The Red Cloud chief., 1901-05-10
RAILWAY IMPROVEMENT
REQUIREMENTS FOR MANAGERS WHO
KEEP UP TO DATE.
A Conmou.sense Substitute For the OId
Time asting aud Dirty Method of
ConIing an Engine - A Cab That VIII
Accommodate Tuo Eiren,eu.

w. - - INV . y w ~
procession and are To lie operated with
an economy equal to or approaching
that OF a competing road. To the casu-
nj traveller these signs are apparent
In the development Of special classes
of locomotives designed IN strict ac-
cordancc with the class Of work upon
which the engines will he kept busy.
aud In the widespread adoption of the
steel car. For the carriage of u weight
Of 1900 tons, II IL stated that the non
productive or dead weight to he hauled
Is sixty.two tons less II the goods are
loaded in steel ears thar II wooden
cars are used, with the additional al
vantage that the weight is nearer the
engine. and. therefore. easier handled,
and there Is an incidental saving in
the requirements FOR sidings, yard
room and wages of train crews. One
of the lines doing n through business
to the West is about TO he thoroughly
equipped with track tanks for taking
up water while trains are running nj
full speed, for the reason that It's most
active competitor has the use of such
uIlIllaiuN'Ss WI Vlf 'ai' lIt 'DSibt
tanks on all engines were enlarged
last year. the water space being in
creased from 1900 gallons to as high
as 1000 gallons. and the coal capacity
increased in u like ratio. Such facili.
ties as these NEAR n lcngthcning of
express train runs without stopping.
The Pan Handle road has three cX-
.,... Ia, La. ..l..I. ... 49,. .l..lI.
to stop in 1913 miles, and on other roads
there are runs of over $50 miles with
stops only for water and coal. The
rcplcniShing Of these nccCssarics for
the engine always seems 10 consume a
deal of time. and II Pittsburg inventor
sense substitute for the present time
wasting and dirty method. He pro
poses To have all engine tanks made
with an outside frame of strong boiler
plate, with perpendicular steel slides,
arranged To tit into AN interchange.
able water and coal tank. These
tanks are To he placed ON n track
above the main line. and can be filled
with water and coal. When n train
arrives, the hydraulic lift is attached
tn the empty tank and II is lifted up
10 be Tiled for another train. and In
an instant the loaded tank with 1000
gallons of water and seven IONS Of
coal Is lowered down inside the tank
frame. The inventor claims that his
arrangement will permit the engine to
he coaled and watered in twenty see
Onds. and that there will be no waste
or stirring mp OF dust and dirt, and
that leaking tanks can be repaired
without ~disconnecting the engine aud
tender.
waterway. about fifty miles in length,
in Belgium, there Is nm interesting
system of electric haulage. Horse
traction formerly used gave a speed
or II and Il quarter miles per hour.
This has been increased TO two and a
half To three miles AT the same cost
per ton-mile. The haulage Is lone by
five horse power automobiles, with
three.phase motors, taking current
from overhead wires. through separ.
ate trolleys, which run OH the wires
INT are dragged 10y a slack rope. Cur
rent IL supplied AT 600 volts. There
are six wires In the system. The up.
per three carry current at 5000 volts.
and the lower or trolley wires are fed
from them through sub.stations three
miles apart, each containing a step
down transformer. On the length of
fifty miles there are two generating
stations, twenty-nine miles apart. The
automobiles do not pas; each other,
Du are confined to approximately the
same section Of canal. Each one takes
over the boat that approaches it and
proceeds to return along It's track IN
I'll 1t meets another boat. Boats are
again exchanged. and the motors again
retrace THEN paths. Where the canal
n are poor, electrically propelled
tugb0ats are operated instead, and
these VIII make about two miles an
hour with two sevcnty-tOn boats. The
tug can turn without changing the
trolley and can also keep sixty feet
from the line, though the cable mast
IL only fourteen feet high. Locks are
passed with the tug In four minutes,
which required fifteen minutes with
horses. In France there are double
tow paths, and I'm Germany on the
Finow Canal experiments have been
made with continuous current mechan.
ism and the pole trolley. The expert
ence In these countries seems to iDdi.
cate that canal hanlage may be econ.
omically done by electricity.
The Thule high-spced locomotive. a
French design, Is of a decidedly spe.
cial type. Ii is carried on fourteen
wheels, Of which four are coupled. and
set between a four-wheeled boyle In
front and a six wheeled one at the
rear, 1t IL driven by two simple cx-
pansion cylinders and has a motor by
which he entire train Is lighted cleo
trlcally. One of it's most prominent
features Is the position occupied by
the engine driver, which IL In a cab
at the extreme front. The cab IN
wedge-shaped 10 lessen the wind re-
sistance. The fireman IL located at
the rear. The boiler Is built TO sustain
a pressure of 20G pounds per square
Il lnnh Ohinh IL ..nnEil.rI