The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-11-06
A SACRIFICE OF WEEDS.
Railroads of Southwest Hampercd
by Vegetation on the Tracks.

From the Railroad Gazette.
In the southwest the railroads have
large item of expense which finds no
place on the books of eastern compa-
nies, this being for the removal or
weeds which grow rank and luXuriant
between the tracks, seriously imped-
ing rapid progress, being crushed un-
der the wheels and making the tracks
greasy and slippery. Various methods
have been proposed and tried to de-
stroy these weeds, but that finally
adopted by the Atchison, Topeka and
Santa Fe road is to burn them by
means of an oil flame. This burner
destroys the vegetation between the
rails and over a space of twenty-four
to thirty inches outside of them. The
outfit consists of a car made of iron,
Of iron shields suspended under the
car and between the tracks, an Oil
tank car having a capacity Of $500
gallons and a smaller oil tank of 800
gallons capacity strong enough to
withstand a pressure of seventy
pounds per square inch. This tank is
filled from the tank car and air pres
sure is supplied for forcing the oil to
the burners. The car, which Is sixty
five feet long, is strengthened by con-
Meeting trusses at each side and has
a cab sheathed with corrugated iron
at one end. The car Is intended to be
pulled over the road by a locomotive.
The shield beneath the car is thirty
two feet long with aprons at each side
to retain the heat and to prevent side
winds carrying the flame to one side of
the shield. The forward truck is pro-
tected by an auxiliary shield fastened
to the bottom of the lower arch bars.
When the car Is started the shield is
lowered to within three or four inches
of the rail and the aprons then slide
on the ground. When crossing bridges
the shields are lifted clear of the rails
twelve to fifteen inches by means of
| air pressure from a reservoir acting
| through u train of chains and pulleys.
| The oil supply is also cut off in cross
| ing bridges, and the moment the oil
valves are closed the flame Is eXtin-
| guished and it is as readily renewed
| when the oil valves are again opened.
| The oil is directed against the inclined
| under surface of the shield, which re
| tains sufficient heat to ignite the oil,
even after 1t has been shut off for half
| an hour. In crossing small culverts
| and cattle guards the closing of the
| valve is unnecessary, as the lifting of
| the shield will carry the flame high
enough to prevent any firing of the
! timbers.
The compressed air for forcing the
| oil through the burners and for lifting
| the shield is supplied by two Westing-
house air pumps, these being sufficient
to maintain an air pressure of seventy
pounds with four burners in use. The
amount of oil required for each burner
is about eight gallons per mile. A
light crude oil is preferred. Only g
few minutes are required to get an ef.
fective heat after reaching the place
where the work is to be done, and af
ter the first few minutes no difficulty
is experienced from the oil dropping
on the rails and making them greasy
A gang Of four men follow close to the
car to put out all ties fired, but 1t II
the intention soon to use steam jeti
from the locomotive in extinguishinl
fired ties. The speed with which tht
! car travels depends upon the kind o
vegetation to be scorched. Early II
the season, when weeds are tende
and not over five or six inches high,
speed of four miles an hour is prac
ticable, where if the track is thickl!