The Whitefish pilot., 1912-10-10
LOCOMOTIVE HAS
STEERING WHEEL
NEW ENGINES HAVE TO BE d.
RECTED AROUND SHARP
MOUNTAIN CURVES.

Engineer Harry Rolf, cne CT the
we'll known and c.d-time "hcghe ads
on the Kalisrell Givisio n, has en- ac-
count CT being a sort of mechanical
genius and having the ability and
knack to coax a peevish locomotive
over the hump" been appointed
chauffeur ard chief instructor en-
the big new articulated supecheater
compound mallet Locomotives, which
have been nick-named the Bull
Moose" by railroad men.
To speak CT a chauffeur en- a To-
ccmctive sounds as if new rail
read phrase has been coined. and
it may be before many years
that the word engineer" will be-
come obsolete entirely if the lccCm D
tive builders try to keep pace with,
and copy after, the automobile. Any
way Mr. Rolf has been leading
some CT the railroad men to believe
that chauffeur is required to guide
these modern moncEths CT the rail
along the iron trail that crosses the
back bone of the Rocky Mountains
which separates the Flathead val
ley from the rest of the world to
the east of us.
1t is Mr. Rolf's duty to take On
student engineers, as it were, and
explain to them the functions Of
the intricate and numerous pieces CT
machinery about this massive loco
motive in order that they may be
able to handle the big brute" in
telligently and make her pull her
full capacity cf $500 tons of freight
over the steep winding mountain
grade between here and Cut Bank
Upon entering the cab the new
man is confronted with "a bewt,der-
ment of levers, gagues, valves, ETC.,
each one of them necessary to make
the Bull Moose do the engineers
bidding, ard upon the proper handl-
ing Of which it depends whether CIR
net che will balk in ''his" traces.
The one thing that attracts the ct
tentiCn CT the novice at first sight
is a small wheel directly in from. CT
the engineers seat box that looks
for all the wor.d like the steering
wheel CT an autcmobile No other
lcccmctive was ever made with an
CT this kind, and it nat
u.ally would excite the curiosity CT
anyone who knew anything at all
ctcut an engine. The first thing he
does is to inquire wha. shat thing is
Tor. Mr.. Rolf in his suave easy man
ner and with a twinkle in his eye
explains. That is the thing you
f1.eer the brute with No wcnder
The Cther fellow stares in amazeme Mt
Who ever heard of steering a loco
motive before? OF course ncthing is
nCt out OF place in this age OF wcn-
derful conventions, SO he accepts the
with a little doutting."Ye
explains Mr.. Rolf, You see thc-e
frcnt engines are away up ahead
there" as he points to the low pres
lure cylinders which look almost a
mile away from the lofty cab win
dow, land you have to handle this
wheel to guide her around those
sharp curves in the mountains, other
wise, being Bull Moose, it IS liable
TO take to the woods"
Nothing more said. The firemen
looked at the steam gague and add
ed few more scoops of coal to the
fire. Rolf put the reverse lever down
in the corner, looked out of the
window and getting a high ball from
the conductor released the air footed
the whistle twice, pulled out the
throttle and eff moved the train
just as easy as could be. One hum
dred and twenty-eigtt leads we're
hauled 153 miles in jus. seven hours
ard twenty-five minutes, including
delays, on the High Line between
Havre and Cut Bank by Mr.. Rolf in
making the test.