The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-06


Is used 40 hold the reversing lever ina any
position desired. for a steel tongue. raised
ana lowered hy a lever which extends
down the handle of the reversing lever.
tits into the nofehs-s and thus holds the
reversing lever The reversing lever
moves the reach bar back and forth.
anu the reach bar Is connected with the
The link motion IS "a device by which
the engineer can let steam in al either end
OF the- cylinder AND thus can start his
engine ahead or reverse &C.. This r. done
by TWO eccentric rods. the forward and
backward which. by suitable meChan-
Ism that must be seen 10 be understood,
actuate the sliding valve in the steam
chest.
By throwing the reversing lever forward
the valve gear is so adjusted that the
steam enters the cylinder so as 70 move
the engine forward; by throwing the re-
Versing lever back, the opposite effect IS
secured.
a locomotive moves over the smooth
steel rails because of its "tractive' force.
This traction is increased by increasing
the weight over the driving wheels Ihe
friction between the tires OF the drivers
and the steel rails causes the wheels TO
grip the metal, ami as the rails are i'm
movable, the wheels must go around
The steam, by pressure and expansion,
forces the piston in the cylinder 90 move.
The piston rod" is connected with the
cross head" which moves back and
forth between the guide bars. The
connecting rod transmits the motion to
the drivers, and the drivers, revolving,
move tine engine.
1t is sometimes necessary to increase
the friction between the drivers and rails,
and this is done by throwing dry sand
on the rails Immediately in front OF the
driving wheels. On some locomotives the
sand box is perched on top of the boiler,
and a rod from the engine cab opens the
sand valves one for each side OF the en-
CINE. and the sand falls down through
pipes to the rails.
Steam cylinders require oil for lubricat-
ing purposes, and this oil is fed TO the
steam valve through pipe which passes
from the cab through the boiler So thal
the oil is not affected 10y the cold air.
AS soon steam is shut on from the
cylinders they grow cold and the steam
is condensed TO water. This must be
drawn off. and the engineer in his cab,
by pulling a rod, opens the cylinder
cocks" and keeps them open until the
sound of the escaping steam tells him
that nothing but dry steam is passing
through. Ii is when the cylinder cocks
are open that the flying locomotive sends
out jets of steam to the right and left.
In the tender of the locomotive. which
is entirely separate from. although part
of, the locomotive the coal and water are
stored The water is kept in the tank
which forms the sides and back of the
tender. and the water, brought from the
tank through "A feed pipe, is forced into
the boiler through an injector.
The fireman, with large scoop shovel,
feeds the ravenous nav of the locomotive
A chain is hooked to the furnace door,
and when the fireman slides a scOopful
of coal over the iron fioor-plates to the
door he pulls the chain, the door opens,
the coal is dumped into the tire-boN and
the door is slammed shut at once, for no
fireman likes to let cold air enter his fire.
box over the fire.
The careful fireman does his work on the
principle that slow combustion is the near
est to perfection because 1t makes less
clnkers and saves fuel and labor in clean
ing. He keeps his fire bright and has no
cold corners" and keeps his fire even
"A burning
cerned.
1t is his duty to keep steam up and the
boiler supplied with water, help the engi-
neer to look out for signals, oil up, keep
the cab clean, ring the bell and throw
coal at tramps who may be stealing a
ride on the front platform Of the mail
car.
The invention of the automatic air-brake
relieved the engineer Of a great deal of
worry and nerve tension, for, by a slight
movement OF the handle of the "engt-
neer's' valve, he can apply the brakes on
every car OF train equipped with auto
matte air-brakes.
In a short time the old familiar Whis-
tie down brakes which sends a train
crew gallopng over the tops of freight
cars to wind up the hand brakes, win
be heard no more, for every railroad in
the country is equipping its freight cars
with automatic air brakes, thus giving
the engineer as much control over a hog
train as he has over the fast mails" and
limited throughs"
Standing in a vertical position on one
side OF a locomotive is the air pump 1t
congresses air into a main reservoir tank
which generally is placed under the front
end of the boiler. From this tank a pipe
leads to the engineers valve in the cab
and from this valve the air is admitted
to the main air pipe, which extends under
the train. The air in this pipe is kept
at a pressure of about seventy pounds to
the square inch.
Before the train leaves the station the
auxiliary air reservoirs under each car
are filled with compressed air, and this air
is passed into the brake cylinders when
ever, from any cause whatsoever, the
pressure in the main air or train pipe is
decreased. The engineer sets the brake
by letting some air out of the train
pipe.
If he is approaching station he low
erS the pressure gradually, thus apply
ing the brakes by degrees, but if he sees
the headlight of another locomotive COM
ing toward him on the same track he
applies the emergency stop by opening
the valve wide, and this sets the brakes
so quick and hard that the passengers
are drought up standing"
In the engine-cab are steam gauges and
air gauges, gauge cocks for ascertain
ing the level of the water in the boiler
a water glass for the same purpose, le-
vers for opening the safety valve, a cord
for ringing the bell a clock and gener-
ally a number of photographs of pretty
women, while under the cushions in a
box are tools of all kinds and descrip-
tions, the always present lunch-box and
the soap and towels which the fireman
and engineer use when they wash up af-
faV RIM