The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-12-23

ing to be established. The movement
has been brought about through the in
nuence of railroad men and is an out
growth of the efforts which the rail-
roads themselves have been making TO
improve this branch of instruction.
The University of Illinois is already
we'll equipped to handle the scientific
end of the department and through
their previous tests and study haze
brought about many important i'm
provements in railroad construction.
The accompanying illustration gives
an idea of the large initial outlay
necessary in certain departments of en-
gineering before much progress can be
expected in the way of research The
success already obtained at the Uni
versity of Illinois is due to three fac
tors First. the provision made by the
state legislature for engineering; sec
ond. capable, efficient men in charge
of the department.; third, in the en-
thusiastic encouragement and coop
Grafton of the engineering interests OF
the state and country.
What the agricultural colleges and
experiment stations are doing for agri-
culture the school Of railway engineer
ing and administration would do for
the railway services a service which
deals with the greatest single business
enterprise of our country. Here is a
field of vast 7opportunities-for the con-
servation of energy. of the elimination
of waste. for improved methods of ad-
ministration and control. Something
has already been accomplished.
The dynamometer car. as it is called,
owned Jointly by the University of I'LL
nois and the Illinois Central railroad
was built in 1900 and was remodeled in
1907. The railroad has supplied the car
and the university has furnished all
apparatus.
The car has been operated over prac-
tically the entire Illinois Central rail-
way system. 1t has also been used in
making train resistance and tonnage
rating tests on the New Jersey Central,
the Baltimore & Ohio. and the Cleve-
land, Cincinnati. Chicago & st. Louis.
In the investigation to determine
the feasibility and cost of electrify-
ing the New York Central terminal of
the New York Central road it became
necessary to determine the power con-
sumption of all the trains entering and
leaving the Grand Central station. For
this purpose a dynamometer car was
needed and test car II was selected 1t
was engaged in this work for about
five weeks. In all this work the car
has been in charge of the instructors
OF the university and has been man
ned by the railway engineering de-
partment students.
The car is designed primarily to
measure the pull. of the locomotive
upon the train. This pull is graphic
ally recorded on a chart within the
car. During tests in addition to the
draw bar pull there are made contin-
uous records of time, speed, location
of mile posts. stations, etc, wind We
locity, wind direction, steam pressure
on the engine, and various other items
of information, such as the position of
the reversed lever in the engine cab.
All of these data are necessary in max
| ing train resistance tests, or tests to
| determine the fuel or water consump-
| ton of the engine.
The drop testing machine looks and
| is operated very much like pile driv-
| er. 1t is used to test by impact car
couplers, wheels, axles. rails, etc. 1t
conforms in its design to the specifica-
tions of the Master Car Builders asso-
citation. 1t consists primarily of a ham
mer weighing 1,640 pounds which
runs in vertical guides SO feet in
| height. The weight of this hammer
can, in special cases, be increased to
1000 pounds. The material to be
tested Is placed upon a massive cast
| iron anvil at the base of the machine
and the weight is allowed to fall upon
| 1t from any desired height. The ma
terial to be tested is held upon the
anvil by means of special fixtures de-
| signed for the purpose. All the above
| mentioned material is tested upon this
| machine under specifications which
nave been adopted by the Master Car
| Builders association and by the Am
erlcan association for testing mater
1als. Results are useful to the pur-
| chaser in protecting him against de-
| fective or weak material and to the
manufacturer in enabling him to i'm
prove his product The machine is
also used for Institutional purposes
and familiarizes the student with the
| quality of railway material and with
! the tests which he is likely to be called
upon to make during his early expert
ence in service
-