The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-11-04
MAY MARK AN EPOCH
PREDICTION FOR ENGINE DESIGN
ED BY w. Il. SYMONDS.
TO BE TESTED IN JANUARY.
INVENTOR CLAIMS FOR 1T ADvANT-
AGES OVER PRESENT TYPES.

of Four Years study on Part OF
InyentOr-EcOnOmy in Operation
and Repairs, and Less Wear on
permanent Ways Among the Adj
vantages Claimed for 1t.
Mr. w. E. Symonds, superintendent
of motive power of the Plant System,
&c having built at the Baldwin Loco
motive Works, Philadelphia, a loco
motive that embodies many new ideas
of arrangement, of parts and the appli-
cation of principles that are the re-
suit of four years study on his part,
and which, a prominent engineer de-
clares is his belief, will not only prove
an unqualified success, but may mark
an epoch in locomotive building in this
country. The engine will be completed
about January and will be operated
with fast trains over the Plant System
between Jacksonville and Savannah.
The type of locomotive is known as
the crank axle compound. Discussing
the matter with Morning News re-
porter Mr. Symonds said:
Il have always been firm believer
in the compound principle, but have
not favored the methods of applying
if to a. locomotive. was for. several
wears chief engineer of a steam
ship, where the compound principle
was the only one under which we could
successfully operate. On the introduce
ton of the compound principle to To-
comotives, l could not see my way
clear to indorse the American types,
and l did not care to bring out an
other type until the ones in use had
been pretty well through the expert
mental stage. My ideas were in fav-
or of four cylinders, with four crank
connections, set at 80 degree angles
and some four years ago, while in
France and England, found this type
of engine used over there, particular
" in France, where its successful OPP
erations proved it's efficiency over all
other types. This confirmed my opin-
ion already formed, and l continued
to work on the problem.
Some time ago, Mr.. Vauclain of the
Baldwin Locomotive Works. who is the
inventor of the Vauclain Compound
engine, built by that company, and
very prominent engineer, made an i'm
provement on his compound engine, in
which he embodied many of the prin
cipal features of the type of engine
which / had been working on for sew
eral years; and while the details and
design of construction are somewhat
different from my plans, yet the gen
eral primo ole involved was so near to
it, that l ielt inclined to accept their
design and form a kind of co-partner-
ship with them in the design and con-
struction of this particular engine,
which we have done. l hope at some
future day, however, to bring out an
other engine which will be, l believe,
an improvement over this, and in
which will be embodied all of my orig
inal ideas and plans.
The Vanderbilt boiler and tender, the
kind used in this engine, are in use
now on several roads, there being some
70 to 100 fire boxes on leading railways
of America; 1 do not think there is any
question about the merits of either OF
them, and l predict they will give us
satisfactory service.
The advantages 1 claim for this en-
CINE over single expansion engines of
modern type is economy in fuel, water,
OIL cost of repairs, and increased life
of all parts both of machinery and
boiler. There are also many advant-
ages over both the common type of Ell
CINE in use and the present types of
compounds in use in America.
The first of these would be the very
Of the different working parts, due to
the fact that there are two complete
engines i'll one, thus distributing The
work to be performed with four steam
cylinders, the power of which is trans
mitted through the medium of four
cross heads and main rods, to four
crank pins or crank connections, which
are at angles of 80 degrees.
This insures almost a perfectly bal
H. L. ....l.
easier on permanent track and bridges
than any other type, has a more con-
slant rotative power on the driving
axle, and having a much larger avail
able tractiVe power at all times, will
accelerate trains to a high rate of
speed with astonishing rapidity.
In comparison with the present
American types of same weight this
engine should do the same work and
show a saving of fuel and water of
20 per cent. over single expansion cyl
inders, and at least the. same amount
in the items of repairs and renewals
over all types of modern engines with
nigh steam pressure and only two
crank connections at q 80 degree angle.
There are other advantages, such as
Increased life of rails and bridges made
possible by the engines being perfectly
balanced, thus eliminating the deadly
hammer dow WnlCn, III OlHeT types VI
nigh speed engines contribute to the
expense of permanent way and struc-
lures in a degree which can hardly be
measured in dollars and cents.
A prominent engineer, who is famil-
lar with the plans of Mr. Symonds, has
recently expressed to him his views
upon the four cylinder crank axle bal
anced compound engines as follows:
For five years l have been of the
opinion that this was the most i'm
portant direction which the develop
ment of the locomotive could possibly
take and the men who know me best
understand how / have urged them to
experiment with such an engine. The
news that you are taking 1t up, there
lole' comes to me as a pleasant sur
Prise do not for a moment believe
mat a we'll designed engine on this
pan can be anything but an absolute
success, and | further believe that
within five years this engine will be
,ecognized as marking a turning point
country.
My reasons for believing in this
Vpe of engine are these: First, the
necessity for producing the greatest
amount Of horse power within the Civ
en- ~. limit of weight aside from ques-
IONS OF economy makes IL necessary
d" use the compound principle.
o. second, the four cylinder compound
ne only one that has not reached
us limits.
hird. With four cylinders there IL
material reduction in the punishment
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