inestimable. The prevention of one serious accident would repay, in the saving of confidence and money, an enormous expenditure for experimental work. There would be no need of transmitting orders to the train, though there would probably be little difficulty in doing so. The simple lighting of a lamp in the engine cab would suffice to warn the engineer of danger. Today most well equipped trains already carry an electric installation, which could furnish the necessary power on the train, and the additional apparatus required. The proposition would seem worthy of more careful consideration by the railroad companies.-Dispatchers' Bulletin. A New Block System. Mr. Frank W. Prentice of Pittsburg, a railway telegraph operator, has devised a new method of blocking trains, which he calls the Hertzin wave block system, and which it is understood, is about to be given a practical test on the Baltimore & Ohio road. The manner in which the ap paratus works is described as follows: A galvanized wire is run along the entire length of the tracks 6 inches from, and on a level with, one of the rails. The wire is mounted upon pins set in the ties 10 feet apart. An apparatus for generating the Hertzin waves is placed upon the rear of each train, connection being made with the wire by an insulated conductor and a metal brush which at all times is resting upon the wire. One of the devices is also placed on the engine. When a first section wishes to notify a second section that a stop will be or has been made, a lever on the transmitting apparatus is turned. This generates a Hertzin wave of five seconds duration, and a wave is sent out every five seconds along the wire in both directions. An approaching train when within one-half mile of the preceding train will have the receiving apparatus on the engine set in operation. This is attached to a bell and also the throttle. Connection with the cab is had by means of a metal brush placed on the pilot. The apparatus is said to be comparatively inexpensive. Dispatchers' Bulletin. Railway Club Proceedings Effect of Dirt Entering Train Pipe. A. B. BROWN: The entrance to the train pipe of matter of this character has always been a source of much annoyance, but the advent of long air-brake trains and heavy capacity cars makes its presence now even more objectionable. As of old, the evil effects are clogging the strainers which are intended to cleanse the air before it enters the triple valve, and the feed ports also become obstructed. Of course, the result of a partial or complete stoppage of the strainer in the train, regardless of its length, is the liability of brake refusing to release upon that car under some conditions of road service. The longer the train, however, the more susceptible that car would be to cause trouble on account of the greater train line volume. If a brake refuses to release at rear end when engineer is starting a long train of cars, the draft rigging will either be weakened or damaged entirely, or else wheels might be slid a sufficient distance to flatten same. page of the feed ports in triple valves: while this irregularity also occurred on light capacity cars, yet its influence in decreasing the braking effort was not nearly so noticeable as upon heavy capacity cars, for the reason that such a vast amount of braking must be done in order to handle a train of heavy capacity cars on a grade with perfect safety. There is no doubt but that a large part of the dirt which causes the afore-mentioned trouble, as is well known, enters the train pipe via the hose at the end of car. This, perhaps, would not occur to such an extent if train pipe clamps were fastened securely. When clamps are loose, train pipe drops down and hose is enabled to gather up foreign matter while dragging along the ties. Much of this trouble is also caused by pipes on new cars and engines not being blown out properly after bending, at the car or locomotive works. At some shops, white lead, or red lead, issued in such quantities that parts of same work back into the strainer, etc., causing the trouble before referred to. In closing, the writer feels that he can Regarding the complete or partial stop- do little better than to submit for your consideration the recommendations of the Air Brake Association, as to the means of overcoming the trouble suggested by the heading of this paper, which are as follows: 1. To couple properly all hose not in use to a well constructed dummy coupling, located at end of car so that hose will have a graceful sweep. 2. Permit no air to leave last main reservoir on locomotive at a higher temperature than the atmosphere. This principle to be followed out also in connection with shop and yard testing plants. 3. That the scale and fins in all new pipe work for air brakes on cars and engines be loosened by hammering, and pipes blown out thoroughly with steam, care being exercised also to prevent white lead or anything of that character from gaining access to inside of pipes. 4. When about to make a coupling, that train men and inspectors be required to blow out hose by opening the angle cock before the hose is finally united, even if the cars were only parted for a short time. 5. Main reservoirs should be thoroughly drained after each trip.