The Daily Missoulian., 1910-12-12

been making to improve this brahch
of instruction.
The University Of Illinois is already
well equipped to handle the scientific
end Of the department and through
their previous tests and study have
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
engineering before much progress can
5be expected in the way Of research.
The success already obtained at the
University, of Illinois Is due to three
factors. First the provision made by
the state legislature foi engineering;
second, capable. efficient men in
charge Of the department; third, IN
the enthusiastic encouragement and
co. operation tof the engineering inter-.
ests Of the state and country.
Aiding Great Enterprise.
What the agricultural colleges and
experiment stations are doing for ag-
riculture the school of railway engi-
heering and administration would do,
for the railway service; a service
which deals with the greatest single
business enterprise Of our country.
Here is a field OF vast opportunities
for the conservation OF energy. OF the.
elimination Of waste, for improved
methods of administration and con-
troll Something has already been ac-
complished.
The dynamometer car, as 1t Is called,
owned jointly by the University Of
Illinois and the Illinois Central rail-
road was built In 1900 and was re-
modelled in 1907. The railroad has sup
piled the car and the university has.
furnished al apparatus.
The car has been operated over
practically the entire Illinois Central
railway system. It has also been used
In making train resistance and tom
mage rating tests on the New Jersey
Central. the Baltimore & Ohio. and
the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago &
st. Louis.
During the investigation to deter
mine the feasibility and cost of elec-
trifying the New York Central termi-
nal Of the New Jersey Central road it
became necessary to determine the
power consumption of all the trains
entering and leaving the Grand Gem
trail station For this purpose dyna-
monleter car was needed and test car
II was selected. 1t was engaged In
this work for about five weeks. Dur
ing all this work the car has been
in charge Of the Instructors of the uni I
versity and has been manned by tho
railway engineering department stuS
dents.
Wonderful Test Car. III
The car is designed primarily to
measure the pull of the LOCOMOTIVES
upon the train. This pull is graphic-
ally recorded on 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 making train resistance tests, or
tests to determine the fuel or water
consumption of the engine.
The drop testing machine looks and
/ is operated very much like a pile
driver It is used to test by i'm
| pact car couplers. wheels, aNles, rails,
4 etc. It conforms in it's design to the
specifications of the Master Car Build
| ers' association. It consists primar-
i lily of a hammer weighing 1910 pounds
which runs in vertical guides SO feet
4 in height. The weight of this ham,
4 mer can, in special cases, be in
4 creased to 1000 pounds. The material
to be tested is placed upon a massive
cast iron anvil at the base of the ma
chine and the weight is allowed to fall
4 upon it from any desired height. The
{ material 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
f machine under specifications which
have been adopted py the Master Car