The Topeka state journal., 1902-02-08
RAILROAD NEWS.
Edward Grafstrom Contributes
to Railway Literature.
InterestingComparison OfHeavy
and Light Locomotives.
SIZE is NOT ECONOMY.
Use Should Determine Kind to
BE Purchased.
Tests Made by Illinois Central
and Mich. Central.

Edward Grafstrom, mechanical eng1-
neer of the Santa F'e, has contributed
| to the February number of the 'Ameri-
| can Engineer" an article on the sub
ject Comparing Heavy and Light Lo-
| comotives." The matter of the proper
| tions and weight of engines is one that
| is much talked about in railroad cir
cles at present, and whatever a student
of it might say is interesting.
The basis of Mr.. Grafstron's contTi-
button is found in the comparative
tests which the Illinois Central and
Michigan Central roads made with the
| two classes of locomotives last year.
| Among other things Mr.. Grafstron
says:
'Both tests were made for the pur-
pose of enabling the managements of
the respective roads to determine the
comparative value of heavy and light
locomotives, but while the one presents
the results in shape for use the other
one appears to have been carried out TO
serve, primarily, the superintendent of
motive power. In other words, while
one was made for the purpose of de-
termining the economy of heavy versus
light locomotives, the other one was
apparently intended to determine the
relative efficiency of two types of loco
motives, different in weight as well as
in construction. Although thus not OF
the same scope, they both seems to
have given the parties interested the
information wanted to decide between
the purchase of light or heavy a.ddl-
tional power.
ssThe Illinois Central test was made
with four engines, each one a fair rep
resentative of it's class but all of the
old school of design. The trains were
taken as they came, fast or slow, full
rating or not. Cars were set off or
picked up along the line The delays
were frequent and irregular; some
times an engine was held for two hours
while it's train was being weighed car
for car. In fact the traffic demands
were such that the test may be said
to represent average service conditions
with scarcely any attempt to favor the
engines.
ssThe Michigan Central test on the
contrary. was made with a good rep
resentative of the old type of the mar
row fire-box, single expansion engine
in contrast with a modern compound
with a wide fire-box high pressure and
piston valves. The trains were selected
in accord with the rating of each en-
gine and the engines were favored In
every way, thus giving results that do
not obtain under ordinary service con-
ditionS.
1.-The fuel consumption on the Illinois
Central was much higher than on the
other road. The conclusion regard
ing this is that in some localities the
operation of the ten-wheel engine
would be as economical as that of the
consolidation class. The consideration
for investment, interest, taxes and de-
precautions can be judged from this
table:
Number Type Ton Cost per
of Miles 10000
engines Ton-MileS
A 10-wheeI. =. Alb SOS, ,972 s91, 400. So
81 12-wheeI. .. .468, ,492. .047 81, ,627. "A
AZ 10-wheeI. .452, ,07l,746 S7,247.58
''It will be thus seen," Mr.. Grafs-
strom concludes, that the number of
engines which a certain sum will buy,
or in other words, the cost of each en-
gine, will play an important part IN
determining the size most suitable for
certain conditions. Taking everything
into consideration the large engine
therefore is not always economical in
proportion to it's size''