The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-20
LOCOMOTIVES FOR JAPAN.
The United states EurnishlnG Railway Supplies
TO the Mikado's Empire.

The steamer Hanseat, which will sail from
this port before tho end OF September for Yoko-
hama, will carry out a cargo Of twenty loco
motives built by the Baldwin Locomotive
Works at PHILADELPHIA for the Imperial Rail-
way Of Japan. The steamer is now loading at .
North River pier, and every day two or more Of
the completed locomotives are boxed up and
shipped here by rail from Philadelphia. Ten of
them will be discharged at Kobe and the re-
mainder will be taken to Yokohama.
In addition to this cargo OF motive apparatus,
the Baldwin works. which have at one time or
another constructed as many as 100 locomotives
for the imperial Government of Japan. havo six
more locomotives under contract. four OF which,
somewhat heavier than the others. were built
for a new thirty-mile railway in the island Of
Formosa- This road has not been in operation
yet. 1t was begun after the acquisition Of the
island by Japan. and has Just been completed.
As with the Government railways OF Japan. tho
tracks are set ut 3a feet guage. The rails arc
laid in thirty feet sections. and are rolled
TO the uniform American standard Of sixty
PSSund ,s 70 the yard, nearly ar shir,S pounds lighter
and European railways. and yet as heavy as tho
rails on many. roadbeds still in use. The four
shipped to kee Lung. The other two locomo-
tives were built for the Hok Kaido Che Rail
The new locomotives arc low but bulky.
having large boiler capacity, tested to a water
pressure OF 40 pounds and a steam pressure or
$50 pounds TO the inch. The roof OF the cab and
tho rim OF the smokestack are IL feet above
the rack. The frame is set low on the driving
wheels. which are six in number, and have a
diameter of 4S inches.
The fre boxes. designed for Japanese bitumi-
nous coal, are made OF copper, as are the boiler
tubes. The boiler jackets are OF Spanish iron:
The cylinders have n diameter of II inches and
o 24-inch stroke. The weight OF t g machines
10 nearly forty tons each.
The contract which the Baldwin works are
now completing is only one OF several awarded
by the Government of Japan in the space OF q
year. In addition to the Bald win works, con-
tracts were given out TO the schenectady Loco
motive Works. the Brooks Locomotive Works
at Dunkirk. y. Y. and the Rogers Locomotive
Works AT Paterson.
While the territory of Japan Is thickly inter
laced with ALWAYS tho proposed lSo-mile ep-
tension OF the Imperial Railway has introduced
a new era OF activity into the empire. IL has
Just been announced at Toxic that the old
English standard OF rail, 6Ia pounds TO tho
yard. has been abandoned for tho old
American standard 6o-pound rail. IN use
generally until late years on all the principal
railroads in the United States. The American
rail is made in sections OF 80 feet aud averages
90 tons to the mile. The adoption OF this stand
ard may bring further contracts in the mills of
the United States for $4,000 tons of rails. be.
sides other contracts for structural iron and
steel required 10 build t~restles in the hilly coun-
try through which the proposed extension lies