Evening star., 1895-09-07

parison between American and British en-
gines as to tractive power. the difference
all being in favor of the engines on this
side. This is due to the greater weight
borne by the drivers of American engines
and the greater steam-making power In
boilers
NO matter how big the drivers may be-"
said Mr.. Buchanan. 'tif the weight of the
machine is not sufficient to hold it down
to the track ana the boiler cannot furnish
steam enough to make the wheels go round
fast enough, speed cannot be made Our
chief aim in building engines, therefore, Is
to get a boiler that will furnish plenty of
steam, and, in order to do that, we are con-
stantly planning to increase the heating
surface. We also aim to secure high pres
sure, and that makes it necessary to build
the boilers of the very best material and
to put them together in the best possible
Mariner"
In the fast engines on the service between
New York and Buffalo the heating surface
amounts to 1921 square feet. This is not
CRATE surface, the CRATES being less than
twenty square feet in size. but is furnished
BY Inc tcp and sides of the fire box and
fues. of which there are more in the new
engines than in the old.
There is less difference in size between
the fast and slow engines than is generally
supposed, although the fast ones are much
taller. Famous No. 800 and its mates have
cylinders twenty-four inches long and nine
teen inches in diameter. Ten years ago the
standard of cylinder diameter was but two
the big engines now in is I feet 3
inches, and each of the four drivers carries
ten tons of weight. or SH.G60 pounds in all.
The total weight of the engine is 10000
pounds. sixty tons, exclusive of the ten
der, which weighs forty tons bringing the
whole up to 100 tons. The weight upon the
drivers of the old engines was about
twenty-sx tons, or rather less than seven
tons for each driver.
Other Speed Problems.
trio 10
be overcome before the speed of the pres
ent could be made. fabrication was one of
these, and it was believed for long time
that it would be Impossible to keep boxes
from getting hot If run al fifty and sixty
mile rates under heavy engines. But there
has been no serious trouble from this
source. After trials of many complicated
devices, the simple soft metal bearing was
adopted. and is now in use. But the bear
ings used are very large, thus presenting
much wearing surface. Great pains are
taken to procure the right kind of oil. and
the bearings are most carefully and con-
stantly locked after. So thoroughly has the
fabrication problem been solved that only
three hot boxes were reported, during a
recent test, under 14,og0 trains. The sue
cess of the bail or roller bearing in bicycles
and other light machines has led to many
experiments with roller bearings under
locomotives, but the present indications are
that such bearings will not be adopted,
since it has been found that while it re-
bearings than on ordinary ones there is
more friction on those bearings at high
speed than on the plain ones of soft metal.
The problem of efficient brakes was also
an exceedingly important one when high
speeds came to be considered but it also
has been solved. and SO has the problem of
building cars strong enough to stand the
strain of quick stops. The danger in this
direction was strikingiy Illustrated near
Hartford some years ago, when en-
gneer who mad never suffered an accident
in his life, finding that he must bring his
train to stop quickly, suddenly applied
the full force of the brakes. The stop was
maraged successfully-at least SO far as
the running gear was concerned, but the
effect serious upon the car bodies
They did not stop with the wheels. The
strain loosened them from the trucks and
they slid off, causing general wreck.
In the meantime the electrical men are
getting ready to do some fast running, and
promise radical changes in roads cars and
general practice. They believe they will he
able to make l1 miles an hour without diff
tculty or damage, and it is understood that
experiments as to the proper form of the
car, the strength of working parts Of
motors and many other matters that must
be settled, will be the subjects of careful
study at the Baldwin steam locomotive
works. recently reorganiZed in harmony
with the Westinghouse electrical interests.
Whether the use OF electricity on long fast
runs will be found as practicable and eco
nomical as on short slow ones cannot be
known till these experiments are COM
pleted, but there is little doubt that before
next year has passed the present fastest
time of the English roads will be bested in
America, perhaps by steam, perhaps by
the electric current, and very likely by
both.
The English locomotive. of which a pic
| ture is given, is one in regular service in
| the Caedonian railway. 1t has but one
| pair of drivers, and they are eight feet in
diameter. This is understood to be one of
| the engines that made the recent remark
| able speed between London and Aberdeen.
DEXTER MARSHALL.