Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1895-02-16
FREAKS OF LOCOMOTIVES.
They Have whimS and rcrVcrsitIcs ENer
when New.

They Have WhimS and rcrVcrSitIcs tNen
when New.
Il is not an uncommon expression 70
hear that such and such u thing works
with the regularity 81 4 machine and
one is not surprised when such a com
uriSon is made, for machines are sup
n,>ca to work with u mathematical
regularity. and never to vary from the
Syee6 or action 70 which they are set
The locomotive, though, is a striking
exception to this rule, Il seems decId-
ciy opposed at times toa monotonouS-
IL perfect performance If its work,and
To rid itself Of the depressing effect of
SameneSS il INDUCES in the most fan
ciful and iuexplicable freaks, driving
its master into bewilderipg wonder.
10 attempt To tell You all its curious
WAYS would be as great an undertake
ing as 10 tell why y woman does thus
sud 50. In this respect there IS a great
similarity between locomotives and
women.
No one ever heard Of on engineer
speaking of his machine as he and
n O Il ever will. unless it becomes
more submissive to eaSon or less in
clined to act according 10 It's w
whims and capriceS. For this reason
an engineer must know his engine be-
lore he a manage il with any skill at
all. He cannot mount a cab in which
he has neyersa before and obtain good
wetk. He must become familiar with
its habits and ways, and whenever he
changes engines he has to begin all
over again. Engineers do not like to
go ont on any other engine, They
never gain complete mastery over any,
but approach it nearer when they have
been on one for some time.
This seems strange, in view of the
fact that there are 5 o few levers 10 be
controlled to manage a locomotive.
The only parts Of the machine neces-
sary to be touched To move the engine
forward, back it or bring it to Il stop
are the throttle, the reverse lever and
the air brake. The throttle is the con
troller of the main valve, which adj
mits or shuts Off steam to the cylinder.
The reverse lever run over a semi
circular bar of iron in which there are
several notcheS When this lever is
thrown open the engine will move for
ward. To reverse it, the reverse lever
is thrown backward. The only other
lever necessary to be used governs the
air brakes.
Like horses, engines seem TO know
who holds the rcinS, An engineer on an
engine not his own is at an utter loss
what to do if it begins playing tricks,
n of the most common of which is
running away. The engineer will get
out of the cab, leaving the machine
standing quietly and submissiyely as
can be, when of a sudden it starts
along the track at top speed, and gen.
orally keeps IN running until steam is
exhausted. unless it runs into another
train and is brought to a sudden stop,
Just why engines do this is a mystery.
How the throttle opens itself or how
1t can run with the throttle closed is
beyond the knowledge of engineers;
but they do it, and sometimes play
havoc, too.
Another trick is foaming, Without
warning, the water in the boiler will
begin to foam, and instead of gener-
ating steam will bubble like a tea-ket-
tie. This can be remedicd, though, by
taking in a new supply of water. 1t is
an old trick for discharged employees
and during strikes to have a piece of
soap dropped into the boiler to produce
this effect. Often, too, it will go
lame" This happens when the &C.
centric is Slipped orit does not cough
properly. The eccentrics work on the
axle of the main driver, and often the
outer ring will slip and fall on the
axle. As they work the steam chest,
the supply is cut off when one of them
slips, and the engine comes to a stand
still. Coughing" is not the result of
a cold, but is the discharge of the
steam from the cylinder after it has
been used. There ought to be four
coughs to every revolution Of the
driving wheel, but when the valves
choke it will cough" only once or
twice, and the relief is large dose OF
oil.
One of the oldest freaks of an engine
is jumping. do not mean to tell OF
the wonderful tales of engines leaping
across canyons when bridges were
gone, but frequently, when running at
a high rate of speed, if some small Oh.
struction is met on the track, the en-
CINE will jump ten or twelve inches
and drop squarely on the rails again.
These are a few of the ailments Il loco
motive is subject to, and they begin as
soon as it leaves the shop and continue
until it is consigned to The junk pile
Philadelphia Inquirer.