Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1893-05-13
FUTURE RAlLRUAUINU.
ENGINES WITH A THIRTY FOOT
DRIVER AND WIDE GAUGE.

Prophecy That Mas Not tie FsneifaL
Ten years from now there may he only
one railroad IN this country TO which
trunk lines will he feeders
The Americans % the near future most
travel faster
There are no reasonable grounds for I've
iieying that the present record OF locomo
tive speed can be improved upon while the
gauge and rolling stock continue IA they
now are
The diameter Of the locomotive driver
wheels must b. increased 10 secure greater
speed, but master mechanics are not at all
agreed as 70 how this can best We done
The enlargement OF the drivers beyond
seven feet would ncccssitate a widening Of
the gauge, aud this experiment j. not like
ly to be repeated while the present forms
OF rolling stock are In use
But sixty miles aa hour Il not fast
enough for the American of today The
locomotive has probably attained the max
imum of it, efficiency IL makes more
economic use Of steam than any other form
Of engine The marine engine loses ~ per
cent. Of the latent energy in the coal, but
the locomotive utilities fully 50 per cent Of
il. Therefore the problem is not To i'm
prove the locomotive, but To enlarge its ca
pacity 10 gel over the ground
ANEW ERA FngEsuAnuwED
This can only lie done by some radical
change In the form Of the roadbcal aud the
rolling stock To increase the diameter OF
the wheels Is the first requisite This will
necessitate a widening oi the permanent
way Suppose the driver wheels to b.,
thirty feet in height, the gauge ought to
l,s I..as 4.
be foot high. aud ought 10 weigh ton To
the rod They will lie bottled 70 ties made
of the largest tree trunks obtainable
Mammoth fish plates viii join them end
to end
The cost Of construction will lie tre,led
Bridges and viaducts will have to he built
OF the heaviest material, and tested TO bear
tbe weight Of a 2OOtun lOcomotiyel The
heaviest engines on the Pennsylvania rail
road used in the passenger service weigh
forty tons. and one five times rs large will
give power enough 10 pub the great cars
that will travel on 10 foot wheels
The gigantic engine will tie suspended
below the axles instead Of resting upon
them The boiler will lie built around the
aNles and the smokestack will not be
higher than the tops 81 the driver wheels
The cab will he very commodious, and To-
Gated Just behind the smokestack atop the
boiler Several iremen will lie required,
and they will lie provided for on platform
at a lower level on the rear of the engine
FIGURES Don't DECEIVE
1 II the same number OF piston strokes can
/ be obtained by thirty foot driver wheels
| per minute-as attained by an engine with
six foot wheels. the increase in veocitr
I will lie ~ ninety feet are TO ei .hteen feet
/ In other words. the train will travel exact.
4 ~ five times as fast II the best speed OF
/ the present passenger locomotive be sixty
miles per hour 1t may be hoped that tho
/ engine OF the future wall attain 3OO miles
/ per hour, Strange a. IL now sounds, II
/ VIII then.be possible to run ont to Chicago
/ after breakfast, take luncheon there with q
/ freud Rnd return 10 sleep in New York
! Chicago ought 10 he ahou, four hour run
4 The track will he kept absolutely clear, and
there will not he any stops except To change
engines at a half way point
! OF course such road can only he made
7 TO pay between great cities like New York
/ and Phtindcl Rhia, Chicago or Boston In
/ another generation there will bc ten cities
| ia tais country with a million people each
\ The saving Oh time Will stimulate travel
/ ing, and every train will be- filled The en-
/ gines viii burn a tremendous lot Of coal.
/ but the cost 81 driving the train will bs
+ about the same a at present because the
time consumed will be a mere fraction oil
what r. now requisite. Nobody will travel
long distances by the old lines There will
not he any competition offered by the ex
is:ing systems of transportation
This brings Us TO a consideration Of the
cars They will I've Is feet wide and prob
ably $50 feet long The most scientific arti
/ fetal ventilation and heating apparatus
will be adapted 10 the case OF course no
windows can Ice left open on a train going
30 miles nm hour They will have To bs
closed with the heaviest plate glass-,loubls
windows, IN fact The structure of the cars
will be much the same a. those of today
LESS DANGEROUS
They will be built wholly of iron and steel
The walls will lac steel plates aud the inte
rior finish and furnishing will be beautiful
and luxurious The size Of the cars will
insure single compartment for every Gay
eler. An aisle will run through the ear
and the statcruoms will he arranged on
each side thereof. shut of by 4 curtain OF
wickerwork door These rooms will b,
seven feet In width and provided with a
large easy chair or sofa The trains will
be yestibuled, 50 that it will he quite pos
biule 10 pas rum one car To the BttleF.
II is very doubtful If the element OF dan
ger will be increased The cars OF stee
can be made ~ such form and braced Ia
such manner as 10 render them less liabl,
TO 90 to pieces in case they leave the rails
Collisions will be impossible. because
trains will never be permitted TO follow
each other within half au hour, and moi
even then until the preceding train ha.
passed the station, situated al least thirty
minutes time distant, says 100 miles
Double tract i'll be the rule not the ex
ception
Difficulties about stopping the train.
when once under Roadway will occur, but
they will be met 10y impr6a ements on the
brakes that will render the gigantic ma
chinery rs traetable a. any now In use
An ingenious system Of signals will be dc
yised. the bell and whistle no longer being
useful. because they cannot he relied upon
They will he drowned by the noise OF tn,
monster train
The local service Of the present roads viii
be utilized for intermediate points. II
man wants 10 20 to Detroit he will rur
through TO Chicago in -four hours ant
thence 10 his destination by an express
Cleveland and Pittsburg will be reached
by regular train from the station at which
the halt Is made 10 change engineers. =
Cor. New York World
Publicly nizinfrrted,