Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-12
DANDY OF THE RAILS
Care Bestowed on an. Up to
Date Express Train.
COMFORT AND SAFETY
OVERLAPPING A FAST FLYER
AFTER EACH TRIP.
Services Of Small Army Of Men Re-
auired-C1eaning Locomo-
tive and Cars.
COMFORT AND SAFETY

are taken every day to make the modern
luxurious railroad "hyer" look spick and
span.
Grooming an express train is a most diff
cult and expensive business. While the most
extravagant of up-to-date dand1es would
not dream of having more than three or
four Wallets at most, the express will have
anywhere from hundred, to hundred
and fifty, each doing his own special part
of the work.
The ministrations Of this army Of SER
wants are had every day. at the end OF a
trip, which is often not more than days
run. When the engine and its train of cars
have done their work they are promptly
rubbed down and attended to. just like
boxer after he has finished his bout or an
athlete after foot race.
The crew Of men who work aboard the
flyer have nothing to do with looking after
it at the end of the run. Special Stairs OF
men are kept at the round house and the
car sheds for that purpose.
In number they equal two companies OF
soldiers, and they are as well drilled as
any military force Each man has his own
particular work to do, and knows exactly
how to do it. Very few orders need to be
given. but when one is necessary 1t Is obey
ed ION the jump"
Cleaning and Polishing.
When a locomotive enters the round house
a company of these civilian soldiers imme-
dlately swarm all over her, cleaning and
polishing Eer until she looks as smart as
new pin. Even the wheels are rubbed over
with oil until they take on a beautiful
luster. Oil is also used to rub down the
outside CT the cars. Water Is no longer
used nowadays, for it cracks the paint,
while oil improves it and gives it beauti-
full color.
Some of the men who swarm aboard the
locomotive knock her fire." others clean
all the fiues and hampers, the firepan and
the machinery and take aboard coal and
water for the next days run; yet others
carefully test the air brakes, ejector pump
and other parts of the machinery, examine
the wheels. wipe down everything below the
running board with oil, fill up the oil cups
Oh the drivers, and generally put the loco
motive in f1rst-class shape for the next run.
1t must not be supposed that this is the
work merely of laborers. Several thor
oughly trained experts, each with his spe-
cial branch of knowledge, go most care
fully over all the essential parts of the en-.
CINE after each run, examining and testing
them. 1t is not perfunctory examination,
although Is is daily one; for the men
know that If there is any mishap on the
run which can be traced back to their neg
ligence they will be fired" to a dead Ger
tainty.
Safety and Comfort.
When the passenger takes a railway
journey, therefore, especially if he rides
behind a good modern flyer, he may feel
sure that everything which skill and fore
thought can do to make the trip a safe one
has been done.
His comfort attended to equally as
well his sale.y. Sometimes the patrons
or palace car, if they are habitual tray
elers, make a kick because something OF.
otner Is not just as they would have it;
but habitual travellers can 9aIwa VS. be safely
relied upon to kick whatever accommo-
dations they may get. At all events they
cannot fairly complain that the cars are
not clean. unless it be toward the end of
the days run, when they have been be-
grimmed by the dust of the track and the
smoke of the engine. 49,
After the car has been taken down to the
yards by switch engine, it IS bounced
upon by small army of men, who give II
a sort or a preliminary rundown, and af-
terward most thorough grooming before
1t is taken back to the station for the next
run.
The carpets are all taken out of the car
and blown by compressed air. thorough
way of cleaning them which is not adopt-
ed even in the most expensive hotels once
week, let alone once day. The mat !
tresses, cushions. pillows and seats are
also taken out and blown by compressed
ar. Inc woodwork glass and brass work
an over the car are cleaned and polished
by dozens of men, and the exterior wood
work is rubbed down with oil.
Overhauled With Care,
All the running gear OF the car is most
carefully overhauled. Steamitters, cleo
tricians, engineers and other experts ex
anime in their special departments and the
lights and air brakes are rigidly tested.
The cups on the journals are filled with
OIL every part of the wheels examined, and
in short just as thorough a. test made of
the running gear as in the case of the To-
connective herself
If there is a case of sickness during a
run the conductor must locate 1t. 1t is
his duty to report, on arriving at the yard
exactly. the seat in which the sick person
sat. A space in the car is closed around
this seat, and Is most carefully fumfgated
and disenfected, no matter what the nature
of the sickness may have been. - Whether
1t was infectious or not the railroad Off
Gals taken no chances with the health and
lives of their passengers This regulation
applies generally to all railroad cars, not
merely to the palace cars.
Another large staff attends to the pro-
visioning and equipping of the car from
the commissariat department which Is at
tached to the station yard. :. !
a special force Is even told off to take
charge of the supply of clean bed linen.
towels and other articles to the sleeDing
cars. 1t goes without saying that these
are renewed every day. Even if there are
a lot of unusued ones aboard, they are
taken off the car and replaced. No linen
makes two consecutive journeys. Neither
does a cake of soap or hair brush or a
comb. The porter is given a box before
each run. filed with soap, brushes, combs
and other toilet articles. The brushes and
combs which have been used once are thor
oughly c,eansed and sterilized before being
sent out again.
Equipping a Diner.
The equipment of the dining car is. of
course, great business A small army of
caterers. cooks, wine stewards and walters
see to it; and woe betide anyone of them
If the man in charge Of the car finds any
thing missing after the train started on its
run.
If he discovers so much as spoon or a
salt cellar out of place. there Is going to
be trouble when he returns. He Is an auto
crat of the deepest dye. Even the skipper
of an ocean liner Is far less despotic far
less prone to find fault. Even the engineer
who runs the locomotive does not cast a
more critical eye over the work that has
been done for him than does the autocrat
of the dining car.
Passengers are sometimes inclined to de-
nounce the meals they get on the palace
car. OF course, they are not as good as the
finest productions of the kitchens of the big
hotels, but when the circumstance under
which they are cooked are taken into ac-.
count, IT must honestly be admitted that
they are marvels. Sympathy is often be-
slowed on the cook of an ocean liner, but
hIc ia lr ic Stpap1e ono com rod N that Of