The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-03-10
LOCOMOTIVES AND ENGINEERS.
Fast and Slow Runs, and PecuIiari-
ties of Various Locomotives.

New York Sun.
1t takes about an hour to get steam
enough on an ordinary locomotive engine to
start 1T. from cold water. 1t is a familiar
Iact that the water in the boilers of steam
hre engines in cities is kept hot while the
engine is standing in the house by a pipe
connection with a boiler in the cellar under
meath; when the engine starts it's own fire
is lighted. Locomotive engines that are run
ming regularly stand in the roundhouse in
banked. The fires are kept cleaned. hut
they may not be hauled for weeks The
practice varies somewhat in this respect On
some roads fires are hauled once a week, on
other roads they are kept up in engines for
three or four weeks or more continuously
est runs out of New York says that h he ii has
never seen an engine that would run as
fast as he would like to ride, No appre
hension apparently it felt by the engineer
of fast engine. Calmness is one of his
mos. noticeable traits; and if he worries
or something has happened so that he may
not be able to make the time, and not be-
cause he Is going through the air at fifty.
sixty, seventy miles an hour. But it should
be understood that none but a man of per
feet nerve is likely to reach the footboard
of a fast engine.
There is not vast difference between
running at night and at day. Signal lights
at night are palmer and can be seen at a
much greater distance than day signals
The engineer must of course, keep con-
stantly in mind where he is, but he comes
his landmarks in the dark; and he has
this advantage of the pilot that he can't
channel.
engineers prefer day runs because it seems
more natural to work in the daytime, and
1t is pleasanter.
Almost all locomotive engineers prefer a
fast run to a slow one. The fast trains are
the blue ribbons of the road Aside from
the honor of running fast train, there is
a very substantial advantage in the hours
If an engineer simply stepped into his cab
IN the station and stepped out again on his
return almost any run might do we'll enough
but he doesn't do that; he goes to the
roundhouse before train time and looks over
the engine. and sees that it is in condition
and properl' supplied for the rum and in
every way ready and he runs the engine
to the station. All h.astakes time. on his
roundhouse; this takes time too. though
not so much as the time spent before the
run; but together these periods add ma
terialiy to the length. of the engineers
the great advantages of fast run are
MANIFEST the shorter the time spent on
the road, the shorter the total time.
mere IS common impression that no
two locomotive engines work lust alike
even though made from the same patterns
locomotive engineer of long experience
says tnat the impression is. correct He
says, by way of illustration, that two high
grade watches of the same pattern, and
supposed to be just alike, Inay not work
the same way. One may rot vary half
minute in six months and so be- practically
perfect timekeeper, while the other may
vary minute in month. 1t is SO with
engines; they do not work just alike. One
may steam and run better than the other
The slightest variation in finish or adjust
nnent might be sufficient to cause this
When the new engine has been run a wear
or so it goes to the shop to be overhauled.
With it goes report of the engineer who
has run 1t, on the engines characteristics
and performance If the engine has deveI-
oped any defects they can usually he
remeded at this overhauling and it may
again smart as any of them.