The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-05-02
considerable saving to the railroad

considerable saving 10 the railroad
company.
There are ll3 engines on the South
shore road. all OF which are repaired
in the shops in Marquette. In fact.
all of the rolling stocl, is repaired
there. TO accomplish all this work.
extensive repair shops are necessary,
aud these must contain good machin-
cry In order TO do efficient work. When
built the shops we're considered mod
ern. but time has caused change and
the latest machinery is SO far ahead
of the old. some of which has been the
same for thirty-five years, that there Is
no comparison.
The biggest piece Of machinery is an
electric. motor driven. driving wheel
lathe. the largest lathe that Is made
for the purpose. II shapes the driving
wheels of locomotives after they are
worn down. and in doing this it is
generally necessary to cut off about
zoo pounds of steel at a turning.
| The lathe, is massive affair. and
a set of driving wheels seems lost
when i'm its grip. The first turning
was done yesterday. a rusty and
worn driving wheel was rolled in at
zone side of the shop, raised by pulley
and clamped into position between the
Jaws OF the lathe A twenty-five
horse power motor started the lathe
land / ~ inch by pinch high speed
steel cutting tool cut into the vince
and took of ribbon of steel half ar
inch in thickness. The friction gave
the ribbon red heat and ii curlcd al
and fell of like the pecling of an apple
This gave the wheels rough edge
but other cutting toois were used ond
the wheels soon had smooth finish.
Both wheels on a set are turned sim
ultaneously and from seven to eigh
such wheels can be turred out in tel
hours. The old lathe turned out tw'
wheels a day. The steel tire on
wheel Is good for about three turnings
The lathe takes off 200 pounds eacl
time. "A wheel can run three year
: before il needs to go or the lathes TO
. repairs. The life OF a tire is &C
4 cording to the mileage made by the en-
/. CINE. At tie end of this time the tire
, are iaken OFF the wheels and new ste'
tires put en-. There were S0i locomo
+, tive driving wheel tires turned las
year and so wheels bored for new tire
:, TWO hundred coach steel wheel tire
= were also turned. In this way abot
: hfty engines were repaired. This yea
+, the number will be increased to SON
f, extent as the new lathe will be alb
To handle the wheels much faster.
The driving wheel lathe is practica
- ~ three machines in one, as there is
three horse quartering machine {
each side for boring the crank p
holes of the driving wheels. There
- also a separate tool rest which ca
- be put on the machine for the purpo
= OF turning the journal of the axle.
Several other massive machines ha'
been installed, in comparison vi
which the old ones are insigniiical
There Us a steam hammer, the die al
: hammer of which weighs 1900 pounc
and which strikes blow of fifte
~ tons The old hammer struck Il biz
: of three tons and the hammer weigh
COO pounds.
:" An electric power shears cuts &C
iron like cheese. Rods. two inches
= diameter, and bars. six inches wi
" and ono inch thick. were cut off.
motor driven fan has also been insta
ed.
" A motor driven plate roll, viii
makes boilers of q Inch plate twcl
feet across. takes up Il large space
one of the shops. The steel plate
put in cold. and 3 shifting of the 70
gives the boilers the right diameter.
In the way Of boring machines th'
are two new ones, forty-two In
- car wheel boring machine and IL
ret head machine.