-New England Railway Club, Oct. 14, 1902. Momentum of Moving Train. E. G. DESOE: Mr. P. H. Dudley, in his report of trials on freight-train brakes at Karner, N. Y., in 1892, says: "While all railroad men know that trains must run some distance for the locomotives to work up the speed, it is doubtful if we fully realize the energy required for the speed of the heavy and fast trains of to-day, then to be destroyed in stopping them. The following table shows the 'velocity heads' (so aptly named by Mr. A. M. Wellington), or the heights in feet a body must fall to acquire the velocity in miles per hour. Miles Per Velocity Velocity Miles Per Head. 67.702 Hour. Head. Hour. 83.584 those who must practically deal with such vast amounts of energy in the movement of trains." One pound falling one foot stores up a definite amount of energy, which is measured as one foot-pound, and before it can be stopped will do one foot-pound of work. To give one pound a final velocity of ten miles per hour, we see from the table it must be raised 3.34 feet from the ground requiring 3.34 foot-pounds of work to do it, and it can readily be seen it would give out that amount of work in falling. If we wish to give the one pound a velocity of ten miles per hour in translation, as on a railroad track, 3.34 footpounds of work must also be expended upon it for the velocity head of ten miles per hour. In this case it might require a run of many feet before a speed of ten miles would be attained, while for the higher speeds for trains it would be miles. The same would be true of any other weight, as for example, a loaded grain train of a total gross weight of 3,000,000 pounds running at 25 miles per hour (not uncommon on your line) would require and have stored in the train an amount of energy greater than can be imparted to a projectile by the largest of modern guns. Three million pounds multiplied by 20, 896, velocity head, equals 62,688,000 footpounds, the same amount which would be required to lift the entire train 20.896 feet above the track. This vast amount of energy must be supplied by the locomotive besides overcoming all other train resistances, of friction, air, grades and curves, and requires a long run to do it, and it then requires distance and very efficient brakes to destroy the energy in a harmless way and stop the train. I calculated, from the table referred to, that the foot-pounds of energy to be destroyed in a passenger train of 500 tons, running at the rate of 70 miles per hour, would be 163,824,000, the same amount which would be required to lift the entire train 163.824 feet.-New England Railroad Club, Oct. 14, 1902. Locomotive Lubrication. MR. ROESCH: When we speak of lubricating any bearing, be it a journal, valve, or cylinder, we mean that we separate the two bearing surfaces by means of a film of oil, or other lubricant. Oils consist of animal, vegetable and mineral, differing in the form of the globules, the viscosity and specific gravity. It is by means of the minute globules of which the oil is composed that bearings are kept from coming in contact or are lubricated. In other words, by means of oil, we insert a layer of infinitesimal roller bearings between two rubbing surfaces, and so reduce friction to a minimum. Once these globules become broken, the oil loses its value as a lubricant, as it is then changed from an oil into a gas or vapor. This change can be produced by both heat or concussion. In locomotive practice it is usually caused by heat. Therefore, whenever two bearing surfaces are raised above the temperature of the flash point of the oil used, this oil is no longer of any benefit as a lubricant, and I. I. Redwood, an accepted authority, in his "Lubricants, Oils and Greases," says: "It is of great importance to remember that the higher the temperature the less is the lubricating power of any lubricant, and, consequently, if we have an efficient lubricant under normal conditions, it may be totally useless for the purpose of reducing the friction of a bearing that has become suddenly heated, due to any of the causes that lead to such 'engineers' annoyances.' If possible, do not allow a bearing to become heated-by giving it proper attention-but if it does, do not waste time and material by applying its lubricant, but, rather, go to work and remove the cause of the trouble and allow DOUBLE CURVE OVER WUPPER RIVER, ELBERFIELD SUSPENDED ELECTRIC RAILWAY might as well be poured on the ground, as on the hot box, for all the good it will do. In a case of this kind, if no other oil of a higher flash point is available, such as valve oil, the only correct remedy to apply is to stop, cool off the bearing to a safe margin below the flashing point of the oil, and repack the same. The flash point of an ordinary hydro-carbon engine oil is about 180 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature of the human body is about 98 degrees Fahrenheit. Therefore, only heat above 98 degrees Fahrenheit is manifest to the touch as heat, any temperature below this feeling cool. If a journal, then, feels uncomfortably hot to the touch, it is time to look after the packing. the bearing to cool before trying to start again." Again, speaking of lubricating cylinders where high steam pressures are used, he says: "A mineral oil of low specific gravity and flash point must not be used, as its lubricating power will be entirely inadequate. Nothing but a high-grade cylinder oil should be used for steam cylinder lubrication, and the flash' point should not be lower than 400 degrees Fahrenheit." At the time this was written a steam pressure of 210 pounds was practically unknown; therefore, we must qualify Mr. Redwood's statement by saying, under no condition should a valve or cylinder oil be used whose flash point is not at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the temperature of the water in the boiler. * Some years ago Mr. Charles Miller, of the Galena Oil Company, realizing the vast amount of money lost to railroads through the negligence, carelessness or ignorance on the part of the engineers in the use of oil, proposed making a schedule, or, in other words, fixing a limit on the quantity of oil to be used per mile run, and with the aid of competent instructors to teach enginemen economy in its use. The efforts of Mr. Miller resulted in a saving of hundreds of dollars to the railroads. The principles introduced by him have since been carried out by the Traveling Engineers' Association, the spirit of emulation waxing so strong as to cause all to try to reach the limits as set by him, and in many cases to exceed him. The point where true economy ceases and loss begins was entirely lost sight of in the effort to produce a set of fancy figures, which to the operating officials no doubt looked like a vast saving of dollars and cents, as represented by oil, but to the mechanical man often meant a direct increase of maintenance expense in cut journals, valves, valve seats and cylinders. Yet he dared