Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-28

book Of rules, If something happens to the
engineer, If his eyesight goes bad or II he makes
q mistake, the fireman has . check on him.
Two heads are better than one, four eyes bet
ter than two.
But Engineer Eaton isn't making mistakes at
his post He's all attention and alertness.
He is typical Of the modern passenger engineer.
He settles down In his seat, head bent slightly
forward, eyes peering down the track ahead,
hand on the throttle, feeling out his engine,
giving her her head. No. 5401 clears q short
incline beyond the yards and gets down to BUSH
ness. She's thing Of majesty tearing down the
rails
Few man-made machines are more marvel
Gus or more impressive than the modern loco
motive. Upward of 1000 parts fitted together
with utmost precision 60 into its making Il
moves in perfect experimentation steel mon
ster working at incredible speed.
What would the old-time engineer Of the
days when engines burned cord wood and pulled
smoke through believing spark catcn.rs say IL
he could see the engine of the Senator? Loco
motives were toys then compared to what they
are today.
Wonder what the old-timer would say If he
could sit at the throttle Of the 540l-more than
100000 pounds Of engine running more than q
mile minute and answering instantly to the
control of finger tips
Up there in the cab, the nerve center of his
tremendous mechanism one Is conscious of its
massive power. You "feel' its pull and YOU
sense the whole momentum Of the train What
are We doing now?" asked Engineer Eaton
about Is minutes out Of Washington. There
was thunder In that cab the hiss and roar Of
steam, the below of the force draft, the rum
BILE Of whirring wheels, the clank and clash Of
steel against steel, the smell Of hot metal and
coal gas. "Hoooo-hoooo-ho-ho!"s sang the deep
throated whistle. We're doing about 70 miles
an hour" he answered with lips close to my ear.
Six steel cars behind us filled with passengers
reading in solid comfort, unconscious of the
pace at which we were speeding over the coun-
try! You've got to ride bucking engine cab
to realize that speed.
We weren't smashing any world records
Locomotives running alone have done better
than lis miles an hour on test runs ana Il
whole train has done 100. But we were estabf
fishing record schedule the best schedule eyet
made between Washington and Boston, q sched1
uls that will be made day after day, time aftek
time oy the Senator, and, in that respect, re4
markable schedule.
It means something to clip an hour and II
half or an 11-hour rum covering the same dis.
lance over the same tracks. That's railroadingf
THROUGH slit Of window followed thu
long nose of the engine stretching way out
ahead OF me and peered down the glinting rails;
Fast Bowie, the whistle singing out its warning
1or the crossings, past an auto highway lined
with machines and busSes past green fields and
woodland, tearing OF miles.
Every few minutes, it seemed, Fireman Con-
rad was opening the firebox door and shoyelinv
coal Conrad was the busiest man in that
cab. watching the steam gauge, keeping the
pressure indicator up around 400, pulling the
nlec'or ever turning valves. hosing Of the
moor beneath our feet, shooting stream Of
water over the coal in the tender, calling SIG
nais-t kept him Jumping. Long practice had
made him expert at passing coal He'd braco
his feet apart, balancing himself against thu
iurching motion of the engine, and flip scoopfuld
INTO the red flaming NAV without ever spilline
lump. He'd feed seven or eight tons into
mat roaring furnace before we'd reach the
Transfer.
engineer Eaton showed In the throttle n cou.:
pie OF notches and touched the brass lever Of
the air brakes We began to slow down Grad
Continued on Fifth Pace.