The record-union., 1896-09-13

After each and every article entering
INTO the construction of locomotive en-
zine has been turned and trimmed and
polished and put into position, and,
when finally her fires are kindled and
under the pressure of steam she is sent
out to do her share of mountain climb
ing or valley draft work, whether
freight or passenger, her troubles begin.
This is well known by the men who
nave built her and by the men who de-
pend upon her strength and speed to
carry out their contracts, extending
even to the confines of the world.
The careful hostler looks first for a
suitable stable in which his horse is
TO rest, then for proper food and water,
and lastly for currycomb and brush
with which to knock off the stains of
travel which may have accumulated
during the days toll
so 1t is with the locomotive. It's own
ers have, first of all, provided a suitable
stable In which it shall rest away from the
sun of summer and the storm Of winter,
and where the hostlers with currycomb
and brush may once again get it into
condition for the tug and strain, the
rush and roar, the wear and tear, and
all the tribulations it must encounter.
The life Of an engine, like that of a
morse, is one that may be computed in
ngures representing dollars and cents,
and while the man who sat on the box
with his hand on the throttle may go
off by himself and look solemn-feei like
wearing Grape or curSing fate-when his
old friend is relegated to the bone
yard, the majority of those interested
take pencil and pad and make long
strings Of figures to determine on which
side Of the line of profit or loss the dead
locomotive has thrown them, and how
far
From the time the first railroad was
built in the United States, the owners
have understood the necessity Of having
a substantial house for the engine, and
out Of the plans and Specifications of
three-Quarters Of q century has been
evolved the roundhouse.
In the roundhouse of the Southern Pa
cffic Company in this city are twenty
eight stalls, all verging to a common
center-the turntable-and when an
engine has finished its run it Is backed
upon the table. which is so evenly bal
anced that both table and engine may
be swung to any point Of the compass
with the weight Of a single man thrown
against the lever.
Gr1dley Bryant, the pioneer railroad
man of America, about the year 1926
designed the first turntable for use on
the Quincy Railroad, which was four
miles long, including branches, and was
built from the Quincy (Mass.) granite
quarries to the nearest tide-water. This
first turntable, by the way, is said to
still in an excellent state of preserva-
tion, and is landmark in railroads to
which the citizens of Quincy point with
pride"
After the locomotive has been proper
iy stabbed the grooms appear upon the
ground and their work is worthy of no
tice. The tools used by them are mere
y bunch of waste cotton and a smooth
chamois skin, but such a rubbing down
as the great machine gets at their
hands must be seen to be understood
Not a bit Of smooth Steel not a rod
bolt, bar or plate of brass but what is
rubbed and polished until it shines
again-until, in fact, the workmen. who
delight in being called "wipers," see
the reflection, not of their features only
but the smudges upon their noses, which
are the badges of their avocation. The
wiper" takes as much pride in MAX
ing his engine presentable as a lady's
maid in decking out her mistress for
a State ball, and his efforts are ever
crowned with success. No matter how
worn the machinery of the locomotive
may be. and no matter if the load it
draws be heavy and the grades steep.
it always comes from its stall smiling.
and apparently in good humor
Then, after the wiper" has conclud-
ed his duties. it is ten to one that the
engineer drops in to inspect the work,
and woe be TO the luckless groom does
fieck of dust or a grimy smudge ap-
pear upon the polished surface
OF all departments in the great rail-
way service of the country none is more
important than that Of the locomotive
for the proper care and treatment of it
insures both the safety and comfort Of
the travelling public.
The round house of the Southern Pa
cific Company handles about eighty en-
gines a day; that is, forty arrive and the
same number depart.
The service of men of nearly all occu-
pations are required in this department
Machinists, boilermakers, carpenters,
coppersmiths, timers. steam filters.
and in fact here is represented most of
the trades from the numerous depart
ments of the shops. Here can be seen
carpenters repairing pilots, bumper
beams, running boards and cabs, and
there you will see a. squad of black
smiths strengthening bent locomotive
frafne-frames often becoming bent
when the engine is kept constantly on
the road and time cannot be spared for
shopping il for repair.
on the arrival Of the engine at the de-
not she is cut loose from the train and
taken to the coal-shed where thorough
inspection is made by machinist espe-
cially trained in the many intricate
parts OF afr-brakes and injectors. Any
defect he may find is Immediately re-
ported to the round d-house foreman, who
details rnachinists TO make the neces-
sary repairs
The engine is then supplied with coal
which Is accurately weighed and prop
erly charged TO each engine. 1t is con-
veyed from the cars or coal-shed TO the
tender In large steel dumping tubs es-
Decially designed for the work, having a
capacity Of | 200 pounds each. the con-
tents of which are dumped into the en-
cine tender by means Of a portable
crane operated by compressed air. The
amount of coal delivered to each engine
varies from 12.000 pounds to $4,000
,,ounds. and Is all handled by a contract
go naid for each tub. The engine is
rext taken TO the ash-pit, her ash pans
- 6re-box cleaned and sand-box
filIed with sand.
THE sand f. delivered from the sand
-.