Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-06
LOCOMOTIVE DESIGNS.
Development of the Engine That Draws
Freight and Passenger Trains.
From the New York Tribune.

From the New York Tribune.
Many besides the managers of railways
will be interested in the series of papers on
locomotive design which Charles ;. Lake
recently brought TO close in the Engineer
ing Magazine. Transportation has It's pep
ular as we'll as its technical aspects No
boy feels that his assortment of playthings
is complete without a train of cars, and
from childhood onward he is alert to all
material improvements in the "choo-choo-
This is particularly true in the country
which has the greatest mileage OF track
to its population, which eXacts the heaviest
service from its freight and passenger en-
gines and which has done the most TO Sc
cure comfort in travel, as well as high rail-
way speeds.
The greatest development. OF course, has
been in the size OF the boiler. Power DE-
ponds on steam, and steam generation 90
ponds primarily on the capacity OK the 70
ceptacle in which It occurs. Ten or tifieen
years ago it looked if the limit had been
reached The driving wheels prevented
any further lateral extension Greater
length could not be attained without inter
fering with such spacing Of the wheels as
facilitated running around curves BESIDES
the quantity of heat impaired 70 the suT-
rounding water by a flue did not Increase n
proportion TO length Still a dozen years
ago there was one dimension left unaltered
Boilers could at least be made higher by
departing from the old cylindrical form
The James Toleman, an English engine
shown at Chicago in 1898, had an oval cross
section. Flaman, a Frenchman, almost
simultaneously persuaded the Eastern ran
way in France to adopt a two-story boiler
Several locomotives of that type were punt,
and are said to have shown a remarkable
economy. The English experiment, how
ever was not followed up any further.
One of the most recent eXpedients IS the
-t.ga4at Tow =, B. a
has shown itself capable of promoting great
economy in stationary steam plants, and
theoretically should work in the - way
on a locomotive. More or less ingenuity
was needed to effect the adaptation. bui the
task has been performed satisfactorily. Nj.
Lake mentions with special favor tie style
of superheater invented by Schmidt AID
added to engines built al the Borsg works
in Germany in 1900.
If the notion of giving steam chance 10
expand in more than one cylinder did not
originate in America. ii was certainly well
known in this country many years ago.
The earlier compounds here had only two
cylinders on side. In England three and
four cylinders were tried with encouraging
results. OF late good deal has been heard
about the De Glenn locomotive. II is made
in Germany, but its performance on French
roads two or three years ago gave il is
greatest advertisement. Several engines Of
that type have since been constructed Tor
trial in the United States and Canada.
W ell, the salient feature OF TINS IlbNrllli
ma chine is that ii is designed on The four
cylinder principle, the low-pressure cylin-
ders being especially capacious Expansion
begins at a pressure of 30 pounds \
minor advantage of the design is the meth
Cd of coupling the drivers so as to render
CONFERENCE.-The unnecessary, but the chief
merit Of the De Glenn system is the econo-
my which it secures.
Several improvements in fireboxes which
We're first proposed in this country have
been regarded with favor abroad. If they
have not actually been adopted there. This
is particularly true of the Belpaire system
of stays, which facilitates n good crcula-
ton Again. much of the work done in Eu-
rope of late in giving fiexibility TO the
wheel base" of a locomotive is an out
growth of still another American idea.
pivotins the front end Of the engine on 4
truck like those under passenger coaches.
Before many years extensive use Of cleo
tricity will be made in trunk line traction.
If the steam locomotive is not doomed 10
disappear entirely its development has GER
tainly been carried about as far as human
ingenuity is ever likely to push it. As its
history is reviewed, America will always
have ample occasion for pride in her own
share in this work.