The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-10-16
RIGID INSPECTION ELIMINATES HOT
 BOXES ON ROAD
Cars, Journals ana Journal Bearings Are Examined Carefully.

Fewer hot boxes on the cars of the New York, New Haven and Hartford
 Railroad Company are being reported than at any time during recent years
 During the week en iinS Sept. 9, there were only Is hat boxes on passenger cars reported on the entire New Ha- road, whereas in the corresponding week last year there were. 40 report cd. The reduction each week in com
 I.arison with the figures for year ago averages over 50 per cent.
 The improvement is due, in large f measure, to a more rigid inspection of cars, journals and Journal bearings. The Inspection regulations Tor New Haven cars have always been extreme- ly strict but, in order to prevent de- lays, que to hot tNboxes while the cars sn tho road, excsrtional efforts have been made to reduce the total number of delays from this cause.
 A comparatively few persons know | anything at all about a hot box, it's causes and it's effects. The principle of the Journal journal bearing and jou11hal LICK is somewhat similar to the principle of the carriage wheel, and in some respects may be ikened to the ball bearing mechanism of an auto
 mobile wheel. The journal of rail- | way car is that part of the axle that extends on the outside of the wheel. The axle and journal are one solid | piece.
 The weight of the body of the car l must at some point rest upon the
 wheel truck. This point of contact 1 is the journal. AS the journal is a
 part of the wheel, and revolves with it, the point of contact must con-
 form with the curve of the journal.
 The part of the mechanism that rests
 upon the journal is known as the jour
 nal bearing. It is made of brass and
 lined with a composition of lead, anti
 mopF and tin. It fits snugly over the upper half of the journal and a forg-
 ed steel wedge or key holds it in place | in the journal box. /. l A hot box is the result of friction between the journal and journal bear
 ing. It is the function of the journal box to hold and distribute the oil be-
 tween the journal and journal. bearing | to prevent this friction and consequent
 trouble. These boxes are inspected at
 all terminals upon arrival of incom-
 ing trains and before departure of out l going tfains, special men being ap-
 pointed for this task.
 Within the journal box is packed for | the purpose of fabrication oil soaked
 woolen waste. This waste is soaked
 for AS hours in specially prepared oil,
 and allowed to drain for 48 hours to l remove all excess oil, the waste re-
 taining sufficient oil to 1ubrfcate but not enough to impair it's elasticity. It | is packed in the journal box in three distinct parts. The first is a roll
 which is packed at the back of the
 box to prevent dust from entering the
 box from the Tear, and to keep the
 second or center packing in position.
 This second packing supplies the oil
 that continually flows between the 1 journal and the bearing. It is p1ac-
 ed in the box fairly loosely and on
 the underside of the journal. The re-
 volving journal draws the oil from the waste upwards but does not move the
 waste itself. The third and last pack
 ing is roll that is placed in the front of the box to keep the second pack ing in place and to prevent dust from freaching the journal.
 Under ordinary condidtions, proper packing of the journal box with oil
 soaked waste will furnish ample lu- brication. But, as in everything else,
 ordinary conditions do not always pre- lvail. There are innumeraible things
 that may happen to cause friction and heat. Grit or sand taken in while I train is in motion is frequent cause. It gets in between the journal and bearing, causes friction and heat, and
 unless discovered in time the waste I<a %11, known as waste grabs. This results
 from a small piece or end of waste getting caught between the journal and bearing.
 I The danger from a hot box is that it may not be discovered in time. But with the, strict rules enforced by the
 New Haven, the danger is minimized to the lowest degree. Besides the ney of a train the crew utilizes every
 opportunity while the train is in mo- ton and at stations to look over the
 train to see that no smoke is con-
 ing from any of the boxes. Upon ar , irving at destination. journal boxes are inspected for heated journals and , those found unduly warm are mark l ed with chalk as an indication to car
 repairers that journal has given trou- l ble and requires attention.
 ,l The labor entailed by this careful inspection is a considerable item on , the New Haven road. With over a. 500 passenger cars alone, each car
 having from eight to twelve boxes E 1t requires considerable force of in- spectors and repair men to, inspect 7 repack and take care of the necessary work. There are in each "A hours on the New Haven road passenger train
 Hears running 240,000 miles, or ter times the circumference of the earth and yet the record for the whole
 month of September shows seven hot boxes was the largest number in any
 one day and on many days only two
 hot boxes. The small number of hot