Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-04-21
WATERVILLE.
SUMMER TRAFFIC.
Maine Central Repair Shops at
Watervi|Ie Busy Preparing.
When Portland Shop Is Completed
Work Will Be Divided.
2roccss of OvcrhauIinu at the RaiIrn,d
Process of Ovcrhauling at the Railroad
Hospital.

" Dt louIltl HI NlJllle ut the present
time is at the repair shops of the Maine
Central railroad i'll this city, where a
force of about go men is engaged nine
hours every working day and some
times on Sundays, in ovcrhauling Il
great part of the motive and passenger
rolling stock of the road and putting il
in readiness for the wear and tear
which will come with the rush of sum-
mer traffic soon to begin. This is the
great hospital Of the road to which dis
ablcd and rundown engines and cars
are brought for treatment and sent out
again blight as Il new dollar and al
most. if not quite as good as when they
made their first trip over the road. OF
course there is a great deal of repair
ing done on cars which do not belong
to the road. but which are injured
while in its charge and have to be sent
to these shops for repairs, but at this
time of year there is an immense lot
of the property of the road to be over
hauled and nearly all Of it comes to the
Watervillc shops. When the shops in
Portland are ready for business the
work VIII be divided with them and the
pressure at the shops here relieved.
hNit hlt 81 fl'iiy NltB'il HI
the great brick buildings at the upper
end of the yard that it would be i'm
possible to describe the work done in
all OF them. and il would be a day
we'll spent if Il person could so through
the shops and sec how each detail of
the work is done. for i'll less than :, day
Il visitor could get but Il mcaGrc idea
Of it al.
ON going through from the Office into
the shops the visitor comes first to the
engine repair shop, a great room taken
up on one side with pondcrous ma
chimes and on the other with the tracks
on which the engines rest. Here the
engines. from the little putting shiftcrs
TO the great moguls, arc lacked up as
if they were SO many toy carts and
their boilers and every part of them
overloaded and cleaned while their
outer parts receive a coat of shiny
black paint.
Off 10 the left of the entrance 10 the
engine shop the visitor passes through
I small room to the air-brake room.
In this room all the testing of air
brakes and valves for the whole road
is done, and the work will probably be
of more interest to the visitor than that
of any other department. The visitor
will probably be startled at first, for
on every side there is Il hiss of Cscap-
ing air suddenly released from confine-
ment at high pressure. Here every
valve, air-brake hose. cylinder or any
other fixture subject to high pressure
from 2ir or steam is subjected to a Sc
we're test before it is put in its position
for use. They are tested beyond any
pressure that may possibly be brought
to bear on them while in use and if
there is a flaw 1t is sure to be discov-
cred
Ina room overhead the hose used i'm
making the air-brake couplings is put
together. the joints being forced on by
Il powerful air-pressure. When the
hose and joints have been put together
they are attached to cylinders in the
same position as they would be in use
on q train and tested at q high pres-
sure. Every detail of the work is care
fully looked after and no possibility Of
"A flaw is allowed to get by the work
men. SO far as possible, compressed
air is used in the work, even to the ell
evator capable Of lifting nearly ton
and raised or lowered by the mere
opening Oh a waive.
Adjoining the air-brake department
is the blacksmith shop, the work in
which is similar to that in any shop of
its kind. only in this shop the horses
shOd are the Iron horses" which
draw the trains. In the freight repair
shops adjoining the engine shop, two
thirds Of the frcight-car repairing OF
the road Is done, a force Of nearly 60
men being employed. There is always
a great deal of work for this depart
1nent for the freight cars are continu-
ally being broken while being hunted
about on the sidingS. and in some cases
the cars have to be almost rebuilt. New
cars are also built here. The men in
this shop are masters of their trade and
some great records have been made in
the fitting Of cars with air-brakes.
Here also compressed air is used as
much as possible to make the work
quicker and easier even to q bit -stock
attachment which borcs hole in one
fourth Tho time it could be done by
human power.
Next to the freight repair shop is
the mill room where the lumber used in
repairing the cars is manufacture
The rough lumber is brought here in
carloads and the boards and pIanks
plancd and sawed to fit the purpose
for which they are to he used. A bit
item Of the work is the manufacturing
Of the stakes used on the fat cars
Over head is another room where the
finer work is done Here doors and
sashcs are made and the veneerinE and
fine woodwork for use in the passenger
cars are prepared
In the coach repair shops the work
of repairing the passenger cars Is done
There is now in course Of construction
in this department private car to re-
place the old 5Jj which has been in
service for so many years. This car is
to be palace on wheels and will be
one Of the finest private cars in SER
vice in the country. The car is to be
"a feet in length with a steel frame and
heavily re-enforced with steel through
out, making it extremely stable and
heavy. 1t is to be lighted with electrici-