The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-04
AUTO WILL PULL
RAILROAD CARS
From Popular Mechanics.

From Popular Mechanics.
The most powerful automobile in the
world will soon be seen running through
the streets of Jersey City. N. J., taking
| the place of eight horses which pull the
freight cars from the freight yards to
the factory spurs 1t is now at the Penn
sylvania railroad terminal in that city,
where two chauffeurs are being trained
In its management.
The automobile weighs 2S $50 pounds. is
/ y feet in length and feet inches in
width, 1t is operated by electricity and
is fitted with SO of the largest storage
batteries made. It's speed is eight miles
and hour and enough current can be
stored to carry it 40 miles without re-
charging the batteries.
Some idea of its pulling power can be
gained from the fact that when it was
first put together at the Altoona shops
1t was tested in tug of war with a
hog freight engine, one of the most
powerful types of locomotive. The big
automobile, the wheels of which ran ON
the ground, slowly pulled the engine
away, although the engineer had on all
the steam his boilers could generate
The big automobile was designed to
end the danger of drawing cars through
| the city streets by horse power, as is done
In Jersey City, or by steam, as on the
New York Centrals west side tracks
along New York's streets Deaths and
minor accidents have been unavoidable
where these methods have been used, as
1t has been impossible to stop train of
cars suddenly when emergency demand
ed 1t.
This big auto promises TO make the
hauling of railroad trans through the
streets safer than the running of pleas
ure automobiles. as, while it is impossi-
Bile to stop an ordinary auto going at a
moderate speed in less than 10 or Is feet,
1t is stated by the railroad officials that
the tractor. with a train of cars behind
II, can be brought to dead stop within
two feet by means of air brakes operat-
ing on the cars and tractor smultane-
ously.
A device In the drawheads at each end
of the auto takes up the shock of sudden
stoppage, the drawbar working in COM
pressed air. 1t requires a 10,000-pound
pull TO bring the metal parts into con-
tact.
In the interior of each wheel is large
cogwheel. which fills all of the space
except a few inches within the outer
rim. At the top is a smaller cog on
shaft Independent of the wheel axle, its
teeth meshng with the larger cog. Each
wheel is driven Independently of the
other three and each is steered and
braked separately, but the motions are
simultaneous. The inventor claims that
but one-half second is lost in braking,
from the touch of the brake handle to
the time the machine and all the load J.
is drawing Is motionless. II the chauf-
feur is facing an emergency he may keep
his hand ON the steering wheel and by
leaning his body against the air switch
can instantly apply the brake. The air
appliance not only puts on the brake, but
1t also stops all the power in the ma
chine and locks the power levers. which
no accident can get in motion again until
the airbrake is thrown off. In this re-
spect this machine is different from
steam engines or automobiles, as on these
machines the operator, must not only ap-
ply the brakes, but must shut off the
power.