The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-05-31
George Westinghouse, Jr., Talks
About Experimental Wreck.
Railway Men We're Shown Latest
Safety Devices.
AUTOMATIC COUPLERS.
Many New Improvements in Air
Brake Appliances.
Gossip and Matters of Interest
in Railroad Circles.

/ Pittsburg, May 31.-In explanation Of
the recent experiment made before the
! delegates to the International Railway
/ congress while on visit here, when a
| locomotive hauling a number of steel
cars dashed at speed of 40 miles an
hour into another train of steel cars
without causing any serious damage,
| George Westinghouse, Jr.. said:
The special train experimental with
consisted of so modern steel cars fitted
with automatic couplers having a fric-
ton device incorporated in the draft
gear of each car, capable of absorbing
an immense amount of momentum
which would otherwise be very destruc-
i've to the car frames The couplings
OF these cars were also ~4itted with
device which automatically coupled the
aIr-brake pipes at the same time that
the couplings themselves are united.
The handles of the stOp-cOckS of the cir
brake pipe are so arranged that they
can be operated from either side of the
train, in order that employees need no
longer be required to go between the
cars for the operation of either the car
couplings or the air-brake couplings.
The triple valves used upon these
cars nave been perfected after many
years of experimentation. BY their use
the brakes upon the last car of the
longest train are set almost as quickly
for ordinary service stops as in the case
of an emergency application. The i'm
prOvements in these triple valves may
be said to be as important with refer
ence to the air-brake art of today as
were the earlier improvements, whereby
the brakes We're made to act autOmat-
ically in the event of the breaking in
two of a train or the bursting of a hose
pipe. Fortunately, these improvements
do not involve the throwing away of
valuable apparatus already in use, since
the present standard triple valves may
be altered to the new form.
'At the tests made for the European
delegates it was shown that it was i'm
possible for the engineer with thu
heaviest locomotive by any effort he
could make to break the train two. It
was also shown that train of SO cars,
running at speed of 20 miles an
hour could be stopped within a few
car lengths without shocks or dis
turbances Of any character.
with any train, whatever its
length, fitted with the friction-draft
gear, it will be impossible for an acct
dent to happen from the bursting of a
hose in the middle of a train, even if
the rear cars are not fitted with air
brakes. The friction device referred
to has been adopted by the Pennsyl-
vania railroad and is being applied to
all of its new cars and to the cars of
many other roads, and already over
10000 cars have been thus fitted.
1.-THE single phase alternating loco
motive exhibited for the first time was
capable of exerting a drew-bar pull of
5000 pounds and could have hauled
100 cars as easily as the great steam
locomotive moved the fifty cars. The
contrast between the steam locomotive
with all its noise. smoke and dirt, and
the electric locomotive, which started
the train without those looking on be-
ing aware of it, was one of the most
noticeable features of the exhibition.
This electric locomotive was operated
by current from an overhead wire no
larger than that required for an ordi-
nary street car. The electric pressure,
however, was three times as great as
that used for street car work. The
locomotive in question has been de-
signed for the purpose of assisting
heavy freight trains up steep grades
on an important railroad"