Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-08-09
FAST time
Will be Made on Erie.
Making Big Addition to
Motive Power.
Fourteen New Passenger
Engines Ordered.
Will Pull Heavy Trains at High
Rate Speed.
Locomotives of Atlantic Type
Skilled Workmen.
Locomotives of Atlantic Type
Skilled Workmen.

The Erie railroad is making quite
a considerable addition to its motive
power, says the Leader. Within the
last six weeks it has ordered IA new
passenger engines of the Atlantic
type. Now the information comes
from Meadville that it has started to
build nine other engines in its own
shops there. The specifications are
not given on which these are to be
constructed, but it is understood that
they are designed for passenger bus
mess. While the information was
that these engines would be built
from the ground up, the Erie officials
say that they are simply being re-
built. 1t is all one and the same
thing. There may be few bolts or a
few pieces that once belonged to an
other engine, but the remainder of
them will be entirely new, and over
a pattern that has not been built be-
fore. This is one of the peculiarities
of the motive power department of
the Erie. 1t will start in to rebuild
an engine, and before the work is
done there may not be an old piece in
it, still, for some reason or other, it
is classed rebuild.
However that may be, the engines
are coming, and they are said to be
both fast and powerful. They will
be also of the Atlantic type, and will
be of such a character that they will
be able to pull the heaviest trains
over the line at a rate of speed high
er than any engines of recent build
have been able to make. The new
era on which the Erie is just now en-
tering demands that it shall have
the most modern equipment, and it
is preparing itself for the fight. There
are conflicting rumors and evidences
of the intention of the Erie with re-
gard to the policy of the system. The
story has been going that the road
was very shortly to be lifted from
the differential class, but now 1t is
leading the fight to maintain the
differential privilege.
Adding to the new engines that have
just been ordered from it's own shops,
the Erie is getting the first INSTALL
ments Of the Atlantic type us ordered
from the locomotive works. The or
der was for IA, and the information
is that IA few of these have been
tulhcu ouo HUN vic siiops, anu dlt
now being broken in on freight
trains in the east. 1t is not expected
that they will reach the Ohio divis-
ion for several weeks, but they will
be here as soon as they have been
:'limbered up" 1t is also the inten-
ton to have all of these sent here at
one time and to put them ON the new
fast schedule that has been promised.
1t is expected that by the time all
of these engines are out of the shop
the road will be good piece toward
completing the track improvements
that have been planned, and fer
which the surveys are now being
made.
The fact that the Erie is building |
modern engines in it's own shops |
speaks volumes for the efficiency of |
its plants. The officials say that |
they have as skilled workmen in
their employ as can be found in the
best locomotive works in the cOun-
try, and that they have as good tools
and as good machinery as any of the
other plants. That they do not do
all of their own building is attributed
to the fact that they do not keep
steadily enough, men to
do all the work of this kind that the
road needs.