The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-12-30

books. dissecting triple valves and angle
cocks and examining I'D for the ordeal.
A VALUABLE INVENTION.
When George Westinghouse, jr., a
score Of years ago invented the auto
matte air brake, he gave the railroads
that which enabled them to increase the
speed of their trains fourfold and which
reduced the dangers incident to railroad
travel almost to the minimum. The first
air brakes used on railroads were known
as the straight air." and were not au-
tomato. The straight-air system had
the air compressor, the storage tank on
the engine and the train brake, but the
brakes were put on by the direct pres
sure of the air through the train pipe
from the reservoir on the engine: The
system was woefully defective, for the
engineer had no means Of knowing that
all the brakes were set. and the slight
tSe orea Ro; In .he o of non lowered
1t was beginning, how
ever, and led up to the present sys-
tenn Of quick-acting automatic brakes,
with which all the brakes in a train of
fifty cars, two thousand feet long, can
be set in less than three seconds by a
cab. With this system the engineer
knows beyond peradventure of doubt
that when he throws the handle of the
engineers valve to a certain position
every brake in the entire train is set.
There is no perhaps OF chance about it,
for any decrease of pressure in the main
air pipe, which runs from car to car,
Connected by rubber hose. sets the brakes.
1t makes no difference how the air gets
out Of the pipe. the brake shoes hug the
wheels just the same. The air may be
released by the engineer or by a train
breaking in two and parting the rubber
connecting hose, or by the conductor
pulling the cord Of the conductors valve.
or by q leak. The brakes will respond
at once to the slightest decrease of
pressure and the wheels will complain
under the merciless squeeze.
Often in reports of railroad accidents
the story ends with 'the cause of the
accident was the failure Of the brakes
to act" The probabilities are in ninety
nine cases out of a hundred accidents
for which tickle air brakes are held re-
sponsible that the true cause was that
the brakes were not allowed to act in
time They are there, always on duty.
with at least ninety pounds of air in
the storage tank on the engine, with
seventy pounds in every auxiliary stor-
age tank under the cars, with the train
pipe charged, everything ready to work
but useless unless the engineer releases
the air in time.
HOW IT WORKS.
When locomotive hauling a train
comes to a stop at station it seems
to be painting after a long run. The
sound of rapid breathing begins as soon
as the big drivers come to rest, and
gradually the painting grows slower and
slower until 1t stops. The engine has
filled its lungs with air again and is
ready for another run. for the breathing
was the noise OF the exhaust from the
air pump. standing upright just in front
of the cab. A strong, compact. neat-look-
ing arrangement is this air pump. 1t has
two cylinders. one steam and the other
air, and as the piston moves up and
down the air Is compressed into the
large air tank under the front end OF
the boiler, just back Of the cowcatcher
From this main storage reservoir pipe
leads to the engineers valve In the cab.
under and to one side OF the throttle.
where the engineer can lay his hand on
Il at q socond's notice. From this i'm