The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-02-29
RAILROAD NEWS.
Description of Engine Testing
Plant to Be at st. Louis.
VIII Produce Valuable Scien-
tific Information.
INGENIOUS INVENTION.
How a Locomotive Will Be Run
Full Speed
And at the Same Time Remain
Stationary.
INGENIOUS INVENTION.

The management Ol tllG CA4Al1S ~ e'AAAee
railroad system, realizing the import
ance of having accurate information OF
locomotive performances, concluded that
the time had arrived when adequate
facilities should be provided for such in
vestigation and detailed analysis of the
designs as may be necessary to test
the conclusions of the expert designers,
which could not be made earlier. With
that object in view, the railroad man
agement appropriated the sum of $780,
900 to be devoted in great part to the
installment of a suitable testing plant
at St Louis.
The apparatus consists of a set of sup
porting axles in number equal to the
driving axles of the locomotive under
test. Upon each axle are mounted two
steel-tired supporting wheels. These
wheels are so placed on the axle that
the distance between them corresponds
to the standard gauge of track, 4 feet
81 inches. It will, therefore. be seen
that these wheels take the place of the
track upon which the locomotive usually
runs The supporting axles are fitted
with journals outside of the supporting
wheels. The journals are 9 inches in
diameter and "A inches in length, and
are carried by self-adjusting bearings
held in pedeStals of special design, rest
ing upon and attached to bed plates
firmly secured to a foundation Of suff-
Gent size and weight, not only to sup
port the weight of the locomotive, but
also to absorb without material vibra-
lions the oscillations and shocks pro-
duced by the locomotive when running
at high speed. The weight of the sup
porting aXles and wheels is 5S $50
pounds. The total weight of pedestals
and bearings upon which rest the sup
IrT de-
bed plates for the pedestals and bear
ings are each 81 feet in length and a
total weight of $4,000 pounds. The
foundations which carry the bed plates
viii extend beyond the latter, where
they are firmly secured to them by
heavy anchor bolts.
During test the drawbar of the loco
motive is firmly attached to the draw
bar of a Gynamometer and is thereby
held in place on the supporting wheels.
The dynamOmeter is capable of regis
tering traction effort of $4,000 pounds.
This powerful and interesting machine
is now in course of construction at the
works of Messrs. William Sellers & Co,
Incorporated, Philadelphia, who are
also constructing the bearings, pedes-
tails and bed plates. The design is the
work of the firm named in consultation
with the engineers of the Pennsylvania
Railroad company. The necessary re-
SlStance to the aXleS and supporting
wheels is provided by the use of alb
sorption brakes, one being attached to
each end of the supporting aXleS. These
brakes are so constructed that by adj
hitting to them water under pressure,
any desired resistance to the motion of
the supporting wheels, and through
them to the driving wheels, can be pro-
vided. These brakes are now being
constructed by Prof. George I. Alden,
of Worcester, Mass, from his own de-
sign. One interesting feature of the
brake is that the water which is made
to flow through it under variable pres
sure, not only provides the necessary
resistance, but also absorbs and car
ries away the heat generated by the
friction between the various parts of
the brake.
1t will be noticed that a locomotive
of $4,000 pounds trachve power, run
ming at n speed Of 40 miles per hour, or
one of $4,000 pounds tractive power
running at a speed Of so miles per hour,
on the supporting wheels and securely
fastened to the dynamometer to which
the entire pull Of the locomotive is
transmitted, will exert a tremendous
force and cause such vibrations that
to resist these the most skillfully de-
signed and heavy foundations will have
to be provided. The width of the
foundation is 13 feet and it's length 62
feet. Its depth at one end where the
dynamometer is secured to it, is 8 feet
4 inches. Immediately in front of the
dynamometer 1t is 5 feet, and from
that point to the extreme opposite end
its depth gradually diminishes from the
latter figure to 8 feet. To increase
the rigidity and strength there are i'm
bedded in the concrete, in the bottom
and top. a series of steel rods. The
weight Of the foundation complete is
600.0 900 pounds.
1t is probable that twelve locomotives
will be tested. and that from fourteen
to twenty tests of each locomotive will
be made. Each test will be the equiva-
lent Of run of 100 miles, It's duration
will vary from two to six hours. de-
pending upon the rate of speed and
load In a general way the data Sc
cured from each test will show:
Ftrst-The performance of the loco
motive as whole under which rela-
ton general comparison will be based