The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-04-29
MILLION mile RECORDS.

lhe relative longevity OF the modern
hlgh-speed locomotive Is interesting I'm
| view or some Of the reports concernip,,
| the working life of some OF the Older
| IofmS OF engines. There have been several
! Enelish locomotives which have made
! mlihon-miie records. and they are stil I'm
| use on some OF the small branches These
English locomotives, however were RIM
on much inner roadbeds than those built
IN thls country years ago, and the wear
ana tear on them must have been cor
Fespondingly less. II has been demon
strated many times I'm the history OF rail
roading that the. condition of the track
more than the hight speed determined the
life OF the locomotive.
In the past most Of the American loco.
motives would average runs of 200 600
miles befote going into. the repair shpps
10 cover this distance IL would require
from three TO nve years. There are plenty
OF engines on the best roads which aver
age 200 miles day, or something like
lzoo miles week. From oo0O 10 q. 600
miles per year for locomotive engaged
IN drawing heavy mail and passenger
cars makes a record that IS considered
excellent. This record has been exceeded
ana VIII be more than increased by one
third I'm the future by the more powerful
engines, put the average Of the fast en-
k,nes today is really lower than this.
Most train experts put the annual run
for a good express engine AT 80 900 a wear
~ this rate It would take ~ wears FOR
lnS engine 10 niake, the milliou-mIle ~
Scr Sc,,a ~ ,,s uns was 20! condemned to the
On many OF tho Western roads there
are locomotives I'm service today that
started business 20 and 20 years ago. aud
while no record has ever been kepi OF tbe
number OF miles they covered in that pc
ROO ROO II can he inferred from figures given
tnat theN nave crossed the millon-milp
mark. tntil within few years there
was running on the Chicago. Milwaukee
ah1 81. raul railroad an old Lawrence
inside connection engine built I'm 1861.
This engine was employed i'm an sorts Of
work. and during it's period of usefulness
,sNtending upward Of 40 years IL must
nave covered fully million miles
The active life OF some of the modern
hesNE locomotives Il something To be de-
ternincd by The future. Like tho swift
ocean steamers they must deterioratc
moro rapidly when driven al their may
imun Spced. but after serving as fast
mall expresses they will have long Pc
eNscting. Tho modern big locomotives on
tnc long distance runs average more
mlIes u day and week than the old-timcrs
and they will con nsequentlv cover the mill
lon-mile record I'm much less time. If Is
estimated that some OF the crack locomo-
uNts engaged IN carrying tho fast trans
,''itl' ,oiiAdl HldllH VIII FcHCh THIS nigh
record within 10 or ~ wears.
n rev years ego the London and North |
western railroad published some statis-
TICS concerning one OF their locomotives
According 10 these figures. published by /
y. w. Cobb. locomotive engineer she /
made the million-milc record I'm nine \
years Every day except sunday this lo- l
made the run between London /
ana Manchester and back, covering in tho /
round trip 36i miles IA day. The engine /
was 81 feet long. and weighed % tons /
Win a tender weishing . tons and car l
rllhs lsyV gallons ~ water. Either trip i
OF is51R fuiles was made regularly or i
time Of four and dus srteT \
hours, ana not once IN the nine wears did 4
lh" tngiuc lose = day except SundaVf
These dnys were used for Using her u. 2
ana making such necessary repairs ns
were demanded Tier record is wlthoIi /,
'1rallcl IN EnEtish or tmeriran railroad
ne &c l., Walsh, la Sclclule Ancgllsu.