The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-01-03
SAND AND GREASE.
What They Are Used for on Railroad
Tracks and How Employed.
From the New York Sun.

From the New York Sun.
Every locomotive on surface steam
railroads carries a sand box contain
ing sand to be run on the track when
the rails are slippery and the driving
wheels don't hold. The rails may be-
come slippery from a variety Of caus-
es. A pouring rain washes them clean
and does not make them slippery, but
drizzling rain or a fog does. The
rails are slippery when there is dew
on them, or frost; drivers may slip on
autumn leaves lying on the track, and
in some regions they are casionally
encountered on the track insects in
such numbers as to make the rails Slip
perry. Drivers may slip in starting a
heavy train or on grades.
Thus sand may he needed under vari-
Gus conditions and circumstances. and
the need may arise at any moment. 1t
is an essential part of an engineers s
duties to see that his sand box is full
on starting out, no matter what the
weather or the prospects may be. All
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 condi-
tions are substantially the same, and
sand is as necessary in operation as
on surface roads One might have
travelled for years on the elevated
roads and yet never have noticed the
sand boxes on the engines. on lOcomo-
tives on surface roads the sand box is
placed on top of the boiler with the
pipe running down in front of the driv-
10 L
road the sand boxes are attached to the
under side Of the running board and
with the pipe running down to the
track between the drivers, for the rea-
son that the engines on the elevated
are run alternately forward and back
ward.
Large. heavy, modern street cars op-
Grated by power, as by cable or under
ground trolley in this city carry a
sand box under the platform, with a
pipe leading from it down to the track
in front of the wheels. The sand box is
opened and sand permitted to run by
means of plunger set in the platform
OF the car, which is operated by pres
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
weather conditions producing slippery
tracks sand car is run over the lines.
On surface steam railroads oil is used
to lubricate 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 used on
the sharp curves around the corners of
city blocks. ON the cOncave side of
the inner rail on these curves. at but a
| little distance from ii, and curving
parallel with it, is laid an additional
steel rail called a check rail This is
put down for safety's sake and il also
takes the greater part of the grinding
| wear of the tlangeS of the wheels i'm
rounding the curve, 1t is the check
rail that is creased. The greasing re-
duceH the liability of the wheels tc
mount the rail, causes less wear. and
avoids the sCreeching noise likely tc
accompany the grinding of the wheels
against the rails in rounding curves.
on surface railroads in the city OF
is used on switch points and grease on
very short curves. on curve with the
inner rail followed for the wheel tc
| run in, the outer rail being nat. the
| grease would be applied to the hollow
rail and to that side of It that wa.
| toward the other rail, that being the
/ side against which the wheel would
J naturally bear The purpose is to re
| duce the wear. 10 facilitate the move
! ment Of the car around the curve, and
| to avoid the creaking that would other.
| wise be produced