New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-06-24
THE PEOPLES COLUMN

teris which IL frequently deposited IN
drops underneath the car body and on the
ends Of the brake-shoe. II the nrst
emergency application is sufficient to set
the wheels the condition is even worse
for the contact between wheel and rail- is
less than the contact between wheel ana
brake shoe. Thus the surface Of the wheel
is melted and carried away until the
wheel materially increases its contact with
the rail through the nattenIng thus pro-
duced
Furthermore. under modern conditions
the braking effect should not he applied
TO the periphery OF the wheel On account
OF the uneven wear on wheels and brake
shoes the brake-shoe cannot be counted
upon 10 be at all times in contact with
the wheel over its full surface. The heat
generated on applying the brakes sets up
expansion strains in the wheel, and by
heating the periphery OF the wheel tends
10 reduce its ability to withstand wear
due TO its contact with the rail. All or
this can he avoided by removing the
brakes entirely from the wheels and APP
plying all the braking effect TO cylinders
attached to the car axle between the
wheels. which cylinders will be used only
TO secure the necessary braking effect
The area Of these cylinders can then be
increased as much as the weight ana
speed Of the train demands The brakes
may he properly adjusted. and, on ac-
count OF the increased area. the necessary
brakng effect can be secured with much
less tension on the members operating the
brakes.
This condition was pointed out by the
writer several years ago, and was care
fully considered by the railroad officials
10 whom the suggestion was made, but on
account OF the difficulty Of inducing rail-
way companies 10 make any change In
their equipment (although the engineers
realized the necessity for making such
change) this railroad. along with all
others, is still following the old method.
But the change is inevitable, and high
speed passenger trains. at least. should be
ut once equipped with this character or
braking apparatus. so that the energy OF
a heavy fast-moving train can be absorbed
By a sufficient area OF material 10 avoid
the possibility OF melting the parts in con-
tact.
The evidence at hand In connection with
the New Haven wreck shows that the
brakes were thrown into the emergency
position, but did not retard the train as
much as the engineer had reason TO ex-
pect. The engineer by his own statement
had been operating comparatively slow
moving freight trains, where an emergency
application did not call upon the brake
shoes to absorb the amount OF energy
that an emergency application on the more
rapidly moving passenger train required
to be absorbed Therefore, in all prob
ability the emergency application made
on this train merely resulted in melting
the surface OF the brake-shoes. thereby
actually reducing the braking effect be-
low that which could have been secured
by the ordinary application without the
emergency, as the tests above referred
to have disclosed the fact that under
conditions OF emergency application the
surface OF the bra.e-shoe is called upon
to absorb so much energy that Il Is
melted before the temperature can be dis
sipated into the mass of metal, and the CO.
efficient OF friction between the brake
shoe and the wheel is reduced to point
below that existing under the ordinary
application. when the metal has an op-
portunlty to absorb more OF the temper
ature produced.
The braklng problem OF the high speed
railroad trains demands our attention.
why not look into II now?
WALTER G. CLARK
No. 14s Broadway. New York, June II,