The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-01-06
A GOLIATH LOCOMOTIVE.
Two Engines United To Round the Mex
lean Central,a Curves.


The biggest and most powerful railroad
locomotive in the world, according to
Locomotive Engineering for January, will
soon be running on the Mexican Central
railroad 1t was constructed at the Rhode
Island Locomotive Works. with couple
of like companions. The monster weighs
100 tons when in working order, and was
built to climb steep grades in the mount
aims of Mexico and to drag heavy loads
around sharp curves safely
The engine looks like a couple OF loco
motives of the "Mogul" pattern backed up
together, with the two cabs joined. 1t Is
an odd form, and was constructed after
design by Superintendent of Machinery +.
W. tombstone, of the Mexican Central who
realized that special style was necessary
for the work to be performed on his rail-
Ioad. The idea was to secure motor
with flexibiity sufficient to go round the
sharp curves with least FRACTIONAL resist
ance This hexIbility is gained by secur-
ing the driving wheels in truck which is
free to move in line different from that
followed by the main frames.
The cylinder and boiler i'll the Mexican
Central Goliath are carried on the main
frames separate from the driving wheel
truck. As the cylinders are not in line
with the driving wheels in rounding
curves, it is necessary that special
method of transmitting power from the
cylinders to the crank pins should be en-
pioyed. This is done in very ingenious
way through levers that transmit the
power and compensate for the varying
distances between the pistous and the
crank, due to the swiveiing of the driving
wheels. But for this compensating :.
rangement 1t would be necessary
TO give the engine SO much cylin-
der clearance that the loss of steam would
be very great. The power-transmittiny
levers are seen at the back of the cvIin-
ders. connected at the top by a short link.
and the bottom ends pinned to the front
end of the main rods. There are two of
the latter, one connecting with a crank
pin, the other with return crank. The
piston rod transmits motion to the back
one of the two levers, and that gives mo-
ton 10 the front lever. which is fulcrumed
securely to the frame near its center
The engines are compound, with annu-
lar cylinders, the high pressure cylinder
being in the middle and the low-pressure
cylinder outside. The high-pressure evil
Under Is IL inches in diameter and the low
pressure % inches. The stroke Is "A
inches. 1t is calculated that the cylinder
capacity of each pair of cylinders is equal
TO a 1924 simple engine.
The boilers are OF OTIS steel, 9-l6 inch in
diameter. and carry 1S0 pounds of steam
10 the square inch. They are 5ilt inches
in diameter and have pol pinch tubes. Is
feet ga inches long. The freboxes are of
the Belpaire type, IS inches long and So
inches wide.
The arrangement of working is that the
valve motion of the two engines is oper-
ated by one screw reverse lever.
In the new locomotive the engineer sits
on one side of the cab with all the neces-
sary apparatus for working the double
ender within easy reach. On the other
ride the fireman pours in the fuel through
side doors. A coat passer is necessary to
aid him