, 1897-04-23

New Inventions, modern methods n
heavier machinery are making a revolu-
ton in all branches of industry, and he
railroader, with the monster engines
and mammoth trains, is being hit just AS
hard as the printer with the linotype.
To illustrate, the other day two trains
pulled out of the Rawlins yard for the
east consisting of 80 cars. Two en-
gines and two crews handled them.
Five years & it would have taken five
engines and five crews to have brought
the same number OF cars over the di-
vision.
On the main line of the Sixth district
regular through engines. five helpers at
Medicine Bow and two helpers ut Fort
Steele. Five years ago, in the spring,
there were from % to 26 engines in the
service on the Sixth and as high as 80
in the fall. and all on the keen jump.
Now IL train crews do the business on
'iIt SiAih- rive years aSo, NJ oLc tlHit,
there were 50 in the service. In 1892
there were more extra men thai there
are now regular men on The road, and
all were making good wages.
There is just as much traffic over the
Overland III today as there was in the
days of 1892, but it is handled in a differ
-, ,nr,n 'rIi, Il, Tho ,rn Of ,,n,t,;,
cry and it is being applied by the
bright minds at the head of the Union
Pacific in a name most effective. Al
the present time there are on an average
four freights each way per day over
the Sixth district. Under the old sys-
TEN these four trains would have been
cut into 10 trains. requiring ut least
double the number OF men to take them
to Rawlins, even when the helper SER
vice is considered. And what is more
he tonnage of the cars mas been in
creased enormously.
Tomorrow the heavy engines will be
put in service as helpers ut Medicine
Bow, Fort Steele and Red Buttes. and il
is expected by the officials to increase
tonnage from IL to 20 per cent. Old
men in the freight service doubt the adj
visibility of the new plan, and say they
| believe the increased tonnage with the
present equipment viii prove a loss tC
the company rather than n gain. Or
the hill. where the pushers can be oper,
ated behind, they admit that it may
work satisfactorily. but on the Sixth
they have grave doubts about the trains
holding together, and believe that II a
proper check were kept upon losses by
Drawbacks pulling out and those losses
charged to the proper account instead o.
the locomotive department, it would be
found that increased tonnage above q
certain limit is Improbable. On the hill,
the pushers are put behind. and there,
fore the danger of breaking in W. is
materially decreased, because OF the fac
that the rear engine keeps up a large
portion OF the slack OF the train. On the
west enu IL Is Impossible 10 put the push
ers at the real because OF the numerous
Says in the road-bed. With the pushel
behind the train would be broken ir
pieces many times in going over thest
places. Forty heavily loaded cars MAKE
an enormous strain upon links. pins ant
Drawbacks, and with two engines uheat
they receive the full weight.
The change Of recent years has no
been confined to the freight service
Only a few years ago eight cars was con.
sidered a big passenger train, and two
engines pulled it over the hill. Now on,
engine pulls 10 and IA cars upon n mucl
faster schedule.
Mighty is the power Of modern me
chanics.