Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-06-24
OLD TYPE DISPLACED
TIE EIGHT-WHEEL LOCOMOTIVES
RAPIDLY DISAPPEARING
New and More Powerful Engines In
troduced on the Main Lines
and Heavy Grades.

Not many years ago the heavy eight
wheel railway engine was looked upon as
marvellous apparatus when it came to
speed and endurance. But it is not so now
Such an engine is regarded with disdain
by the up-to-date railroad men Of the coun-
try, when compared with the latest pat
tern locomotives of the present day. The
onward march Of improvement and the
fruits of an inventive mind, which, to-
gether with the ever imperious need for an
initiating distance explain the retirement
of the famous eight-wheel American type
passenger engine. the racer of the early
COS, and in it's day the most perfect speed
machine in existence. This class of en-
CINE is rapidly being relegated to branch
lines to make room for the new type of
modern locomotives, which is being placed
on the main line of the great railroad syS-
TENS of the country as fast as they can be
turned out.
The Atlantic type locomotives seem to be
the most popular at the present time, judg-
ing from the number being built and or
dered. They are the latest product In the
way of purely passenger engines, the ia
nous No. 500 of the New York Central be-
ing of this type. The tyventy-hour trains
of the Pennsylvania and the New York
Central between New York and Chicago
are also propelled exclusively by this type
of engine.
Features or the Racers.
The most distinctive features of these
racers are the large fire surface and an
automatic arrangement whereby, when
pulling heavy train up grade. or in start
ing, an additional 10000 pounds of weight
Is placed on the fourdriving wheels, thus
preventing to large extent the slipping
that is usually experienced in such in
stances When running on the level, or in
coasting, the additional weight is thrown
from the drivers onto the smaller front
wheels, thereby obtaining higher speed.
The Baltimore and Ohio and the Ches-
apeake and Ohio railroads. which cross
both the Blue Ridge and Allegheny noun
tains in reaching the west use these loco
motives for fast passenger work, both sys-
TENS having in one or two instances grades
of nearly per cent, or 100 feet to the mile.
This Is especially true of North mountain,
in the Allegheny range. on the Chesapeake
and Ohio, where for ten miles there is
senger trains of eight or nine cars were
double-headed for such ascents. but it is
frequent occurrence for an Atlantic type
locomotive to pull nine cars over the noun
tains on schedule time.
Cost Of New Engines.
The Atlantic type engine Is regarded as
luxury by many railroad men. as the
original cost Of such an apparatus Is 20
per cent greater than for the ordinary pas
senger engine, and the cost of maintenance
and generation is considerably higher. The
number of these locomotives now in COM
mission on the eastern railroads is: The
New York Central. 155; Pennsylvania, 1OS,
Baltimore and Ohio, 60; Philadelphia. and
Reading, s.; Chesapeake and Ohio, 80.
Until the Chesapeake and Ohio gave is
first order about eighteen months ago for
ten Of these monsters the operation Of such
locomotives was confined to the lines north
of the Potomac and Ohio rivers. The Nor
folk and Western has now fallen into line
with an order for six of the Atlantic type,
which will be placed in service as soon as
delivered. These engines, it is claimed
will greatly improve the service between
the Virginia capital and the great seaport
towns from which the products Of the west
are shipped to Europe and the far east.