The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-06
RAILROAD BURDENS.
Not the Stocks Nor the bonds, but
the Car Weights.
New York Sun.


An ordinary passenger car on a steam
railroad costs from $4,000 to 5000, and
weighs IS, 900 pounds or nineteen tons. A
mail car which costs from 81 900 to $500
and is shorter by about one-quarter than
the ordinary passenger coach. weighs $3.50
pounds or sixteen tons. a baggage car,
without the baggage in 1t, weighs ZS,VJ0
pounds or fourteen tons, and costs about
as much a mail car A sleeping car IS
more expensive than any of the others, ana
it weighs a good deal more too. A plain,
simple but durable sleeping car costs any
where from Sc 900 to $40 900, and an ornate,
elaborate luxurious sleeping with OBJ
servation attachments, literary annex and
culinary department costs anywhere from
$4,000 to 500 600 The average weight of a
sleeping car is from 10000 to 1900 pounds,
or from twenty to twenty-five tons.
A full train in motion, as a little figuring
will show, is no light affair. The ordinary
weight of the railroad locomotive for pas
senger service inclusive of tender. but not
of fuel in the tender, Is forty tons. One
baggage car weighs fourteen tons, and one
mail car sixteen tons, bringing up the
weight of the locomotive and the baggage
and mail cars TO seventy tons Six passen-
ger cars ~ an average Of nineteen tons
each weigh ia tons. so that the total
weight Of a train made up of a locomotive
pounds exclusive of the weight of baggage.
of the fuel carried, passengers and mail
matter. Pulling lS4 tons along rams al rhe
rate of fifty miles an hour or more is sLn
achievement which has not been easily
brought about, and the more the problem
is studied the more clearly II is understood
how far the mechanical work on railroads
has been pushed. There were by the last
figures reported. 36 600 locomotives in use on
American railroads, 5000 passenger cars,
and 5000 mail and baggage cars. These
figures seem large until compared with the
number OF freight cars on American rail-
roads, and then they seem insignificant, for
the number OF freight cars in use is $4,000.
Freight cars, among railroad men, are di-
vided into four ciasses-flat cars, such as
are used for the transportation of stone.
machinery and lumber; box cars. such az
are used for the transportation of grain,
fruit and ordinary merchandise; stock cars,
such as are used for cattle and coal cars,
such as are used for the transportation OF
coal and oil-those used for oil being sup
piled with tanks. The average weight OF a
fiat or gondola car is seven tons. The car
costs from 800 10 $i00. Box cars weigh a
ton more and cost 500 more each. Stock
cars weigh eight tons each on the average;
coal cars weigh three tons each II eosts
about $500 TO build coal or oil cars. and they
are designed to carry five tons apiece. the
weight of fifty coal cars is $50 tons. and OF
their contents, If all filled. 25o tons, which.
with locomotive and cabo0se added, make
420 tons as the weight of train. 1t may
be said. roughly, that the weight of loaded
trains, passenger coal or freight, ranges
from 200 10 $50 tons The lighter the train
the greater the speed; that's the railroad
rule.