The record-union., 1896-08-09

usefulness of the invention. Steam was
to be the motor power, the mathema-
ticians of those days having been ac-
curate in their computations as to what
might be performed by It's means.
though they had not reached the bot
tom Of the problem.
Steam was all very well. It was the
elastic aeriform fluid into which water
was converted when heated to the boil
ing point, but it was necessary for
them to devise means by which water
might be stored upon or near the loco
motive, in order to obviate the neces-
sity of stopping at streams and wells
on the line Of road to secure the neces-
sary supply.
Then. again. while the fuel necessary
to heat the water might be stacked up
Ia one of the cars, and favored passen-
gers-by tipping the fireman-allowed
to utilize the same for seats, it was
somewhat awkward for the fireman to
be Obliged to carry that same fuel, stick
by stick. and see it disappear up the
smokestack under the enormous
draught occasioned by the exhaust
from the cylinders before it's neighbor
could be brought up to keep it COM
pany and hold it down so as to give the
fire a chance, without saying SO much
as Excuse me-"
So the wheels of invention were once
more creased with the oil of necessity,
and out of the difficulty was evolved
the locomotive tender, or to be concise
about the matter, a car to attend the
wants of the locomotive in carrying
necessary supply of fuel and water.
The first locomotive tenders were not
noble structures by any means, being
built for service rather than beauty.
and SO they are to this day; and in the
Southern Pacific shops IN this city is a
department where they are built from
the ground up, as well as neatly and
quickly repaired, and owing to the fact
that the special feature of the tender is
the water tank, which surrounds both
sides and the rear end, the department
is known as the tank shop"
While the tank shop isproperly an aux
Hilary to the boiler shop, the work is of
q class apart, and is under the direct
supervision Of Ed. Vaughn, who under
stands his business from every point Of
view.
The tank shop Is like Pats dog-big
for its size, and il turns out an immense
amount of finished material each month
IL the year, demonstrating that though
the force employed is small, it works
Understandingly and conserves the best
interests Of it's employers.
In this shop will be seen an ordinary
drill press used in boring necessary
holes through castings which enter into
Ihe construction of tenders, and
through wrought-iron members too
thick to be penetrated by the punches.
The punches are two in number, and are
put TO variety of uses, such as punch
ing the holes in tender frames and an
gle irons after they have been brought
from the rolling mill, as well as the
rivet and bolt holes in the tank.
The tender frame is rolled out in the
rolling mill, taken to the tank shop, put
on face plate. or large fiat anvil,
where 1t is Strengthened up by lusty
blows from sledges welded by the
workmen. It is next shaped or laid
out" by means of template, or pattern
made especially TO form the work upon,
and when that process has been salts
factorily performed, it is taken to the
punch and the necessary fften-si
feenth-inch holes punched into it where
connections with the body trucks are to
be made. After the holes have been
punched the frame takes another trip
10 the face plate, where all inequalities
are carefully beaten out, and at last it
is ready to be placed upon the horses
preparatory to being engrafted on to
the tender proper, ready TO perform the
important work for which it was de-
signed.
After being laid upon the horses"
the frame is Ieyeied up, castings put in
position and the center sheets put in,
and it is then ready for the angle irons,
or rolled plates used for forming the
corners, or for connecting or sustaining
the sides Of the structure, to which they
are riveted.
These angle irons are laid out" or
markings made where the rivets are to
enter and after being introduced to the
punches and having daylight let
through them at the marked places.
gang of four men is told off whose duty
it is to rivet them into place after which
The frame, which is now beginning to
assume its completed appearance, is
ready for the draft rods. bunter beams,
or drawbars. flooring and molding.
But while the frame is being made
another set Of men are busy upon the
trucks upon which the frame is TO rest.
Briefly the trucks are composed of two
S-inch and one 12-inch and six rs by
i inch channel iron arch bars resting
upon center plates. There are two
guide plates, eight oil boxes and a like
number Of oil box keys. while under all
is placed four pairs Of 33-inch wheels
set upon axles having Al by S-inch
1ournals-wheels and journals weighing
q grand total Of 1000 pounds. In re-
pairing locomotive tenders the foreman
OF the shop Is governed by the condi-
tion Of the locomotive to which the ten
der belongs, and which is usually placed
in one of the pits in the machine shop
before the tender is turned over to the
tank shop employees. There are 24 loco
motive pits in the machine shop. while
fhe tank shop can boast of but four, and
the foreman Of the latter must be ever
on the alert 10 have the tender ready
when the locomotive goes into the paint
shop. So it happens that these same
tender builders have very little time to
throw ciods at birds, or cast reflections
and other things upon their neighbors.
When the tank shop foreman sees the
work upon the engine in the machine
shop advanced to a certain point he
sends a written order to the hostier ia
the yard to bring in the tender, which
the latter proceeds to do by hitching TO
it the 2.200 pound animal (the pride of
the hostlers' life. by the way) which is
kent only for the purpose of hauling
cars through the yard, thus saving the
labor of a dozen men. The tender is