The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-05-27
RAILROAD NEWS.
Santa Fe's New Instruction Car
Starts on Its Tour.
Is in Charge of w. v. Turner,
Of Ration, n. Il.
SHOW NEW EQUIPMENT
Intricate Railroad Mechanisms
Graphically Illustrated.
Supt. Henderson Talks About
Plans For the Car.

Education of its employees has been
begun by the Santa Fe railroad. The
instruction car which has been in Tope-
ka shops since about the first of Janu-
airy receiving its equipment, being 1T
that time an old mail coach, was attach
ed TO No. 2 Monday afternoon and went
to Chillicothe, Ill, in charge of w. v
Turner, the instructor. There it viii
remain for a few days opening the work
which is to be continued all over the
system After finishing there it Will be
sent to COrWith, near Chicago and
thence will come to Kansas again grad
ually working its way southwark from
one division point to another and then
going to the western lines of the road
The itinerary has been arranged from
now until December 81.
The car is SO feet long and the air
brake equipment which is the most i'm
pOrtant is sufficient for a 20-car train
with sectional views of New York and
Westinghouse triple, engineers and re-
tanning valves hlgh-speed retaining
valve, passenger engine equipment and
a slack adjuster. There is likewise
six-car train-signa1 equipment.
Besides this there is an array of spec
lal equipment which viii be particular
ly valuable to the men who are to take
advantage Of this opportunity for in
creasing their knowledge of railroad
apparatus. There is an axle-lighting
motor and Gght-cOntrOlling apparatus,
Pyle electric headlight apparatus; ace
tylene gas headlight equipment; Nath-
an locomotive lubricatOr; Simplex in
jector and Crosby muffied safety valve.
One of the most interesting things to
the layman who visits the car Will
be the small model of the Nauclain COM
pound locomotive. next to man the
most wonderful machine of the present
| time" 1t is arranged so that the work
ings of the valves and the steam within
/ the cylinders is apparent to the student.
/ Carried with the car are chairs which
( Will be arranged so that a class of p
! persons can be accommodated inside.
/ Besides the instructor has an office,
/ closet and an upper and lower berth.
This move for the instruction of the
! men who work for the Santa F'e is the
| direct result of the plans formulated by
/ George R. Henderson, superintendent OF
/ motive power, who always has held out
! for the benefits which a technical train
/ ing would give a man working in the
shops or on the road Mr. Henderson
/ himself is an example of the combina-
! ton of actual experience and theory,
/ having attended school in the east and
at an early age having begun an ap-
premiership in the shops Of the Penn
/ sylvania system.
THE car is for educational purposes"
I said Mr.. Henderson. We believe that
/ by getting after the men and giving
! those who never have had the OppOr-
/ tunity to better themselves, such that
we can increase their efficiency and
that the results of their work will be
more satisfactory not only to them
! selves, but likewise to the company.
/ We are going to keep a log book, a
] record of those who attend the lectures
/ of the instructor, and when we are
/ looking for men to fill higher positions
! we can consult this and know who has
1 been fitting himself for something bet
+ ter and can consequently draw from
! them our n en- for better positions. The
/ car will go all over the system and will
{ be for the instruction Of all men who
/ have anything to do with car repairing,
/ train work or who have to handle
! brakes and general equipn emit It is
/ intended primarily as an air brake car
/ but includes a small model of a com
! pound locomotive, acetylene headlights,
/ and various other mechanical contriV-
| ances on locomotives and cars"
! W. Y. Turner, for the last two years
and nine months foreman of the car
! shops and air brake works at Ration,
! N. M, is in charge. Mr. Turner is pro-
nounced by those who have made a
study of such work to be a genius in
/ this line. He was born in England
/ thirty-six years ago. For twelve years
! he has been in the United States and
! has considerable experience in other
/ business than Tailroading Soon after
! coming to America he went on a sheep
! ranch in New Mexico, made a great
/ stake in a short time. but lost heavily.
When he began his first railroad work
/ for the Santa F'e at Ration nearly three
years ago he knew nothing more about
! railrOading than what he had picked
up in a technical school. But by steady
application to the hard problems of the
/ workings of air and other difficult
/ topics, he mastered them until now his
word is taken as authority. He attend
ed the recent meeting of air brake ex-
perts at the recent Pittsburg convention
and made a good impression among
many Of the Oldest experts in the coun-
| try.
Mr. Turner is unaccompanied in his
tours over the Santa Fe IN charge of
the instruction car