Evening journal., 1898-04-22
TRAVELLING RAILROAD SCHOOL.
tts Pperose II to Teach Engineers 10
Properly Use the Air Brake.

tts Pnerosc II 10 Teach Engineers 10
Properly Use the Air Brake.
\ travelling schoolhouse Is one OF the
curiosities of modern railroading. Ii is
q queer schoolhouse. and IL cost $4,000
20 build 1t is filed with levers, air
chambers. cylinders, whistles, gauges,
valves. cords and pipes, and at one end
is an upright steam boiler and air
pump, used in compressing the air with
which the apparatus is operated.
No children attend this school. Many
Of the pupils are grizzled, grimy veter-
ans. who have been railroading for
years. Others are younger men, and
there is a sprinlSling of boys from 10
years old up. They are taught by reg
ular professor, graduate of me-
chanical college. His pupils have no
books. They listen while he talks and
watch while he demonstrates the work
ings Of the air brake. His classes are
usually held from nine tilleleven o'clock
in the morning and from seven till nire
o'clock at night. so that he. can have for
pupils the railroad men who have re-
Gently come in Off their runs.
taught. From IS to 20 pupils will
crowd into the small space on the side
OF the middle Of the room not occupied
by apparatus. The professor is usually
in his shirt sleeves and bareheaded. for
lhe atmosphere in the room Is always
from 90 to 10 degrees, made so by the
steam boiler. The professor has only
one book. and while he Is delivering his
lectures and talking about the possibili-
lies ms well as the troubles OF the air
brake he keeps this book In the hip
/ rocket Of his trousers. After his lee
| ire is over he takes IL out, and IL is then
found o be only a small blank book.
Ia this he writes the names Of the mem
bers OF the class before him. He will
len question the pupils. and jots down
opposite each name the percentage Of
correct answers given. Any who fall
] below certain mark have to come
back TO school for another lesson. Some
| times it takes three or four lessons
10 teach n man the principles of the
air brake; sometimes a man will thor
oughly understand the intricacies of
ne system at one lesson.
The apparatus represents a 1ocomo-
tive and a train of II cars. Each car
ls represented by an air cylinder. The
professor shows how easy it is by the
proper manipulation Of the engineers
lever TO put all the brakes on at once
and TO release them all at once. H'
then shows how unslxilled engineers
/ can and often do release one or TIVE
lral0es at time. thus affecting the ef
fcieney of the service. lie illustrates
the emergency application, in which tn,
entire II cars have their brakes set il
one second by the watch.
''rhis was what was done by tn
drunken legislator" he said, Eat tn
famous Tarrytown disaster. Unfor
: tunately the legislator was on the for
ward section of the train, and when h
pulled the emergency rope it stoppe
! the train. and before the brakes coul
he released the train following j
crashed into the rear coach"
The professor does not charge nj
}, | pupils tuition. He is paid by the roa
e to teach the employees the use and abus
a Of the air brake The instruction ca
rs this travelling schoolhouse is callei
o belongs to the Chesapeake & Ohio raj
! road and has been in Lexington for tn
past week. and its schoolmaster. Pro
y IIuntley, has instructed here fun Il
e the roads employees. He travels ovs
d he road the year round. stopping
+ ne ends of divisions for a week or NOR
as becomes necessarily. Y. Sun.