The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-12-25
THE LOCOMOTIVE BUSTER"
Exciting Work of Man Who Breaks
Engines Into Service.

All are familiar with numerous and
varied experiences of a man undergo
ing the ordeal of Harvesting a colt
for the first time, teaching the animal
to- obey the pull OF the rein and break
ing the animal into the duties for
which 1t Is destined. Few people, how
ever, outside the realm of the operat-
ing department of railroad know
anything of the oftimes vexatious Pc
culiarities and not infreQuently SEEM
ingly intelligent capers of a locomotive
when being "broke'' to its mission in
the world. Each new engine must un-
dergo a set training test before it is
put into actual service, and each To-
connective which has gone through the
shops for repairs is given certain
working out before it is returned to
it's erstwhile duties.
Some locomotive manufacturing
companies complete their engines
ready for actual service before send
ing them out, others ship them to- the
destination in a partial "knock-down
state and they are completed in the
shops of the road to which they are
delivered
When a new engine is taken into
shop 1t is turned over to mechanic
whose duty 1t is to fit it up, make all
connections and adjustments of the in
terror mechanism. This completed,
the engine is turned over to a fireman,
who steams it up and blows 1t off in
have accumulated in the boiler or any
such foreign substance as might cause
boiler to foam" while in service.
The engine is then turned over to an
engineer, whose duty it is to break
it in. The engine is steamed up again
and If it will run is taken for little
try-out about the yard
The science of locomotive building
has been developed to such fine
point that there is little danger now Of
an engine "bucking'' on it's first trial.
The main feature in the test is to see
that there is no heating in the journals
rod brasses. If there is no heating
the engine is run about the yards Tor
about half a day and the steam is
again blown from the boiler. The en-
CINE is then steamed up and taken
for a long run on the main line IL
during this test there are no capers
cut the engine is sent out for its first
trip with about so tons to draw. If
# runs all right the tonnage is grad
ually increased to $50 tons. The ton
mage depends greatly upon the size Of
the engine. The average engine OF
mountainous road and from LOO to
300 tons over a level haul. The race
course or trial track of the N. {. ana
St L. road is from the new shops to
the stock yards, near Phillips & But
torff's foundry, over double track
about two and a half miles in length.
The test speed is from one to twenty
miles per hour.
Heating is one of the principal dis
eases of an engine, and it is this fea-
ture the engineer looks 70 more than
ANYTHING else. The mechanical sense
of the engineer is so developed that
he can detect the least defect about his
engine.
John Miller, who is the "locomo-
tive buster for the Nashville, Chatta-
nooea and ST. Louis Railway COM
pany, breaks on an average of 20 en-
rines each month. He has been
breaking engines for this company for
the past five years. He was the first
man TO run an engine into the new
shops in West Nashville. He has just
completed breaking engine NO. 219,
one of the new consolidated engines
which has just been received by the
N. G, and ST. L. There were 10 of
the new engines, all of which have
been received within the past six
months.
"My experience as locomotive
breaker" said Mr.. Miller. ARE in
Vulnerable. With some engines have
a great deal of difficulty in starting
them, with others 1t is the reverse The
most DANGEROUS prODOSitiOn in break