The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1902-06-18
TAKING CARE OF TRAIN
THE ELABORATE SYSTEM OF IN
SPEcTlON AND RENEWAL.
Tho Largest Repair shop in the world
Remarkable Locomotive Hospital Has
just Been Completed at Coilinwood,
Ohio-MarveIous wrecking Machinery.

--Remarkable LOGON otive Hospital Has
just Been Completed at Coiiinwood,
Ohio-Marveious wrccking Machinery.
Few people who travel, and few of
those who daily depend upon the rail-
roads of the country for the hauling
OF freight, have any idea of the part
which the army of men who work,
day in and out, on repairs only, play
In the world of transportation, nor
of how many thousands of human
lives are annually saved by the con-
scientious attention of these men to
their work. In the inspecting and re-
pairing departments of the American
railroads are employed not less than
100000 men, to whose skill and quick
perception the public owes debt of
gratitude.
The average passenger train is thor.
oughly inspected at all large cities,
100 to $50 miles apart, and is hastily
looked over at many other stops be-
sides. Six minutes time is allowed
for a thorough inspection. Four men,
two at each end, begin the work of
looking over the wheels, the trucks,
the couplings and all parts of the car
which are liable to get out of order.
These men from both ends meet at
the middle of the train, and the in
spection is completed While they are
doing this work the oiler, who is nick
named in the car repairing circles
sometimes as the "doper," looks out
for hat boxes and properly lubricates
all the heated parts. At the same in
stant the ice-man, with his tongs, is
lifting chunks of ice into the tanks
in the interior of the coaches.
Freight trains are inspected with
just as much care as the passenger
coaches, but, the work being done up
on the repair tracks, in an obscure To-
cation, the public practically sees
nothing of IL. At some of the princi-
pal repair tracks. even in cities of
not more than $4,000 population, as
many as 1900 and 1900 cars are in
spected every "a hours, and this by
four men, two working nights and two
days. When train moves in upon a
track for an inspection but a half
minute is allowed to each car, and so
rapid are the workmen that they do
it thoroughly in this time. Were the
railroads not sure that these men are
perfectly capable of doing the work
in the time now allotted, they would,
of course, increase the limit, for If
there is one department more than
another in which the railroads are par
ticular about perfect work it is in the
line of proper and adequate repairs.
When a train of cars arrives in the
yards near the repair tracks the re-
pairers place blue flag in daytime,
or blue light at night, at each end
of the train. This warns railroaders
that the inspectors are at work on the
train, though they may not be visible,
often being under the cars. The loco
motive must not be attached w6en
these blue signals show forth from
the ends of the train. One of the in
spectors passes over the tops Of the
cars. He Is on the lookout for leaky
roof, II 1t be box car; II 1t be an ore
or coal car, then he must look out
for the condition of the chains which
hold the drop-bottoms. The men
working about the trucks must look
out for broken flange, checked
wheel, bent axles, loose bolts, bad air
connections, condition of the air re-
servoirs and many other things.
AS soon as defect is found a card
is tackled on the car by the inspector.
There are different cards used to de-
signate rolling stock that is In bad or
der. One card denotes danger, and
that the car must be handled with care
until 1t is unloaded and placed upon
the repair tracks. Another card de-
notes the condition of the air brakes.
The car may be in such shape that it
must go at the rear of the train, and
have no connection with air. or 1t may
be that it can be run between cars
of air, but that the reservoir of the car
must be cut out, the air simply passing
through the pipes of the car. without
having any effect as to setting the
brakes upon it. Box cars with leaky
reefs must be transferred to some dis
tinct line of of traffic, such as the car
rying of coke.
No one can well doubt that the car
repairers are skilled workmen. They
must be able to discern checks on a
| wheel and know that eventually 1t may
mean a crack which will develop into
, a broken wheel. A broken wheel, in
turn, may mean fearful wreck. When
| a man begins as car repairer he must
| first work about the repair track with
some one who is experienced, and be-
fore he learns perfectly every part of
the trade should spend. perhaps, two or
| three years. II would seem that these
men would receive big pay, but they
| do not get as much as in many of the
| other departments. Western roads, it
| is said, pay men more than the east
| ern for this WORK. In some parts of
the eastern and central states they get
but Is 1-2 cents an hour, while the
| switchmen of the same locality get in
| the neighborhood Of 90 cents an hour.
This the repairers believe is a bit