The Republican., 1925-10-15
BIGGEST LOCOMOTIVE in
WORLD HAULS FOR B. & 0.
Mightiest Engine Pulls Heavy
Passenger Trains Over The
Allegheny Mountains
(By Henry NJ. Hyde in Baltimore Ev-
ening SUM


ening Sum
The biggest railroad locomotive in
the world has been pulling passenger
trains over the Allegheny Mountains
for the Baltimore and Ohio for three
months. Its success has been so conf
plete that materials are now being
assembled for the construction of a
second machine of the same size and
type.
1t was built in the Mount Glare
shops here in Baltimore. And the men
who built the monster in about thirty
days last summer are about the prou-
dest lot of craftsmen to be found.
Each man of them takes a personal
pride in the achievement Of the $500
the official number of the new giant
for it is, in a sense, the last an
swer of steam to the challenge of
electricity
1t has always been necessary when
big Baltimore and Ohio passenger
trains reach Keyser, W. Va, or Cum
berland Md, on their way over the
mountains either to St. Louis or Chi
cago, to hitch 'pusher engine" on
behind the last car in order to make
the grade. No locomotive in exis-
tence was able, unaided, to pull a
train of twelve steel coaches over the
top of the Alleghenies.
The necessary use of a second en-
gine is an expensive, awkward and
unpleasant business. So, for a num-
Der of years there has been talk about
electrifying the mountain section, at
least, Of the road. Recently that talk
has pretty nearly come down to cases.
As matter of fact, two of three
huge hydro-electric projects in the vi
cinity Of the Maryland and West Vir-
ginia line have been almost complet-
ed. And it would not be surprising
il, at no distant time, electric current
should take the place of steam loco
motives for the mountain run.
In the meantime the road decided
to see what steam could do. Its de-
partment Of mechanical engineering
designed the new engine with a view
to incorporating all the most modern
devices, such as superheaters, low
pressure compound air pumps and
pneumatically operated fire doors and
bell ringer. When completed the $500
measured six inches over hundred
feet long and six inches more than
fifteen feet in height. When locomo-
tives only a few years old had tall
smoke stacks and other projecting
parts, this last and greatest of its
class closely resembles a hundred-foot
smooth cylinder of metal so that there
may be as little air resistance as pos
sible to overcome.
Some idea of its enormous size may
be gathered from the fact that the
total weight of engine and tender is
$4,000 pounds.
By way Of contrast the B. & 0. has
just brought back to Baltimore the
ancient locomotive known as the cat
latics," which was buidt for the road
in 1882 by Phineas Davis. Quaker
machiniSt, who came over from York,
Pa. more than ninety years ago and
won a prize of $4,000 for the best and
most practical design.
The "Atlantic" weighs eight tons
and half, as opposed to the $50
tons of the new $500. The ancient has
a tractive power of 1922 pounds while
the monster is rated at $4,000 pounds.
Late in July the $500 was put into
active service. 1t has since been reg
ularly at work, pulling the Washing
ton-St. Louis through passenger train
over the mountains between Keyser
and Grafton, W. Va. 1t has more than
met the best hopes of its designer and
builders, and has handled the heavi-
est loads without need of a push
er." When the sister of the $500 is
completed it will probably be put to
work pulling the Chicago flyer over
the mountains from Cumberland to
ward Pittsburgh.
The fact that the $500, which III
yolved many new and difficult fea-
lures, was completed in thirty work
ing days, is another testimony TO The
smoothness with which The so-calied
Baltimore and Ohio cooperative shop
plan IS wording at Mount Glare, rs
we'll IS in all The other forty-fve Ike
shops Of the company.
Under that plan, which WAS first
tried at the Clerwood shops some
three years ago, the unions Of raid
road shopmeu and the railroad esecu-
tiyes work together to increase pro-
duction, reduce unemployment and
improve working conditions. IN all
the Baltimore and Ohio shops it has
worked most successfully, with re-
duction in monthly shop costs Of ma
terial per employe and in labor turn