The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1908-09-10
down for reporting all such cases, but

uOWu IOT rcpOTlIuS dll SUCH cases, Dul
sad to say like many another rule they
are not very strictly adhered to, for if
they were it would convince everybody
concerned that things are being
watched and that Indifference to the
transportation service would be treated
accordingly. Now very often the en-
gine failure report from the dispatcher
cannot or does not give complete infor-
nation, for the reason that it is impos-
sible to obtain it from the engineer,
and in many cases the dispatcher with
holds such things as would show indis-
cretion on his part in ordering the
locomotive out before the necessary
repairs were completed. Again, engi-
neers are rather cautious about sending
reports on snap judgment when there
is possibility of having to apologize
for it later in the office of the master
mechanic, and usually they give the
dispatcher only enough to satisfy him
as to the nature of the failure, such as
knocked out cylinder head, engine not
steaming, and such like. When he in
qulres why he issnot steaming, he will
generally get an evasive answer or
none at all, because the engineer hes
itates to place himself on record until
he is fully satisfied that he has located
the defect. 1t may be possible that it
is man failure and he desires time to
think it over and have the best expla-
nation ready on arrival at terminal.
Here is an illustration of what may
be called combination failure, a loco
motive handling passenger train of
less than 400 tons breaks a link hanger,
drifts into station and the dispatcher
is notified. After some delay loco
motive from work train service is
sent to the relief: she soon runs hot
and has to give up the train, then Q
freight engine is provided. The delay
results in the train being delivered to
the connecting line several hours late;
the defect in the hanger was not noticed
by the inspector at terminal; this caused
the failure. Now when the failure oc-
CURED, had the engineer blocked the
links on that side at cut off that
would have insured the proper handling
of the train, thereby making the time
and preventing both the man and en-
gine failure.
1t is sometimes amusing to see the
different schemes put up when men
have regularly assigned engines in
order to make sure of going out on
their regular engine. Sometimes man
will report the right cylinder loose on
one side to insure that his engine will
not be held over for work, when as q
matter of fact both cylinders are loose
and the next trip in the left side is re.
ported. BY this scheme he makes sure
of going out on his regular engine to
which by long familiarity he has be-
come attached. An engineer can pre-.
vent a delay very often 10y little
attention to the crossheads, rods, OF
wedges as the case may be while his
fireman is taking water, but if be does
J not get thru by the time the fireman is
J finished, 10 and behold the mechanical
J department is charged with a failure
But if train crew starts to pack hot
box or put in new brass when an en-
gine crew is taking water and are not
ready to 60 for fifteen or twenty min
! utes after the engineer has got his
clearance, it is very doubtful if trair
failure or delay report will show upoI
| the dispatcher's sheet. 1t may be thai
it is always deliberately covered up
For instance it is an easy matter fol
! the conductor to take five or six min
! utes to walk back to the caboose before
l he is ready to 60. Now this is hardl!
a fair show to the mechanical depart
: ment. If they were to give engineer
. little more credit for endeavoring tt
l avoid failures this source of worry t
. the mechanical aud transportation
8 would be eliminated to great extent
, By this l mean ii the mechanical de
. partment or itasrepresentative the en-
: gineer can by i've or ten minutes atten
s tion betwee4S terminals prevent
failure, should they not be given
. credit mark instead OF demerit?
There is no doubt if the dispatche
: and engine department do not pull to
8 gether, failures will keep growing
Engine failures, men failures or fail