Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-09-05
Is MILES An HOUR
SCREENING FOR SPEED
. IN RAILWAY TRAINS
GERMAN ENGlNeERs THINK THEY
CAN REDUCE RESISTANCE OF
TRAINS - INTERESTING
TESTS MADE.

Washington, Aug. 11.-Uuited States
, Consul General Mason, at Berlin, in a
report to the State Department on the
express train OF the future. tells Of an
OFFER by the German Society of Me.
chanical Engineer OF series of prizes
for the best design and Specifications
4 for steam locomotive. and group Of
cars Which would collectively form an
express train capable OF carrying one
hundred passenger and their baggage
with personal comfort and at a spec 4
OF seventy-flvc miles IA hour. The
purpose of this competition. as was
then stated, is TO provide Z unit of the
equipment and attainment of greatly
accelerated speed in railway travel.
which can be adapted to the present
State railways OF Prussia without the
tearing up and rclayiug OF tracks with
heavier ties and rails that would be re-
'quired for rapid electrical service. He
says:
: AN interesting forecast of the pend
ing competition has beeu given by Mr..
Arthur Kirchoff editor OF technical
publication In Berlin devoted to engin
eering and machinery. in which a de-
scritption is given OF certain features
of the new locomotives, which are to
be tested over the Berlin -Zossen line
next year. The specifications require
that this express engine and train OF
the future shall be able to maintain for
three consecutive hours a speed of 7+.j
miles an hour. without stopping for
water or fuel, and az a minimum expeu-
diture OF motor power. Mr.. Kichof ;
outline or how this Is to be done will
have definite interest to American
engineers.
4 During the experiments of last
autumn, an attempt was made to deter
mine as accurately as possible the
waste OF power cntailed by the friction
and resistance OF air to railway trains
, at different rates Of speed. It was
found that while AZ a speed OF fifty
miles per hour this resistance on a still
day was about 67.2 pounds per square
metre of the surface OF the front end OF
the car, the rate increased very rapid
ily with the augmentation Of speed. so
that at pace OF 93,7 miles the resist
ance rose to 1875 pounds per square
metre of impinging surface. Every
projecting part, every window, door
or other indentation which could form
a pocket TO catch the wind created by
such high velocitics increased the re-
sistance to be overcome, SO that in all
future experiments the economy OF ra-
pid transit will require that the factor
Of air resistance shall be taken into
careful account,
This, according TO Mr.. Kirchoff. Is to
,be done by enveloping the engines and
train from pilot 70 rear platform in a
shell OF sheet steel, joiuted so as to
secure tleXibility in passing curves, and
so constructed as TO iuClose the loco
motive and cars in a continuous tuble.
uniform throughout in size and pre-
senting no PROJECTING irregularity
which shall catch the resisting air. The
front OF the engine will be pointed or
wedge shaped the sheath will inclose
as fas as possible the running gear OF
the cars and even the wheels of both
engine and cars will be closed discs uf
metal instead Of. as now, spoked
wheels with opening;~to catch the air.
The new steam locomotives. we are
assured, will rest on twelve wheels.
viz, two pairs of drivers located at
the middle OF the machine, with a four
wheeled pivot truck in front and rear.
Upon these three points of support the
boiler and superstruCture will be hung
upon springs, carefully adjusted to
IKE up as far as practicable the ineyi-
table vibration aud oscillation.
Throughout the entire train. superfiu-
Gus dead weight will be carefully avoid
ed. Instead of carrying ten tons OF
water, the new tender will be built 10
take only half that amount, but will BE-
rugged 10 take up water en- route, as has
been successfully done on some Amer
lean lines.
AS now planned the new engine will
have theoretically n coal consumption
of 1852 pounds per effective horse pow
~ per hour, as against 1925 pounds.
which Is the standard OF economic eff
cheney in the best locomotives OF the
present German type, 1t will be inter
eGting 10 compare this forecast of the
oretical efficiency with the actual re-
suits which may be attained when the
new engine is tested"