Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-06-01

Tor the new round house which will be-
situated at East Deering.
RumOr has 1t that the Il. and A. will
run a train between Millinocket and
Houlton this summer. The train run
between these points last summe,
proved a great convenience to travellers
along the line and also help to the
merchants. 1t is understood that
Oliver $. Bryant will have charge OF
| the train.
About % per cent. of the entire
freight equipment Of the Boston &
Maine is painted annually. and 2l6C
cars were painted during the six
months ending Dec. 81 last. For this
purpose compressed air. with suita BILE
machines. is enlisted and the paint
blown on In the form of vapOr, and the
same method is used in the painting OF
trucks of the passenger coaches Z.
The equipment of the Boston &
Maine during April and May has been
undergoing it's annual thorough over
hauling, that is. cleaning, painting
when necessary, the work being done
at the shops of the company located at
Lawrence, Salem, Somerville, Fitch
burg, Concord and LydOnville. The
average life Of the paint on a passen-
ger car Is about eight years, when it's
condition becomes such that the only
feasible and practicable remedy is the
hliste:ing flame and scraping to the
wood, after which process Il is re-
coated and brought to a proper finish,
which condition is reached only after
the application of about eight coats of
paint. three or four of which are
known as ''surfacer" coats and are
nearly rubbed off with pumice stone,
the object being to obtain an even or
leve! surface. This operation is fol-
lowed by vanishing. three coats being
necessary generally. The time con-
sumed for the performance of the work
Is about three weeks with the employ
ment Of modern methods. while for
merly several months were occupied in
attaining the same results A car thus
treated is in fit condition. and with a
couple coats Of varnish APPLIED to it's
exterior annually. it's life is heightened
eight to ten years. The interiors OF
cars, exposed less to the weather. are
revarnished only once in from three to
five years. though washed out thorough
~ at each annual shopping, and $50
cars were thus put through the COM
pany's shops during the month OF
February of this year. Interior warm
ishiug every year would soon produce
an appearance like that of an alligator
hide by the cracking OF the varnish,
consequently good shop practice is to
avoid this by deferring interior warm
ishing as far as consistent with its
durability.
An unusual thing is going on as the
cars pass through the shops OF the
Boston and Maine this year. in fact. it
never occurred before on so general a
scale. The entire equipment is being
remembered in accordance with a sys-
tenn of classified ton issued in October,
1900. AS desirable as it was before to
do this. the lease of the Fitchburg
made il imperative that the whole
equipment be re-cla ssified. The num-
beers of the original Boston & Maine
cars, that is. the now western division,
followed in numerical order from / to
1,2. and al the time Of the lease of the
Eastern railroad in 1884 the Eastern
division cars were given numbers be-
ginning with l64 and the Western
division cars 164 to liz inclusive. were
assigned numbers beyond those Of East
ern, or numbered So to $50. Such
| new cars as were added were given
still higher numbers, and when the
Boston & Lowell was leased as was
| the custom. it's cars were given num-
bers Of still higher order. and then
when the Concord & Montreal was
taken. to its equipment We're allotted
numbers even higher conSecutively, ir-
respective of class or size until ii be-
came a most heterogeneous list, the
numbers running from to 1856. but not
including baggage or mail cars which
We're in another list. Then came the
Fitchburg division. which made CLASH
| fication and REMEMBERING an urgent
necessity in order that the car service
department might obtain accurate re-
ports of car mileage. For this purpose
| a classification was decided upon which
was divided into ten classes of passen-
ger coaches and numbering from l to
1875? according to length. and including
| a class each for parlor. veStibule
| tourist. orchard beach and observation
cars. with reserve numbers in each
| series for future demands. There are
| IlNe classes or combination cars
grouped according to length and mum.
bered from 1900 to 20S0. The foul
classes of mail cars have numbers be-
tween 1900 and 2214 The four classes
of combination baggage and mail cars
are located within the series Of 1900 t.
1852. while of full baggage cars are sub
divided into six classes according t.
length. and numbered from $500 to 2165
Milk cars retain the same numbers as
heretofore. 1t so happens that some
passenger coaches are of the right
length to still retain the same number
but new style of lettering has beer
introduced which is much smaller In
size. This was necessary in order thai
the four figures of a number might bt
placed on two panels of the car. Ou1
of 1S7 cars that went through the shop:
in December. SO retained the old mum.
Der. Because of the open grill work
which comprises the riser to the steps
on Fitchburg cars. the word smoker