The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-12-12
TO TEST LOCOMOTIVES.
PLANT TO BE BUILT AT THE ST.
 .. LOUIS FAIR.

Effort to Determine the Effect characs
 tcristIcs Have on Economieai Opera.
 tion-Formal Test IOO MiieAs nn
 Stationary Structure.
 The plan and scope of the locomotive testing plant to be established by the Pennsylvania railroad at the St. Louis fair is described in part in the follow ing bulletin:
 The Pennsylvania Railroad company will design and cause to ke constructed suitable plant for testing locomotives, and, in cooperation with the depart ment of transportation exhibits, will in- stall the same at St. Louis. The plant will be ready for preliminary running by the first of March next and in per- feet condition by the first of May, at which time formal work will commence. The purpose of the whole work is to be comprehensive, and the endeavor will be to determine by the use of locomo- lives, presenting different characteris- tics, the effect of the latter upon the economic performance, and the limits of the tractive power and boiler capaci- ties. ~~ -f-
 The Pennsylvania railroad system will organize and maintain, under the direction of its engineer of tests, a staff of laboratory attendants and computors to the end that the plant and the loco motives thereon may be safely and poperly operated and the experimental data promptly handled. It will also provide supplies of fuel and oil and will meet all other fixed charges incident to the progress of the work. s.,-,
 It is planned to test twelve different locomotives, and it is hoped that a por- ton of this number can be of foreign design and construction. The time to be allowed to each locomotive will vary from twenty to fourteen working days, the longer time being allowed those which are tested early in the season, when both men and equipment will be new to the work. --... ,,.
 The Pennsylvania Railroad company will supply for all participants two grades of coal of high quality, one an anthracite and the other a bituminous. The quality of each of these grades will remain unchanged throughout the prog ress of the work.
 It is proposed to make from sixteen to twenty formal tests of each locomo- tive put upon the plant, these to be pre- ceded by one or more preliminary runs for the purpose of checking the valve setting and of proving all accessory ap- paratus.
 Each formal test will involve run of approximately one hundred miles. and throughout it's duration the speed, load, steam pressure and other conditions of running will be maint aimed, as nearly as possible, constant. The conditions represented by the several tests upon each locomotive will be So chosen that the results will fall into sets, and when so plotted will serve to disclose the per formance of the locomotive under the full range of speed and cutoff for which it can be properly worked.
 Methods to be followed in running test: In preparation for test the 1oco- motive will be started and gradually brought to the conditions of running which are to prevail throughout the test When these conditions have been secured the preliminary running of the locomotive will be continued until the rate of firing becomes uniform and un- til all portions of the locomotive have become warmed to their work. When shese conditions have been secured two ttrikes of q bell will give preparatory tignaT. Thirty seconds later a single strokes of the bell will mark the begin hing of the test. Upon this stroke all water levels will be observed, the ash pan cleaned and all observations taken, and thereafter all water and fuel used will be taken from weighed supply. Throughout the test all conditions of running will be maintained as nearly constant as possible, observations being taken on the stroke of the gong at en- minute Intervals.
 The duration of the test will vary from two to six hours, depending upon the rate of speed and load. The ele- mert of control in fixing the length of the heavy power test will be the amount of water evaporated, no test being end ed until the evaporation equals thirty pounds for each square foot of heating surface. The lighter power tests may end after from four to six hours,
 A test will be ended as it began. The fire which throughout the test will not have changed greatly in it's condition will be brought as nearly as possible to the condition it had in the beginning, the ash nan will he cleaned. the water level in the boiler be made to agree with that of the beginning of the test. and upon signal the final observations will he taken and the use of water and fuel from a weighed supply will cease. As soon as practicable after this the 1oeo- motive will be stopped, the front end cleaned and the data of the test collect ed and made of record.
 A test will be started not earlier than s o'clock on each day and when the con-