Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-10-29
A LOCOMOTIVE RACE.
PROPOSED CONTEST BETWEEN ENC
LIsH AND AMERICAN FLYERS.
The Empress Now Mt the worlds Fair and
the Famous No. e9o-C Conditions OF
the Race-speed Record.
fs, Inni. Globe.remocra.l

est. Louis Globe Democracy
The recent games between the Austra-
Ian Cricket Team and the Gentlemen OF
Philadelphia, and the still more recent
contests between the yachts Vigiiant ana
yalkyrie. have done so much TO awaken
interest in international contests that the
proposed race between the two finest
specimens OF English and American loco
motives to be held at the close OK the
Worlds Fair Is already exciting con-
siderable amount OF talk and speculation
as TO the relative merits OF engines made
in the two countries and the probable re-
suit OF such n race. Visitors to the
Worlds Fair were greatly impressed with
the Empress. which, the negotiations no"
pending 20 through. viii represent In the
race all that is best In English locomotive
mechanics. The Empress Is owned by the
London and Northwestern railway. which
is capitalized more largely per mile than
any other railroad in the world The EN-
press is of type known as the r. W.
Webb system OF compound locomotives
She has two direct acting engines when
turn her rear driving wheels, ana oy
compoundIng the steam from these TWO
engines through one compound cyIinuer'
actuates the front drivers by crank axle
upon the axle Of the front driving-wheeis'
This dispenses with the parallel rods.
Her valve motion is known as the Joy
valve motion. and Is said to be very quick
In practice, although little known IN TINS
country The Empress was built at Crewe,
England. under the supervision OF T. W.
Webb, who is her inventor and patentee'
and IS also the superintendent OF the
London and Northwestern railway
Against this splendid specimen OF loco
motive 1t is proposed to enter the Famous
No. 800 of the New York and Centrai
Railroad Company TO represent American
science and skin In the manufacture oil
locomotives and TO compete for the hon.
ors of national precedence. NO. Ss9 was
built in Schenectady, ~. Y. and Is type
NJ directing engines which run tho En-
pire Express of the New YORK ana
Central road She Is OF recent series.
the drivIng-wheels OF which are I rect .
inches I'm diameter.
CONDITIONS OF THE RACE.
II would be a difficult matter for even
the most experienced of locomotive eS-
merits TO foretell which of these two mag
nihcent engines would. under the condi-
tons proposed come out first In con-
test for speed. The race is 10 be run on
substantially straight tracks. as the Eng
lish engine Is built so rigidly that IL does
no, adapt Itself to American railways.
our test proposed is that each engine ana
car shall have attached to IL any OF the
well-known speed-recording devices. IL Is
a,so proposed that the run shall be ten
miles. and that two miles shall be given
for a start before the record commences,
each engine TO pass over the same tracks
and as nearly as possible at the same
time. The engineer is to have In sight
the gauge Of the speed recorder which
tells hun how fast he Is running while
the record. which Is being made under
lock and key. will only be opened 10 de-
eide the question when the race Is COM
pleted.
Dudley dynograph inspection-car speed
recorder" This car Is the official inspec-
tion-car OF the New York and Central
railway, and OF the Boston and Albany
railroad and several other systems. The
Boyer railway-speed recorder. which Is
in use on several railroads. makes the
record under lock and key. The profile
of the track should be shown for ten
miles. and plotted to the same scale as
that of the speed-recorder. Then the
grade of every mile will be given 1nd
the record made complete. showing the ad-
vantages OF running with or against the
grade.
An engine and car with these last-nanled
appliances Will pass during the comirg
week under tests on car and engine
over the tracks of the Reading and Penn
sylvania systems between Philadelphia
and Atlantic City. n. j.. to test the!c
accuracy. The plotting OF tracks by the
Lot lk.a-
tween Philadelphia and Atlantic City. and
made to the scale OF the speed-recorder.
RECORDS OF SPEED.
A review of the records OF high speed
made by American locomotives is inter
esting just now in connection with the
proposed locomotive race.
A locomotive built by the Dixon Manu-
acturing Company. OF Scranton, Pa. fo-
the Delaware and Hudson railroad is
said TO have made a mile In twenty-s.x
seconds, which Is 1884 miles per hour.
mo. $685." OF the New York Central
railroad, and better known among THE
boys" as Ninety and Nine" after the
famous Moody and Sankey hymn of that
name. made, before going to Chicago. a
mile In thirty-two seconds, near Roches-
ter, n. Y. This Is at the rate of ll2ls miles
an hour.
Next i'm order Is a run made on the
Bound Brook division Of the Reading
railroad by Engineer John Hogan, who
drove President McLeod's train 9215 miles
in an hour.
The best record between New York and
Philadelphia, which is 9O.66 miles. was
run by Engineer Edward Osmond In
eighty-seven minutes.
ON the Reading road Engineer John
Hogan made a record of 1910 miles In
eighty-five minutes.
A special train between Philadelphia and
Atlantic City, a distance OF sixty miles.
was run by Engineer Osmond in fifty
one minutes.
With the same engine Osmond, when he
pulled the Ohio Railway Commission from
Columbus, o.. to Urbana, o.. covered a
distance of eight consecutive miles at the
rate OF seventy-two miles an hour. and
had made one mile at the speed of sew
enty-seven miles an hour when he was
called down by the pilot.
From Milwaukee to Chicago. on the
Chicago and Northwestern railroad, En-
gineer Osmond made a speed OF sixty
eight miles an hour, the engine being
timed by the electrical Dudley dyno-
graph"
Engineer Eugene Potter. of the New
York and New England railway. makes
the run udlly Nlln WHAT Is hnOND tut
Ghost Train" because IL is painted
wholly in white, from Boston to Will
mantle, distance of eighty-six miles, al
a speed of eighty-six miles an hour.
BENEFITS OF THE LOCOMOTIVE
RACE.
Such a race as that proposed between
the Empress and No. 999 will test GER
rain principles In motive practice in
American railways and determine GER
tain mooted questions as to good and bad
principles OF locomotive mechanics.
Superintendent Webb has written of the
Empress type OF engine. OF which he
has 2SO in service on the London and
Northwestern road:
Among the advantages we get in a
coupled engine with a crank axle is a
better distribution and balancing of the
reciprocating masses. without having to
use such enormous balance-weights in the
wheels, which. our experience shows, have
bad effect in getting fiat places on the
tread of the tire. and consequently more
hammer-blow effect upon the rails
Apropos OF the hammer-blow effect, II
may be said here. en- PEASANT. that the
Hon. John L. Reyburn and the Hon. j.
d. Cameron have introduced into the
United States Senate and House a bill
appropriating $1,000 to the Franklin In
stitutc. of Philadelphia, for the purpose
Of determining the quantity OF the So
called hammer-blows OF a locomotives
driving wheels I'm use on American rail-