The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-01-28
Instructive Address at Santa Fe
7. NJ. C. A. Rooms.
ADVISES MEN TO STUDY
Good Positions Always Waiting
For Competent Workers.
Education Necessary in Every
Branch of Railroad Work.

derson, superintendent of Santa Fe
motive power, inspired those who heard
him in his analysis of the requisites
necessary to the designing, building
and operating of the railroad locomo-
tive, with new hope in the education of
the men in the mechanical department
of the road. Mr.. Henderson's address
was announced late Saturday after
noon, after he had been obliged to can
eel the date several times.
Mr. Henderson's subject was "Edu-
cation" He went over the educational
classes which the association has been
conducting all winter, remarking at
the pleasure with which he had OBJ
served this evidence of a desire on the
part of the men to help themselves
There is no doubt" said he, that we
feel encouraged to see the boys trying
to advance themselves. In choosing
assistants it often becomes necessary to
go outside of the organization to find
them, but we do not prefer to do so.
1T might be well to take up the work
of designing, building and operating the
locomotive. l think it might be of some
benefit to us to point out the way OF
improving this Indispensable part OF
our railroad, the locomotive. What IS
the first thing to do? Some say to
make a drawing. It is necessary to do
this, but even before that we must
find out what our engine is going to do
after it is constructed. There are loco
motives and locomotives. We must de-
termine what kind of load we went 10
pull, at what speed and on what curva-
ture. 1t is not always possible to hold
cars at a point until there are enough
of them to make up a full train; for
instance, in the shipments of oranges
which is going on now. If we were to
wait until we got full load many of
them would spoil Then we must de-
eide how many loads we wish to haul
and at what speed we want to haul
them. Some think we should bring them
through as rapidly as possible. but
tests have shown that the most eco
nonical speed is about 10 miles an
hour, and that at 80 miles an hour the
cost is almost twice as much as at Is.
''Then we have to consider the ques-
ton of grades; they cut a large fig
ure on roads like the Santa Fe. For
instance on Ration mountain we have
the greatest grade, which is about three
and a half per cent. The matter OF
curves must be considered, too, for 1t
is harder to haul a train around a curve
than on straight track. We get our in
formation about grades and curvature
from the civil engineer who surveyed
the line; and right here comes in the
necessity of having accurate informa-
tion. The engineer must have made
study of transits, levels, typographical
drawing. Everything we want to make
a success of requires study.
"Tractive force is another thing-the
pull which the locomotive is able to ex-
ert, The result is the same whether it
is push or a pull In character little
pull and lots of push is a good thing;
much pull and little push is bad; and
lots of push is just right. Besides
tractive force we must have power;
force and power. Incidentally these
apply in the same way to character.
Knowing what we have to pull and
the speed at which we have to pull it
- ~.
tractive force and the speed, the horse
power of our engine. The principle of
friction comes in. We have seen a To-
connective slip on the rails and that
not in proper proportion 1t is the rule
that we must have four times the
weight on the wheels that we expect our
locomotive to exert in tractive force.
The size of the cylinder, the steam pres
sure and the size of the wheel are the
next thing which we consider. The rule
is commonly received that the size of
the driving wheel determines the speed
of the engine. Then in making the
boiler the rule is that it should be just
as big as the engine can stand. To do
the work satisfactorily we should get
the boiler so large that it will have so
much steam that it can keep any load
moving. The larger the boiler the more
horse power we get. 1t is considered
that for every two and half feet of To-
connective heating surface there is one
horse power. That is for the new COM
pounds having about 300 square feet
of heating surface there are about 1880
horse power. To design a boiler we
must further be educated in combuS-
ton and heat; we must determine on
the CRATE surface and the kind and
grade of fuel.
1.-The rule is that the larger the crate
the slower the combustion and the greater
the heat coming out of it Thus again we
see the need of education There are sew
eral kinds of coal of varying heat value,
and then there is oil. Six barrels of oil
weigh about a ton, but we find that about
four barrels will give the heat of ton of
Kansas coal. Then the question is to make
the boiler stand the pressure safely. We
steel the rivets, the stays and the stay
bolts, how often they break and what they
will stand"
The subjects of piston rods connecting
rods, counterbalance. fabrication and link
BY Air Henderson, as well as that of fuel.
THE fuel bin for this road said he, sis
types he said: sThere. is probably moth
ing requires more study than the com
pound locomotive.
The necessity of education in connection
with work in blacksmith. boiler and ma
erecting shop he said, requires another
kind of education how the parts fit to,
that. Electric motors and lights are play
ing a larger part than ever in the shop
must go together and the man not versed
in steam and electricity is not competent
equipped with probably 40 or 50 electric
motors and it viii require somebody to
look after them. Why shouldn't you have
that job as well as somebody else?
You will find it necessary in any line of
work to make a. study. A pull doesn't
count for near as much as it used to.
There is hardly any case know of now
where a man can maintain a pull Rail-
roads nowadays are not built for pleas
ure. but to get results. You should never
give up because these things may seem
difficult. When accomplish a thing
that is difficult it makes our work a pleas
ure- And if we work loyalty 1 think at
the end of life we will have no reason L.
complain because of hard work.
satin-Skin Cream nourishes away