piece of northumberland, American
engineers by the score visit the aisle every
day-but he would not care to stand with
his hand on the throttle without more pro-
lection from the weather than is afforded
by the hood Of the locomotive. The only
protection offered Is a mere upright,
through which two holes are cut and
Rlassed over--the English railroad man
calls this lookout window o Spectacle
ana but the narrowest pretense or a roof.
In practice the rain and the snow, the hail
and the sleet beat in upon the engine
driver just as il he were standing in the
open afr OF course the fireman or stoker
Is no better off. Neither driver nor stoker
has a seat, either, and must be on their
feet all the time. The polite and intelli-
gent young men In charge of the train ex-
plain that by act Of parliament q railway
! company is forbidden to work an engineer
more than nine hours, and that stations
= Il, 4
the engineer could not ait down IL he
wanted to. He says also that no demand
for seats has ever been made by the driv-
srs; and as to the exposure, the company
provides storm coats for the engine men.
While It iaof course true that the weather
in England II not 80 severe as it Is in this
part OF America, visitors wonder why such
q simple CONTINUANCE as cab and curtain,
In use on all American locomotives, is not
attached also to the splendid machines Of
the English build.
The tender Of this English locomotive is
much like an American tender, except that
it has no trucks, but instead three wheels
on side also Of the rigid frame pattern.
Underneath II seen the water-taking de-
vice In use on the Pennsylvania and few
other American roads. It Is simply q
spout which Il let down into trough be-
tween tho rails, and the motion of the
train causes stream Of water to rise and
fall within the tank. This is one Of the
very few railway devices for which Amer.
! lea is indebted to England. This method
of saving the time consumed by filing
tanks on the old plan was first used by the
London and Northwestern road, and was
introduced in this country by an English
| engineer. In return for this improvement
| we have given our foreign friends the air
brake, the sleeping car, the dining car, the
| vestibule, the baggage checking system,
| interlocking signals, the block system and
many other important features Of modern
| railroading, some of which are taken kind.
ly to in England and some of which are
| not.
| There are but two cars in this train, and
very queer they look without platforms or
steps, and With their doors swinging out
| ward. In order to get into one of these
coaches as they stand 1t ia necessary to
walk up ladder Of four or five steps. But
in England the station platforms are much
higher than in this country, and are on a
level with the floors of the carriages. One
| Of the coaches II q sleeping car, sort of
English adaptation Of the American idea
Il cannot be said In truth that It Il an i'm
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