Omaha daily bee., 1910-07-05
GET THERE WITH THE LOAD
Modern Methods Prevent Locomotive
Becoming Pet of the
Engineer.

Sentiment doesn't exist any more in the
heart OF the locomotive engineer toward
the great machine in which he steers his
trains OF cars-passenger cars with their
hundreds of human souls; freight cars Of
halfmile lengths into which thousands of
tons Of commodities are loaded to car ca
paclties.
The great public which always is looking
to the melodramatics of trades and profess
sions, nurses an old, idyllic fallacy which
one time did exist in types of railroad To-
connective men, but which long since passed
by force Of circumstances when holders of
common stock in railroads began to demand
dividends.
In those day of the old-time engineer who
ran his brass trimmed locomotive which
virtually belonged to him 1t was different.
John Smith had his engine No. 001100.
| II he were on the sick list 001100 stayed in
II he were old in the service and had won
| It's stall in the roundhouse till he got well.
| his spurs in achievement and sobriety II
was as much as the roundhouse foremans
nose and front teeth were worth for 001lOO
to be given strange, man for an emer-
| gency run.
When the engineman was ready to take
OO1lOO out OF it's stall its heavy brass mount
! ings had to hurt his eyes in the sunlight
II his fireman had not failed OF the effect
in wiping it down. On occasion If some
thing did happen to OO11OO its engine driver
was faithful. considerate nurse. He
might hang around it for hours in the
roundhouse until the seat of the trouble
was found and made plain to him--if the
trouble could be found. For often in those
days not even the expert roundhouse fore
man could find and explain away this
trouble. No one associated with 001100 in
any capacity could be doubly sure that his
diagnosis or his remedy were correct.
Today however, when science Of mathe-
mates and engineering in all branches is
reduced to an exactness that is incontro-
Vertible, a locomotive is a locomotive. Its
number no longer stands as having a mean
ing to the engneman. He must know
what's the matter, If anything is the mat
ter. He has his locomotive and his time
schedule. He has so many passenger
coaches and sleepers in his train. He has
his highly standardized locomotive and
highly technical machinists In the shops
have Inspected the engine and brought II
up to standard working condition. He runs
by the watch, and If he Is late a query
is awaiting him after his schedule run.
In the freight service not only does he
have his common property locomotive but
scientific men have determined just how
many tons of freight his machine can pull
on time over the gradients of his division.
He is timed according to his maximum
load-and he Is expected to make his time
schedule. In either case. too. three other
men than the present driver may have been
putting the locomotive through it's PAGES.
Get the time out of it," is the injunction
of the railroads operating department
Take the haul out of II and get into
the roundhouse," is the admonition of the
freight traffic end OF the service. And In
either field the engine driver takes his
orders TO the letter.
There's nothing else for the. enginemap
, and the conductor to do, nowadays. Once
the old-time freight conductor could tell a
yardmasteT where to go by force of gravity
. II the yardmaster insisted that he put -four
more cars into the conductors own ideas
of what a train was. In ton measurements
now, the conductor is forgetting how e
swear. II grades and tonnage OF the traiT
are out OF proportion, the freight become.
double-header,
That's your tonnage" asserts the traffic
head OF the business; get there with it."
1t Is commerce" today where once &
was "rairoading" to the old-tlme engineer
The block signal is the great regulator
along the line.-Chicago Tribune.
Persistent Advertising is the Road t.
Big Returns.