The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-04-17
PLANT SYSTEMS NEW ENGINES.
Twelve of the Highest Type Added
to the Roads Equipment.


TO the Roads Equipment.
Twelve locomotives of the highest type
of modern construction, six OF them de-
signed for freight and six for passenger
traffic, have recently been built for the
Plant System by the Richmond Locomo-
tive Works, of Richmond, Va.
Five of the passenger locomotives are
now engaged in transporting passengers
on the Alabama Midland Division Of the
Plant System, where the high hills and
steep grades render necessary a motive
force of the greatest possible strength and
capacity; the sixth carried the luxurious
train known as the New York and Florida
Vestibule Amited on a portion Of ns jour
ney from the land of snow to the land of
sun.
The locomotives as built were designed
by the superintendent Of motive power of
the Plant system. MIR. w. u. Symons,
and In their construction embrace every
modern appliance for the economy of
weight, the augmenting of speed and draw
Ing capacity and the prevention of acct
dents. AS they now stand they contain
every apparatus that win facilitate the
work of operation and add TO the comfort
and convenience of those who drive them
over the roads Of the system.
The PASSENGER locomotives are of the ten
wheel type. the driving wheels being 50
inches 10 diameter The cylinders are 10
inches, with a stroke of % inches and the
boiler go inches In diameter The engine
and tender together weigh $780, 600 pounds
The approximate cost OF the locomotives
was S1l. 900 each.
Morning News representative was
shown one Of the engines then standing IN
the yards, by Superintendent of Motive
Power Symons. who exhibited and ex-
piained the graceful lines and giant
strength and modern appliances of the iron
monster that ie the product of his BRAIN
with all the pride of a father, who shows
the accompli shments of fayorite child to
an admirlng neighbor. The big engine Is
a beauty, and something 10 be proud Of
1t Is provided with a pbvoted automatic
coupler ON the front that does away with
the cumbersome and ungalny coupling rod
of former times. For the crossheads, rods
and wheel centers the highest grade of
refined steel has been used to the end that
these parts the engine have gained in
strength and lost in weight. Running at
low rate of speed this locomotive has ex-
hlbited nearly 1,100-horse power, and at
Its fun speed Of seventy-hve miles an hour
- capable OF drawing train of eight
Pullman coaches, weighing 500 tons
In most of the locomotives of high ca
pacity and with large boilers, the cab is
pushed forward and rests almost on the
top of the boilers. In those designed by
Mr.. Symons this inconvenient feature has
been obviated and the cab Is roomy and
comfortable. Directly in front of the en-
gineer, as he sits and watches the track,
Is a Boyer speed recorder, by which the
rate of of the train per hour is indicated
and can be told at any time, There is an
adjustable exhaust valve, by which the
engineer can regulate the amount of ex-
haust steam without leaving the cab. In
ordinary engines and even in those OF the
highest type built few years ago 1t was
necessary for the engineer to dlsmount
and regulate the flow OF the escaping
steam. With the new appliance II can be
done in a moments, time, and without any
inconvenience.
The engines described are types of the
high standard of motive power in use by
the Plant System, and there are none bet
er. incidentally they are tributes 10 Mr.
Symons' mechanical genius and talent for
designing. and lastly evidence of what
can be done in the South In the manufac-
ture of locomotive OF the first class and
of the best order of material and work
manshlp. They are alike complimentary
10 Mr.. Symons, the designer, and TO the
Richmond Locomotive Works, by which
they were constructed.