The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-01-30
LIFE ON THE RAILROAD
r. III. DUDLEY AND HIS WIFE IN
THEIR DYNAGItAPH CAR.
Have Travelled 300, 900 Miles in Twen-
ty-onc Yenrs-The Only Car OF Its
Kind I'm the Whole World.
New York Herald.


twen.y-one years DR.. p. II. Dudley. its in
ventor. and his wife have moved on" and
on in this curious marvel Of mechanism.
Three hundred thousand miles, or twelve
times the circumference of the earth.
have been traversed. but, unlike Door 10.
the moving has not been without its COM
pensations, pecuniary and otherwise
For be 1t known the dynagraph car is
the one continuance extant for ascertain
ing with true scientific accuracy the pre-
else condition OF railways roadbed, ties,
rails. joints. bridges and the like. Conse-
qusntly the superintendent of construction
and repairs. the general managers and the
directors of all the chief roads in Canada
and the United States are largely depend
ent upon the ability and fidelity of the
man who contrived and maintains this
curious vehicle.
Mrs. Dudley. who has always accom-
panied her husband is a woman OF culture
and refinement. Their peregrinations have
enabled her to see all parts Of this conti-
nent and she has absorbed vast store
OF knowledge without being in the least
pedantic. she is musician and has her
piano right at hand always. She and her
husband are omniverous readers, and their
car contains not only working and refer
ence library of standard volumes and text
books but the newest publications and
magazines ad libitum. Mrs. Dudley has
written a couple OF books. too. but so
modest Is she about her literary achieve
ments that they have been printed only
for private circulation.
The Dudley dynagraph car and track in
dicator Is one of the most curious and ex-
pensive cars In the world. At the present
time 1t is standing on a side track in the
Grand Central yards at Forty-Seyenth
street and Madison avenue.
One end of the car is devoted to the in
tricate and delicate machinery that records
the condition OF the tracks and the roadbed
while the other end is devoted to the living
apartments Under the floor provisions,
coal and ice are stored for trip.
The whole structure Is very sensitive
and so delicately balanced that If a caller
steps on the platforms anyone inside will
Instantly feel the vibrations
The shaft, which extends down through
the floor, connects the dynOgraph gearing
with the wheels of the car thus regulating
the speed OF the recording instruments.
When at work the car Is drawn at the rate
OF twenty-five miles an hour At this speed
the many needle pens that play on the sur
face OF the roll OF paper as it passes
through the machine draw the record in
This machinery does mechanically what
q man fails to do, that is ii finds where
the track is out of surface The instant
the Dudley car passes over a defective spot
where the detection is more than three
fhirty-seconds OF an inch from the true
plane II instantly paints the side of the
rail bright blue Subsequently, when the
section boss passes along he can have the
track properly surfaced. During the many
years that DIR. Dudley has been at work
he has made thousands of rolls of especial
~ prepared paper records for the various
railroad companies. so that reference can
be made yearly to the condition OF the bed
and rails.
The strenomatograph. another one of DIR.
Dudley's inventions, will record the ex-
tension or contraction OF rails. 1t will ac-
curately measure the spring in a rail be-
tween ties as the engine and cars pass over
IT The record is made on a narrow strip
or phosphor bronze. measured by micro
ecopic gauges.
To test the elasticity OF steel rails practi-
caily. II Is necessary to do IL with a long
rail- and weights, but DR.. Dudley has a
specially made instrument for this purpose
BY this practical test it is possible to figure
the elasticity down to marvellous minute
ness by means OF the strenoma tograph and
microscope made especially for the work
The question OF weights in rails is a very
serious one for railroad companies mean
Ing a great saving or loss in the yearly rec
ord DIR. Dudley advocates the use of the
1oo-pound rail- In all cases OF heavy traffic.
because with them the greatest saving Is
had In rolling stock and the diminished ia
biltty to accidents The cost of equfppfng
q trunk line Is so tremendous that even the
New YORK Central mas only about one
quarter OF its passenger service lines laid
With the lO0-pound rails, but it is the opin-
ion of engineers that II is the only rail- to
Apart from these track recording instru-
ments DR.. Dudley has invented appliances
10 test the life OF railroad ties, their condi-
ton and elasticity under pressure, as we'll
as the vibrations Of roadbeds and bridges
edge Of the state OF the rails
The lay mind may not know IL, but pho
Biography plays an important part in rail-
reading DIR. Dudley has a very fine instru-
ment. fitted with Goerz double anistigmal
lenses. that will record in the IL. 00Oth Of a
second. Photographs taken by this instru-
ment from the rear OF the Empire State ex-
press are particularly interesting The light
reflected from the frozen river and the
snow on the ground has helped to lend bril-
liancy TO the picture, but many photo
graphs taken In the summer time have been
quite as good.
During the many years DR.. Dudley has
been employed in track inspection he has
accumulated records and tests for every
thing pertaining to railroads, so that his
car Is a wonderful machine shop. labora-
tory and scientific storehouse. But the liv-
ing end OF the car. which is divided into
compartments, is quite as interesting The
iuxtaposition OF domestic life and business
occupation is certainly unique and ingeni-
Gus. Space is naturally restricted. but the
Dudleys have more home comforts than the
average Harlem dat dweller.
Mrs Dudley is an accomplished musician,
and the strains OF music often come from
this car when on a siding in out OF the way
piaces where music is hardly expected.
Against the wall of one room a bookcase is
hung
THE double bed I'm the daytime is banked
uu with sofa pillows, and Is an inviting
treat for callers, although there are several
very comfortable rocking chairs in the sa
loon as well as "A large cenSer table. which
serves as dining table, a receptacle for
Rocks or a game table. as best serves the
occasion. The rear room IS a combination
Of kitchen, with compact range, buffers
nanfrv dining room and library. and be-
etdes n table and chairs, IL accommodates a
wr;tine desk, lockers, food closets, clothes
rress and many hooks for useful articles,
all placed where they can be got at in
DR. and Mrs. Dudley naturally have
large circle OF friends in every large city
and I'm many of the towns all the
United States where they have had occa-
sion TO stop for any length of time. OF
course, they are both we'll known by all
railroad officials everywhere.
This car Is a wanderer. and while at
times IL Il. in the yards OF some of the large
terminals in the cities IL Is at others away
out or the plains or at Niagara Falls. Flor
ida California or Oregon. While IL Is gem
orally near some habitation there are times
when many days are spent in the wilder
ness especially when records are being
made OF tracks through the mountain re-
gions. but wherever IL goes DIR. and Mrs.
Dudley are its sole occupants.
DR. Dudley has read papers before the
leading engineering bodies OF this country
and other gatherings OF railroad men and
rcfanffefs and i EVERYWHERE regarded