The record-union., 1896-09-27

it is the province of the truck builder
to furnish the foundation on which to
build the car. His work is particular,
and it is particularly well done, and
of the railroad accidents one reads of
very few are due to defective trucks.
Everything is made firm and snug.
From bolster to journal, and from
spring to drawbar all, like the deacon's
Wonderful One-Hoss Shay are built
SC that they break down when grown
gray and grizzled with age, but never
Wear out
Then into the car shops, where a lit
tie lesson in mechanics is taught even
to the most unobSerVant Here it is
that the car is built upon the founda-
ton already laid by the truck builder,
and from the heaps of lumber and
braces and rods and bolts and screws
and plates one sees arise, even while
he waits, the moving palace wherein
ne takes his ease as he watches the
miles speed by, or sleeps the sleep of the
traveller while he dreams of home.
Then on into the paint shop, where
brush and pencil are assiduously work
ing to the end that the car already con-
structed may be clothed from the
weather, care being taken that the
clothing is the most elegant which can
be conceived. Expense is no object, SO
that the article turned off is the best.
Here, too besides the triumphs of paint
ing, was seen the acme of embossing
On glass. and while one wondered over
the mysteries of the white acid and the
hydronuroic process, his wonder chang
ed to admiration when the results were
placed before his eyes.
From the paint shop to the r-brake
department was but step, and here
was seen in full blast one Of the greatest
victories achieved by man over the ele-
nients. A quarter of a century ago had
one had the temerity to prophesy as to
the vast influence compressed air would
have in the future upon the commerce
Of the world, he would have been called
4 visionary iunatic and jeers from the
tlrong would have been his portion.
But the advent of the Westinghouse air
brake was a new era in the life of rail-
roading, and by its employment nine
tenths of the actual dangers of travel
were eliminated. In this department
was seen the compressed air crank"
in all his glory. Wind was his study
he lived by it, and talked Of it, and
still he was not a windy" man. Here
were seen the pipes and tubes and cocks
and unions and shutoffs and all the
paraphernala which enter into the COM
plicated arrangement by which every
wheel on a moving train is locked by
d simple pull on a lever by the engineer
in his cab, and owing to the mystery Of
it all, the interest was unfiagging until
the reason for it had all been sifted to
the bottom.
Then when the>workers in compressed
air had passed, the upholsterer was
brought upon the stage, and for brief
period was seen placing springs, pick
ing hair, padding cushions and covering
them with plush as soft as baby's
cheek, fitting carpets, renovating feath-
ers and doing the hundred odd different
things which follow in the line of his
trade. He was tailor, this upholsterer,
and his soul was centered upon turning
out his car in the latest approved fash
ion, even down to the set of the collar
and color Of the tie, and he was a sue
cess.
Then from the Upholstering Depart
ment the reader was set down in the
midst Of the cabinetmakers and watched
them prepare all the materials for the
interior furnishing Of baggage, postal
class passenger coaches and sleeping
cars. and after the cabinetmakers had
passed in review the "strippers and
tvimmers" appeared and stripped a car
just sent in FOR renovation for the
a amusement and instruction Of the spec
tator. and then trimmed il uD again
after ii had undergone repairs at each
of the departments. Then the finish
ers" appropriate name for them) came
on for a moment and gave an exhibit Of
their work in completing the inside Of
the car.
And last scene in the Car Department
a pen picture was drawn of Car Shop
No. D. Here the vast work of repairs
was going on day after day, and many
features were noted promi-
nent among them being the process OF
painting by the airline route or
spraying the cars with paint from a noz-
z.e the motor power being compressed
aIr instead of the time method Of
using bucket and brush.
Then into the blacksmith shop of the
locomotive department where the
sWarthy smith welded his sledge and
tended his fires and on into the rolling
min where heavy hammers fell and red
hot pieces Of pig iron We're drawn out
into almost every conceivable shape by
the sets of rolls OF various sizes. From
the blacksmith shop to Locomotive
Shops Noe ], and 3. was an easy
Journey, and here was seen the building
of the iron horse after all the necessary
portions had been brought together
from the several departments. Then into
the Boiler shop. where the clang and
clash and roar is something TO be long
renem bered and where boilers of all
grades are turned out with remarkable
dispatch; and then came the little Ten
der Shop. where the locomotive tenders
the strongest carriage built
at the shops-is turned out. built from
the ground up.
Then the Spring Maker played his
mart and from slabs of cold steel beat
out springs so flexible as to make one
wonder whether after all he was riding
upon steel or feathers, and next the
pipemaker paraded his accomplish
ments. and when he had told of his vo-
cation and how his work was done, he
gave way 10 the workers in copper, who
gave the history of the metal in which
they worxed-the oldest in the world. by
the way-and then stepped aside to hear
from the men who make the locomotive
DreSentable bN enroDlng IL IN ilS codt VI
paint Next the Brass Moiders claimed
the attention OF the reader and then
the round -house--the locomotives
stahle-came up for inspection.
And so down until at length was
reached the yardmen who came forward
and told of their work and how they
did II. until, last scene of all. the shop
storekeeper handed I'm n few figures
showing the enornity of his business.
and the story of the shops was told.