The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-11-14

revenues to carry on much work OF this
nature, which a few years ago would
have seemed uncalled for.
Every passenger and freight train which
is hauled over the New York Central re-
quires the assistance of ar least one help
ing engine at two points on the line. OBJ
viously the company's train load would be
largely Increased, and the cost Of It's train
service greatly decreased if these help
ing engines could be dispensed with, eIeh-
er by cutting down the grade or oy US
ms engines powerful enough TO haul the
trains over the SUBMITS. the latter, how
ever. being probably impossible At some
period of the development Of traffic on the
New York CENTRALLY and the lowering of
rates, It may be that the cutting down OF
these grades will be figured upon as a pos
sibie question. IN 1891, with greight rate
of IA mills. a traffic movement of 1850
million-ton miles, and 597 million passen-
ger miles, the suggestion of lowering o.
doing away with these grades was prob
ably not worth considering. In 1899, how
ever. the freight rate had dropped TO SO
mills the freight movement had increased
to 5,011 million-ton miles, and the pas
senger miles 70 754 millions Even with
this much enlarged movement Of freight
the question may not be a debateabie one.
but this ratio of expansion in the traffic
movement continues. and rates still fan,
the practicability of cutting down such
grades will come up for serious consider
ation and it may safely be assumed that
the work some day will be undertaken.
Extensive Improvements of this nature,
including curve examinations, have been
going on for several years on the river
division of the Pennsylvania, and are an
work which one railroad after another,
IN the progress Of time, may be called up
on to undertake.
The limits Of possible grade reductions,
and therefore, of the increase in the train
load, are thus extended almost yearly.
But If the railroad can determine definite
ly what grades it will pay to cut down
still less can the limits OF the size of
cars and engines be fixed. Considerations
of the stability Of the track and the
strength of the bridges delay the use of
the largest cars, and the heaviest engines !
may be available and desirable on par
ticur line; but these objections are being !
gradually over come. Increase in the |
power OF the engines and in the capacity |
of engines has practically never halted /
Less than twenty-five years ago. freight |
cars carrying 5000 pounds Of paying load |
were replacing those of stol lighter ca
pacity; fifteen years ago, 10000 and $4,000 |
qound cars were the extreme development |
of car capacity. At the present day, |
steel cars carrying fifty and ffty-dve tons |
Of freight are being ordered IN 1O00-car |
lots, and 80, O0O-pound box cars are replac- |
ing those of the recent standard size |
thirty-ton car
The history Of locomotive design is a |
record of similar increase in power.
What is possible in increasing train loads |
by heavy motive Qower may be pointed |
out by a specific instance on a railroad |
near New York, where the management. |
which has always given careful attention |
to the subject of improving the train loads
considered that ite roadbed had been |
strengthened sufficiently to permit of a |
material insrease in the weigh of the en-
CINE power. Accordingly, new stadard |
design of engine has been adopted, which |
will haul IS per cent. more tonnage than |
the present heaviest engines. AS the |
number of these engines in service is in
creased and the lightweight type re-
placed, this company's average train |
load capacity will be largely increased,
even if it used no other means. The COM
pany in question, it may be added, has
more than doubled its average train load
in the last ten years under rather adverse
circumstances on the whole, and with only /
limited funds available for Improvements.
Act oil hot he |
plished by reducing grades eliminating
curves, use of heavier motive power and |
rollng-stock, there remains the building
OF new side tracks and enlargement Of
terminal facilities; and beyond even this,
much may be reasonably expected in the
way of getting heavier train loads by
a better use Of existing facilities and by
more careful operating methods. The
quite general adoption of the tonnage rat
ing of engines in the last few years has
had a material effect in increasing train
laods Formerly, trains We're made up ac-
cording to the number of loaded and
empty cars, irrespective of the hauling
power of the engine assigned to move the
train. Under the tonnage-rating plan, |
the hauling capacity of each engine, IN
der varying coalitions of the track and |
weather, is carefully ascertained. and the
train it is TO haul is made up in the ter
minal yrds to contain the closest approx
imation possible in tonnage. to the haul
ing capacity of the engine. A committee
of one Of the techinal railroad associa-
tions. in a report on this subject a year
or two ago, stated that the average i'm
provement in the thain load on forty COM
panies. by loading engines according to
their rated capacity rather than by the |
number Of cars, was between 10 and 20 |
per cent On individual companies 1t |
varied from 10 to 40 per cent. There are |
other means having to do with transpor- /
tation methods by which railroads can in /
crease their train loads. The growing use |
Of transfer stations. where freight is con- /
solidated into full carloads. may be |
pointed out as a possibility whose pract- |
cal development has only begun.
ca SToREA.