The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-06-11
RAILROAD NEWS.
Fast Work Which Is Done at
Topeka Machine Shops.
Railroad Gazette Gives Report
Of Record Breaking Feats.
SPEAKS WELL FOR MEN
Some of the Effective Machines
Are 30 Years Old.
Credit Given to Foremen Me-
Herman and Osmam.
SPEAKS WELL FOR MEN

In the last Railroad Gazette an ex-
tended account is printed of the fast
time which is being made on certain
classes of machine work in the To-
peka shops of the Santa Fe. Some
of the machines which have been do
ing duty for 80 years seem to be able
to hold their own with the very latest
style of metal working machinery.
The information is credited to Su-
perintendent Lowell and Shop Super
intendent Purcell, and is of course ac-
curate. It will be of interest to shop
men. The article says: Some good
records have been made on both the
old and the new TOOLS The records
from the old tools compare favorably
with the records from tools of more
modern design. Some of these records
are as follows, it being indicated in
each case whether the tool is old or
new:
Three pairs of 79-inch Hanged driv-
ing wheels were rOughed and finished
in II 4 hours on an old 84-inch Niles
belt driven lathe, the cuts being 5-16
inches deep, Is inch feed, and the cut
ting speed 81 f.p.m. On. an old Be
ment & Son 60-inch beg driven Dor
ing mill, which had been in service
for about 0 years, seventeen 44-inch
tires were bored from start to finish
IN 9 4 hours, the belt having broken
speed of "a f. pm was used, with Is
inch cut and a inch feed. The first
10 tires were bored without removing
the tool. By putting heavier belts
and equipment for centering the tires
on this machine, the foreman expects
to be able to put a 44-inch tire
through in about 10 minutes His
plan involves setting four tools in line
in the rOughing bar and he expects
TO rough out the tire in to minutes.
On a new Niles IS inch direct motor
driven boring mill one 81 inch Hanged
tire was bored in 2 4 hours, 7-16
inches of metal being taken off. This
includes putting in and taking out.
The cutting speed was Is f.D.m., with
a "a inch feed and 3-8 inch rOughing
cut. The main driving piniOn and, in
fact, all of the gears on the machine
have been broken at different times
under this heavy performance and
they have been replaced by soft steel.
On a Niles-B ement-POnd 96 inch mill
a 62-inCh LatrObe tire was bored in3O
minutes using "a f. p. m, 3-8 inch feed
and Il to 3-16 inch cut for roughing.
It was finished with a broad nose tool
at s f.p.m. with a 1-inch feed.
On an old Bement & Son 4O-inch
horizontal boring mill that has been
in service 80 years a 19-inch x rs
inch cylinder was bored, faced and
counterbOred in 8 hours. The cutting
speed was 20 f.p.m., the feed 5-16
inches and the cut 3-S inches, z
new Pond 84-inch S4-inch direct
motor driven planer, compound IL
inch and 28-inch 2S-inch cylinders
were planned from start to finish,
which includes putting in and taking
out. in 20 hours. Cutting speed q
fp.m., feed 3-16 inches cut Y inch
for roughing. These cylinders were
bored on the Bement & Son horizontal
mill above, as follows; Setting, boring,
facing and counterbOring low pressure
cylinder, 10 hours; high pressure, 8
hours: valve chamber, hours. On
a Hewes & Phillips 6O-inch belt
driven planer, in service about eight
years, a set of two cast steel slab
frames for a 2O-inch x 26-inch. six
wheel switcher were completed in 35
hours. Speed, 81 f.p.m., cut 3-8
inches, feed 4 inch.
On a new Bement, Miles & Co. "a
in.x4S-in. direct motor-d driven double
head slotter the above frames were
slotted in 25 hours, the cutting speed
being 80 f. p. m, the feed 3-32-in. and
the cut a in. On a new Niles slim.
direct motOr-driven dOuble-head Dor
ing mill, babbitted eccentric straps
are bored out in % minis. from start
to finish, the cutting speed being 40
Z. D. m, the cut q in. and the feed
1-16 in. On an old Niles 36-in. lathe
Gin. steel aXles are turned from ss
in. roughing and finishing in hrs,
using for heaviest cuts u in. depth
4 in. feed and a speed of 6 f. p. m.