The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-08


rolling stock were no heavier, and the in
creased weight Of the engines adds as
much more as the increased speed.
should say" replied Mr. Katie, in
response to a question, that a single
track road. could be laid down over a
level territory, with thin ballast and light
rams for $4,000 a mile, not counting cost
Of right of way, deep cuts and heavy mis-
and allowing for the usual number of
bridges of the ordinary type
IL would cost $4,000 a mile more, should
say, TO put such a road into first-class
shape for the transit of heavy modern
trains hauled by the big engines of to-day
at speeds of from fifty to eighty miles
an hour. 1t is likely that a road thus
ntted up could stand an average of sixty
miles an hour after certain notifications
nad been made here and there, but in or
der to make the higher speeds of eighty
and 100 miles the road would have to al
most be entirely rebuilt
1t would be utterly impossible 10 give
even an approximate idea of the cost Of
building such line or of bringing any ex-
listing line to any such standard since no
such task has yet been undertaken by
anybody. To average so miles an hour, a
train would have to make an occasional
dash of 100, the same as the 50-mile trains
now nave to make occasional dashes Of
80. The track would have to be almost
perfectly straight; what few curves there
are would have to be of very wide radius
grades would have to be cut down. grade
crossings would have to be out of the
question, rails would have to be much
heavier and bridges would need to be per
lection. Otherwise 1t would be impossible
to keep the train upon the track at all or
keep the track under the train"
II is evident from Mr.. Katte's talk that
while millions were necessarily spent in
bringing the line from New York to Buf-
falo to a physical condition fit for the
speeds at present maintained, many more
millions would have to be spent to make
1t possible to increase long distance speed
ing much above 60 miles an hour.
The enormously increased first cost and
maintenance as outlined above, is really
the greatest element of additional expense
in modern high railroad speed and OBJ
viously it could not be undertaken on any
line excepting one enjoying a very large
traffic. The cost of motive power for very
fast service, however, contrary to general
belief, is not much in excess of the cost of
slower engines. This was explained to the
writer to-day by Mr.. William Buchanan,
who supervised the building of all the en-
gines that haul the fastest trains.
THE standard price of a locomotive"
said MIR. Buchanan, lis about $40 900.
There are some variations, of course, but
they are due, chiefly to the difference, but
the weight of metal used in various en-
gines. There are as many parts in a 40-ton
as in a cotton locomotive, and it takes
as much labor to make each part in one
case as in the other. 1t is true that the
speedy locomotives are built more strong
ly and with greater care than was be-
slowed upon locomotives built ten and fif-
teen years ago, but the same care and
the same improvements are now placed
upon all locomotives, without increas-
ing their cost, and this is due to the i'm
now in use"
Mr.. Buchanan believes that, with all
conditions as they should be, the big en-
gines now in the fast service between
New York and Buffalo could maintain a
considerably high speed than the present
average, and this is based upon the every
day recurring fact that the Empire State
express makes 60. 20 and so miles an
hour at certain portions of the run. Only
the other day this train, when behind for
some reason, covered the distance between
Buffalo and Syracuse, 149 miles, in as
many minutes, or at a 60-mile rate, and if
1t can run 149 miles at that rate it can
run any other distance at the same speed
providing the tracks are straight, level
and clear. In fact, it is probable, though
Mr.. Buchanan did not say so, that the en-
gines now hauling the Empire State ex-
press, could average 70 or 50 miles an hour.
Number 999 has more than once reached
100 miles an hour on short stretches and
on one occasion, in 1898, ran for a short
distance at 11215 miles, which is far and
away the greatest speed ever obtained
by any motor, either steam or electric.
There is no doubt that best American en-
gines are fully the equals of the best En-
glish ones as regards speed and, as is
generally understood by railroad men on
both sides of the water there is no COM
parison between American and British
nofn nc 10 fraaa i've h.
ference all being in favor of the engines
on this side. This due to the greater
weight borne by the drivers of Ameri-
can engines and the greater steam
making power in boilers.
mo matter now big the drivers may
be- said Mr.. Buchanan, 'if the weight
of the machine is not sufficient to hold il
down to the track and 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 boiler that will fur
nish plenty of steam, and in order to do
that, we are constantly planning to in
crease the heating surface. We also aim
to secure high pressure, and that makes
it necessary to build the boilers of the
very best material and TO put them to-
gether in the best possible manner"
In the fast engines on the service be-
tween New York and Buffalo the heating
surface amounts to ,S21 square feet. This
is not CRATE surface; the CRATES being less
than 20 square feet in size, but is fur
nished by the top and sides of the fire.
box and flues, 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 gener-
ally supposed although the fast ones are
much taller. Famous number 999 and it's
mates have cylinders a inches long and
10 inches in diameter. Ten years ago the
standard of cylinder diameter was but
two inches less. and the great difference
of construction-the one which makes the
new engines look so much larger than
the old-is in the boiler and the driving
wheels. The diameter of standard locomo-
tive driving wheels ten years ago varied
considerably, but six feet was about the
limit. The diameter of the drivers of the
big engines now in use is feet inches
and each of the four drivers carries ten
tons of weight, or $1,000 pounds in all
The total weight of the engine is 10000
pounds or so tons, exclusive of the tender
which weighs 40 tons; bringing the whole
up to 100 tons. The weight upon the driv-
ers of the old engines was about 26 tons,
or rather less than seven tons for each
driver.
hI+bo,,gb dri1ers Of mora than sa,rar