not complain, as high mileage per pint of oil was the fad, and every fad must run its course. If the mileage of one road fell below that of its neighbors, the low man suffered by comparison. No truer aphorism was ever uttered than "Comparisons are odious." No true comparison on locomotive oil mileage can be made between any two railroads, even though they run practically parallel, unless all conditions are absolutely similar. For instance, an engine foaming, working water, or wet steam, requires more valve oil. Foaming is caused by impure water, or lack of boiler washing. In this country especially you may dig two wells within ten feet of each other, and yet obtain different water from each. You may get bad water, while your neighbor gets good. That's count one against comparisons. You may try to run your engines 1,000 miles between washings, while your neighbor runs his but 500. This is count two. You may buy an inferior grade of valve oil, while your neighbor gets the best. Count three. Let us look at the engine oil proposition. Nothing will heat a driving journal quicker than a stuck wedge or rather a stuck driving box; there is no such thing as a stuck wedge. The heating of the driving box when stuck is due to the succession of sharp blows delivered by the journal. Very rough track will cause the same hammer blows and heating. Consequently, if your engines run over light iron and rough track, while your neighbor is more favored, you will have more hot boxes, and consequently use more oil. Count four against comparisons. We might carry this to infinitude. To speak of ballast, dust, ash pans, etc., is hardly necessary. We simply desired to show why comparisons are often unjust. Not that we disapprove of comparisons entirely; far from it. It is a good prod. The point desired to make is: Has not the spirit of emulation and comparison carried us too far? Have we not, in our endeavors to keep up our oil records, lost sight of the fact that our power is gradually growing larger and heavier, and that our steam pressure is increasing in the same ratio? Does this not mean more frictional area to lubricate, higher journal and piston speeds in one case, and an increased temperature with its resultant partial vaporization in the other? * ** We can still run our engines on a limited quantity of oil if we care only to produce a fancy oil sheet, but if we desire true economy we must take all fac-` tors into consideration-speed, weight and pressure or we save at the spigot to waste at the bung. With all modern appliances it costs about $20 to drop one pair of drivers, turn the journals and refit the boxes. This $20 would buy about seventy gallons of engine oil, or enough to oil the entire engine two months, making 150 miles per day. It will take two days to do this work. Now, if the engine should happen to be laid up for this during the busy season, when every ounce of power is in demand, and a further loss to the company, estimating the earning capacity of the engine at $200 per day, would be $400, or enough to pay for oiling the engine for four years. To bore and bush the cylinder of a twenty-two by twenty-eight-inch engine costs about $68. At 50 cents per gallon this would purchase 136 gallons of valve oil, or enough to oil the engine 392 days, making 150 miles per day, and but fifty miles per point of valve oil. It takes three days to bore and bush a cylinder. At $200 per day earning capacity, this would, in busy times, result in a further loss of $600, or enough to buy 1,200 gal lons of valve oil, which would oil the engine 3,200 days, or nearly ten years. To reverse the proposition: If you were to cut the oil supply to its lowest limit, it would take four years to save enough on engine oil to pay for one cut journal, and ten years on valve oil to pay for one cut cylinder. Of course, we can not claim that all cut journals or cylinders are due to mileage limit per pint of oil being set too high, as both have been known to occur where the oil allowance was very liberal. Yet, on the other hand, it is hard to believe that a perfectly lubricated journal or cylinder will cut, unless some abrasive finds its way between-the bearings. care to take the time to examine the waste in the cellars we can at least make sure that it is oiled by injecting, say, one gill of engine oil into each cellar with a squirt gun before the engine goes out. The cost of packing the average driving box cellar is: Oil, 15 cents; wool waste, 9 cents; labor, 17 cents; equals 41 cents. For a Consolidation engine the extra oil injected into the cellars would cost about ten cents per trip, and, I believe, would cut down the hot boxes and failures fully 50 per cent. You could oil thirty-two boxes for the cost of packing one. Cut cylinders are caused by either high steam temperature, causing a partial What, then, would cut a journal? Eliminating all heating due to abrasives, we have heating due to mechanical errors of construction, to quality of oil furnished, or to method of applying same. We know that the most successful way to lubricate a journal is by means of capillary attraction, or, in other words, from the saturated waste in the cellar. We also know that a journal unduly heated will require many times as much oil as one running cold. It is the extra oil put on our hot boxes that ruins our oil records. Would we not save oil and money by using an ounce of prevention? The car man examines the journal packing and oils it when dry. If we don't vaporization of the oil; high piston speed, drifting, with its attendant friction; imperfect distribution of the oil, or inferior quality of same; or a combination of any or all of these evils. It will be noticed, however, that excessive cylinder wear usually takes place when cylinders are new or newly bored. We frequently find it almost impossible to produce a smooth surface or glaze within the cylinder. Would this not seem to indicate that the trouble is due to the porosity of the iron, and the oil being fed in such limited quantities that the drops are absorbed by the iron, instead of remaining on the surface to act as a lubricant? |