The evening times., 1901-09-06
AMERICAN LOG0MOTIVES USED.
Character Of Engine That Meet the
Demand in Europe.

Recent discussions as to the relative
/ value OF American built and European
| built locomotives has caused Dean T.
. Mason. the United States Vice and Dep
uty Consul General at Berlin. to send to
the State pcpCrtusut special report on
the subject Mr. Mason writes 90 the de-
parumsnt as follows
Up 90 the present. in spite OF the large
and continued importation of American
machinery, the American locomotive
which has for many years been largely
and successfully used I'm Russia, can
/ hardly be said to have made more than
an appearance in Germany.
The B4varian state railway authorities
have during the past two years ordered
and used a small number of American
locomotives for experimental purposes
and the PrussiaH Government is also op-
Grating couple Of our engines. Up to
the present no official report has been
made as to the results of these expert
ments. and although the ,Bavariau author
tiles promised the Society OF German En-
Eiueers at Berlin full information, IL may
still be a long time before any definite
official report Will be made. Ii has been
ascertained, however. through reliable
private sources. that the results obtained
IN Bavaria have been highly satisfactory.
and have dissipated the belief which has
hitherto prevailed in official circles that
American engines were not adapted for
use on German railroads IL is therefore
considered extremely probable that the
American type of engine viii be built by
the German locomotive builders within a
short time The PrUssisu railroad authorl-
ties are at present experimenting with the
so-caIlcd superheated steam engines made
not prove satisfactory, it is thought like
ly that the American type of locomotive
will be adopted in Prussia Both ears and
trains are uniformly much smaller and
lighter in this country than in the United
States. with the result that the percent
age Of dead weight hauled in greater and
freight rates-especiaIly for lOng-distances
very much higher. The lotion freight
car is still all but universal in Germany
Serious complaints are made by ship
pors OF heavy freighJs, such as the iron
and steel manufacturers Of WtsJpha.id.
over high freight rates on their raw ma
terials and products, and considerable
pressure has been exercised to secure re-
ductions. Since 1893. the year of the Chi
Cago Exposition, no important fact OF
American railway development has cs-
capped the attention Of German railway
managers. Expert commissions and in
dividual engineers have gone TO the
United States and spent months in study
ing every detail of construction and man
agemeut. The vesyibUle express train
and the sleeping and dining car have
been copied almost literally. More re-
Gently the enormous freight trains Of 20
ton cars. drawn by powerful locomotives
worked up TO their full capacity. have
taught the German engineers the secret
of cheap aad effective freight traffic. and
there is a demand for q new policy OF
larger and reavier rolling stock, in which
both cars and engines shall be enlarged
20 the limit OF safety with the present
weight Of rails and efficiency Of tracks.
bridges, switches, etc. This iucresse in
weight viii unquestionably bring q near
cr conformity with the American type Of
freight engines. The somewhat uufavor-
able report Of the Midland Railway Of
England. as to the results Of its prac-
teal use Of American locomotives, has
been explained by an American engineer
TO have been largely due 90 the fact that
the heavy, powerful American engines
were used 20 perform the same kind and
quantity OF work as the smaller English
ones. According TO the suDeriuteud,n OF
the railroad. The American locomotives
which have been employed since the mid
u.e OF l'-- are 3 +stZs cheaper i'm the first
cost AID are satisfactory as TO power,
DuL consume from 20 % p per cent more
coal than those Of English make As
good engines can be built in America as
III England, but owing TO the different
mt ttEoas OF T1llrDading IN the two couu-
tries, the British locomotives are better
adapted for use in England
me German State railways buy their
fE"l from the coal and coke svndfcafas
and pay what would be considered ir,
America eNorbitaDt prices Economy in
LHel consumption rs. therefore. and must
remain. point Of prime Importance. and
no type oi locomotive viii be adopted by
the Bayarlau or Prussiau railway admin
iStrutlOus which does not conform closely
60 the German standard Of eff5ciencE- in
this respect The American engines which
have been thus far ordered and used IN
this country have been bought for pur-
poses OF study and experiment. and how
ever efncicnt they may prove 20 be. IL is.
Toy obvious reasons. not 20 be- expected
that the German State governments will
place any large contract for locomotives
1r other railway material with other than
'l"F man manufacturer.
Aside from the railways owned and
managed by the several State govern
mtuls, there are a number OF small lines.
generally or a secondary nature. which
are owned and operated by private com
panies independent Of any political ObIi-
CATION and ready to buy their rolling
stock whore II can b. obtained TO the best
a1vantass- OF the 1921 locomotives in
service in Germany in 1893. I7.I9I belonged
20 the State railroads and 500 to private
railway corporations
The average weight Of engines on Ger
man state railways is 42.5I tons while
those in use on private roads average
#.6S tons. During the year 1899. f46 en-
giues were purchased by the State rail-
ways and % by private companies In
the wear 1855. S556.HI was spent for the
purchase Of new and the repair # old en-
EInes on private lines TheS-. figures
show the limited nature Of the opp0rtu-
nifty in Germany which is open TO Ameri-
can competition. There are in Germany
nVe or six leading locomotive builders
who have grown Up. so to speak. with
the railway development of this country
The present equipment of both state and
private lines is substantially their work
They are careful, conscientious builders.
but slow. and one Of the chief advantage
which an American competitor would
have is In the rapldity with which doIiv-
cry could hc made under urgent circlum-
stances In Germany. II is necessary 90
wait from four 20 eight months. and Oft
cu for much longer periods. from the date
Vf an order before the locomotive can be-
delivered, and. IN case Of injury to a part
o. generally requires some weeks before
IL can be replaced 70 Is also customary
in his country 10 order LOCOMOTIVES from
drE wings OF catalogues. so that tho DUR
chaser has not the advantage of rarrr4r
inspection OF the machine which no needs
t1I certain service The America sys-
tcT of building locomotives Of certain
uniform types. with iatercho 0s-,.-l l,Te
parts, is recognized as an advautap- and
tbs. added To their lower cost and earlier
delivery. constitute their chief merits r1-
the European trade.
1T goes without saying. however that
the principal opportunity for American
railway engines Is I'm countries which
unlike Germany. France. and England
have no adequate facilities for building
most notably in Russia. Turkey. and the
Balkan States. where consider Bl.. "a iI-