The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1907-03-05
TASK FOR AN ENGINE.
Men Who Are Held Responsible When
1t Falls Short in Its Work.

1t Falls Short in Its Work.
When a locomotive is built it is
expected to make certain mileage
before it receives a general overhaul
ing. When that overhauling is done
it is again required to make def
mite mileage.
A modern passenger locomotive is
expected, says the Ohio Magazine, to
cover 100000 miles between general
"shoppings," intermediate repairs be-
ing made at the various roundhouses.
Responsibility for failure of loco
motive to perform the work cut out
for it is easily fixed by means of
system of records. The superintend-
ent of shops is responsible for all
power cut out of service on the road
and placed inside the shop grounds,
and this responsibility does not END
until the locomotive is ready for SER
vice again. From the time that it is
ready for service until it is once more
cut out for repairs in the shop the
master mechanic shoulders the re-
sponsibility.
When the locomotive is ready to
leave the shops it is inspected jointly
by the shop inspector, under the sup
erintendent of shops, and an inspector
working under the master mechanic.
Every workman who has any part
whatever in the handling of the loco
motive is responsible to his immedi-
ate foreman, just as the foreman is
responsible to his superiors.
In spite of the many intricate parts
of a locomotive the company records
show less than one engine failure for
every $1,000 miles. An engine fail
ure" is delay of one minute or more
to any train, provided it is caused by
failure of the machinery of the loco
motive.
Each of the many locomotives of a
big system-790 in one case-has a
decided individuality in the eyes of
the railroad. At headquarters is
known not only the cost of original
construction, but the cost of labor and
materials used in repairs and the en-
tire expense of maintenance down to
date.
The labor of every man who works
for even an hour upon certain en-
gine, each mechanic recording his
labor upon a slip of paper known as
daily time certificate, which in turn
is certified to by his immediate fore
man and forwarded to the general
timekeeper. The records of the road
enable the officials to show the exact
cost of labor and material for each
mile that a locomotive travels. or
each ton hauled.
In the case of collisions or wrecks,
where the fault is not one of defec-
tive workmanship or material, the
locomotive may enter the general
shops for rebuilding, even though 1t
may not have completed the mileage
assigned to it. and no responsibility
attaches itself to those on whom it
would otherwise fall The locomotive
is simply repaired and is allowed to
! complete the mileage originally as
| signed 10 IL.
When locomotive is brought into
the shops for work it is first stripped
by the men who comprise what is
known as the stripping gang. This
gang Immediately takes off such parts
of the engine as are necessary for the
respective job
The parts to be repaired are cleaned
in vat and the work is then distrib-
uted among the various employees OF
the machine and blacksmith depart
ments, each part when repaired to be
returned to the erecting side of the
shop. TO be mounted again on the
locomotive by the date on which II is
scheduled to go on the road. The
dates are posted in a conspicuous
place convenient to each repair gang.