Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-03-19
IAE RAILROAD WORLD.
A Radical Change in the Handling Of
Locomotives
WHICH rs NOW ENGAGING THE
ATTENTION OF RAILROAD MEN.
THE ADVANTAGE OF THE NEW
PLAN-AN ELECTRIC RAILWAY
IMPROVEMENT - MISCELLANY
EOUS RAILROAD NEWS.
Special to the Register.

Special to the Register.
Chicago, March 1S.-The pooling of
engines is attracting the attention of a
number of the larger railroads, partic-
ularIy in the West. and it is quite
likely that several of them will adopt
this plan for handling their motive
power in place of each locomotive be-
ing run by the same engineer. Loco
motives Of the same class will be
pooled and kept constantly in service.
It is said that the Chicago, Milwaukee
and st. Paul, the Santa Fe, st. Paul
and Duluth, Minneapolis and st. Louis,
Duluth and Ann Arbor, the 500 Line,
the Canadian Pacic and Baltimore and
Ohio railroads are contemplating
adopting this system in the neal fut-
ure. A prominent western general
manager, in speaking of the benefits,
said.
Il haven't any doubt when the plan
is made known to enginemen and fire.
men that they will agree it is M of
the best movements for their benefit
that railroads have made in many
years. You know it is now the custom
for the engineman, when he gets his
engine to a terminal, to have to look
1t over, fix it up and to some extent
clean it. There has been SOME pressure
brought to bear on the railroads on
the part of the Brotherhood of Loco
motive Engineers to have enginemen
relieved of their duties as soon as they
finish the trip, and the pooling of en-
gines will enable the roads to comply
with this request. There are several
advantages, both to the company and
to the men, in adopting this plan. The
advantage to the owners Of the loco
motives will be.grfater economy in the
firing up and sxbling Of engines, and
undeS ordiSSey conditions a greater
@l be obtained. On many
Dads tie average monthly mileage
made by freight engines is between
$500 and 5000 miles. Under the pool
ing plan it is possible to make an aver
age of 1000 miles per month and even
greater under favorable conditions.
AS soon as the men, who now run en-
gines, are freed from the condition and
tradition of one engine per crew, the
plan will fully meet with their appro-
baton. On the several railways where
1t is in effect and has been given a
thorough trial, the warmest advocates
of it are the men.
To quote the words of Mr.. A. C. Sin
clair, in Locomotive Engineering."
n pooling OF engines is in keeping
with the methods that are being rapid
1y adopted by the progressive railways;
1t has come to stay. In fact, from a
mechanical point of view, there is 10
reason why the modern railway loco
motive, with it's muscles of steel, can
not endure greater fatigue that the men
who man them. That is what pooling
of engines means.
"The highest perfection in mechan-
ical engineering is being obtained on
the modern steamship, and the crews
on these engines change every four
hours. With the modern management
of railways, there is no reason why Il
locomotive cannot be run ON practice
ally the same lines as its marine broth
er as to change of crews. In these days
of keen competition and scientific me-
chanical advancement, barring preju-
dice, there is no reason why any COM
petent engineer cannot run one engine
just as ~effectually as another.
"The sort of ~railroading that makes
1t 'one crew and engine is on a parity
with the old-fashioned farmer who
sows his crops at certain stages of the
moon, or the researcher for water, who
seeks it through the medium of a witch
hazel or magic wand.
Slowly but surely science is crowd
ing superstition. The days and laws
OF lucky engines must give way to the
laws OF reason and applied mechanics"
THE MOUNDSVILLE LINE.
This week a large force of men will
be employed by the Moundsville cleo
trio line to clean out the dirt in the
sNorrNuyc', ohoro Glendale Tho limo