The Van Buren press., 1898-12-10
SAND AND GREASE.
What They Are Used for on Rafiroed
Tracks and How They Are
Employed.

Every locomotive on surface steam
railroads carries a sand box containing
sand to be run on the track when the
rails are slippery and the driving wheels
don't hold, The rails may become slip
perry from a variety of causes. A pour
ing rain washes them clean and does
not make them slippery, bnt drizzling
rain or a fog does. The rails are slip
perry when there is dew on them, or
frost; drivers may slip on autumn
leaves lying on the track, and In some
regions there are occasionally encoun-
tered on the track insects in such num-
bers as to make the rails slippery. Driv-
ers may slip in starting n heavy train
on grades.
Thus sand may be needed under
various conditions and circumstances,
and the need may arise at any moment.
1t is an essential part of an engineers
duties to see that his sand box is full
on starting out, no matter what the
weather or the prospects may be. Ali
the locomotives on the elevated rail-
road in this city carry sand boxes
also. There are some incidental causes
of slippery tracks that are not found
here, but the atmospheric and other
conditions are substantially the same,
and sand is as necessaryin operation as
on surface roads. One might have trav-
eled for years on the elevated roads and
vet never have noticed the sand boxes
on the engines. On locomotives on sur
face roads the sand box is placed on
top of the boiler, with the pipe running
down in front of the drivers; on the
locomotives on the elevated road the
sand boxes are attached to the under
side of The running board and with the
pipe running down to the tracks be-
tween the drivers, for the reason that
the engines on the elevated are run al
ternately forward and backward.
Large, heavy, modern street cars
operated by power, as by cable or un-
derground trolley in this city, carry
sand box under the platform, with a
pipe leading from ii down to the track
in front of the wheels. The sand box
is opend and sand permitted to run by
means of plunger set in the platform
OIL the car. NllltH lS W BiNe
sure from the foot of the gripman or
motorman. The separate sand boxes
thus carried are to provide sand for use
in emergency, and under settled wealth
er conditions producing slippery tracks
sand car is run over the lines.
On surface steam railroads oil is used
to lubreate switch points so that they
will work freely. Oil Is used likewise
on switch points on the elevated road
and on the elevated grease is use en- the
sharp curves around the corners of city
blocks. On the concave side of the in
ner rail on these curves, at but little
distance from it, and curving parallel
with it. is laid an additional steel rail
called n check rail. This Is put down
for safety's sake, and it also takes the
greater part Of the grinding wear of
the fanges of the wheels in rounding
the curve. 1t Is the check rail that is
creased. The greasing reduces the lia-
bility of the wheels to mount the rail,
cause less wear, and avoids the
scheeching noise likely TO accompany
the grinding of the wheels against the
rails in rounding curves.
On surface railroads in the city oil
is used on switch points, and grease on
very short curves. On curve with the
inner followed for the wheel to run in.
the outer rail being fiat, the grease
would be applied to the hollow rail and
10 that side Of it that was toward the
other rail, that being the side against
which the wheel would naturally bear.
The purpose is to reduce the wear to
facilitate the movement of the car
around the curve, and to avoid the
creaking that would otherwise be pro-