The record-union., 1896-07-19

an attempt to absorb the salient feat
ures at one visit is liable to be abortive.
But it is very interesting. Overhead, the
visitor will see a network of chains and
belts, all in rapid motion, while the in
tervening spaces, wherever there are
any, are choked up with bars and braces
and coils and wheels and swiftly re-
yolv1ng rods, until one looks elsewhere
for a rest.
But there is no rest! Here are hun
dreds of machines, cutting and planning,
boring and shipping and filing-whit-
aling shavings off of cold iron as easily
as boys knife goes through a bit of
pine. Here are machines which cut the
threads into an iron nut with no APP
parent effort whatever, and beside, it is
one which does likewise for the bolt
upon which the nut is TO fit. Here are
machines for making everything con-
nected with locomotives that the ordf-
nary layman ever heard of and scores
of things of which he never even
dreamed
These and many other things will the
visitor see in departments No. / and NO.
> of the locomotive machine shop of the
Southern Pacific Company in this city
and when he sees them he will insist on
knowing what everything is for, but he
will get only superficial knowledge of
what he sees, even if the foreman's tenn
per holds good.
Department No is fitted up with the
necessary machinery to perform jobbing
and repairs of all kinds, as we'll as fin
ishing much of the work from the black
smith shop. while department No. is
fitted out to do work almost exclusive
ly upon the different members of loco
motive engines.
Probably one OF the most interesting
features Of department No. / is that Sec
tion set apart for making and repairing
track supplies. Here are turned out the
Southern Pacific split switches, which
are deserving of notice owing to the
greater safety they insure. Formerly,
with the butt switch attachment, the
main line rail was worked by the
switching lever, so as to throw the train
either upon the main line or upon a
siding, but as the rail was always en-
tirely broken there was always danger
of serious accidents from the switches
being left open by careless train1nen,
switchmen or others. Many wrecks hap
pened under the old system of the butt
switch which have been obviated by the
Introduction Of the split switch into the
company's road.
The split switch is formed by planning
an ordinary rail down to q very long
and very regular biased point so that
the planed side may fit snug against
the main line rail, and to this point the
switch lever is attached so that q
switch is never actually opened. True,
a train may run upon the wrong track or
siding, but never leaves the rails.
owing to the fact that the main line rail
is never broken.
On the lower end of mountain sidings,
however, the old butt switch is still re-
tanned. The reason is obvious. If a
car gets loose on a siding and starts on
a rampage for the valley below, its ca
reer is cut short when it reaches the end
of the siding, and it is dumped uncere-
n,oniously off of the line by reason of
the open switch The split switch IS,
however, used at the elevated or up
grade end of the siding, for in all the
experience of railroad men wild car
has never been known to start on mad
rush for the top of the mountain.
It is in this department that all the
switchwork and frogs Of the system are
made, four huge planers being set apart
for those purposes and kept going
throughout the year. The two switch
planers, worked ten hours day, finish
two sets of switches, and the frog plan
ers do a like amount of work In busy
seasons the machines are run night and
day.
Then there is a planer employed in
making wheel replacers, or portable
frog-like fixtures which each train car
ries for the purpose Of making an angle
track upon which to run set of wheels,
which may have been derailed, back
upon the line without resorting to the
Ole jackscrew method.
And here. too, are turned out the re-
xolvine switch stands which play so i'm
portant a part in securing the safety of
the train. and by single glance at
which the engineer can determine the
position of the rails
Here is repaired and finished the sim
r,le mechanism of the block signal sys-
ten. by means of which bell is set
rineinp at q crossing upon the approach
of a. train. thus warning the public, and
10 a great extent eliminating the once
frea,1ent crossing collision by means of
which SO many lives were lost Here
are the bells. fresh from the brass foun-
dry and mounted ready for use, and
.bev are loud voiced bells, too, which
,,,.,i,e one think about fire when they
ring.
one will see here four large radiating
dr;ll presses. used for drilling holes in
heavy pieces, such as cylinders. frames,
mates etc. the machine being so ar
ranged as to work anywhere within a
radius of four feet with equal case and
al anv angle desired, so that once the
work is laid upon the table it need not be
1,oved until every hole has been drilled
even If a hundred be required. Drills
,,,nn;ng the gamut from three-six-
4eantbs of an inch TO four inches are
,sed in these presses. and the work is
7,.-rforrned with remarkable dispatch
pee;des the four large, there are two
cr,ail radiaI drill presses, used in doing
3o1, work of all kinds. They are called
General utility machines and are always
Z, raadiness to do anything required OF
them.
Tn denartment No. there are twenty
r,,ll presses all told and double that
number in department ,; yet all OF them
work steadily along without q thought
of fatipue-working TO the end that re-
na;rs NAV be made and monster loeomo-
+sx,as tant TO their work of climbing the
~,,orn+aios with California produce OIL
r,.sbing through the valleys in their
tiralass activity, assisting man in his
,,,,,,v and varied undertakings.
yon win next step before spinner
-. ,,,act,ina tool for cutting grooves
71d wi