Locomotive engine running and management: a treatise on locomotive engines

Front matter

M

.fi t..W>

The original of tliis book is in tlie Cornell University Library.

Preface

While following the occupation of a locomotive engineer, I often observed peculiarities about the working of my engine, while running, that I did not entirely understand. As I was perfectly aware, even before making my first trip on a locomotive engme, that there is no effect without a cause,'! never felt satisfied to accept any thing as incomprehensible without investigation, and fell into the habit of noting down facts about the working of the engine, with the view of studying out, at leisure, any thing which was not quite clear. When, some years ago, I abandoned engine-running to take charge of the round-house at the mechanical headquarters of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids, and Northern Railway, in Iowa, the practice of keeping notes was continued. The work connected with the ordinary repairing of running-engines, the emergency repairing executed to get engines ready hurriedly to meet the traffic demands on a road then chronically short of power, and diagnosing the nu-

VI PREFACE.

merous diseases that locomotives are neir to, provided ample material for voluminous notes. Those notes formed the raw material from which this book was constructed.

The original intention was, to publish a book on Locomotive Engine Running alone, and the first portion of the work was prepared with that idea in view ; but, before the articles were finished, I joined the editorial staff of the American Machinist. The correspondence in the office of that paper convinced me that an urgent demand existed, among engineers, machinists, and others, for plainly given information relating to numerous operations connected with the repairing and maintenance of locomotives. To meet this demand, the chapters on "Valve-Motion" and all the succeeding part of the book were written. Most of that matter was originally written for the pages of the American Machinist, but was afterwards re-arranged for the book.

In preparing a book for the use of engineers, firemen, machinists, and others interested in locomotive matters, it has been my aim to treat all subjects discussed in such a way that any reader would easily understand every sentence written. No attempt is made to convey instruction in any thing beyond elementary problems in mechanical engineering, and all problems brought forward are treated in the simplest manner possible.

PREFACE. Vll

The practice of applying to books for information concerning their work, is rapidly spreading among the engineers and mechanics of this school-spangled country; and this book is published in the hope that its pages may furnish a share of the needed assistance. Those men, who, Socrates-like, search for knowledge from the recorded experience of others, are the men, who, in the near future, will take leading places in our march of national progress. To such men, who are earnestly toiling up the steep grade of Self-help, this book is respectfully dedicated.

Angus Sinclair.

New York City,

Chapter I. Page

■Engineers and their Duties i

Attributes that make a Good Engineer. — How Engineering Knowledge and Skill are Acquired. — Public Interest in Locomotive Engineers. — Ignorance versus Knowledge. — Illiterate Engineers not wanted in America. — Growing Importance of Engineers' Duties. — Individuality of American Engineers. — Necessity for Class Improvement. — The Skill of Engineers influences Operating Expenses. — Methods of Self-improvement. — Observing Shop Operations. — Where Ignorance was Ruin. — Prejudice against studying Books. — The Kind of Knowledge gained from Books.

CHAPTER il.

How Locomotive Engineers are made ii

Reliable Men needed to run Locomotives. — Early Methods of making Locomotive Engineers. — Practice of raising Engineers from Machinists and Technical-school Graduates not found satisfactory. — Experience demonstrated that Firemen made the Best Engineers. — Difficulties of running Locomotives at Night, and during Bad Weather. — Kind of Men to be chosen as Firemen. — Modern Methods of selecting Firemen. — First Trips. — Popular Misconception of a Fireman's Duties. — Learning Firemen's Duties. — A Good Fireman makes a Good Engineer. — Learning an Engineer's Duties. — Conditions of Engine Running that vanquish the Inexperienced Man. — Learning to

CONTENTS.

■ PAGE

keep the Locomotive in Running-order. — Methods of Promotion on our Leading Roads. — Nature of Examination to be passed. — Master Mechanics on the Best Method of Educating Young Men for Engineers.

CHAPTER III. Inspection of the Locomotive 30

Locomotive Inspectors. — Good Engineers Inspect their own Engines. — What comes of neglecting Systematic Inspection of Locomotives. — Confidence on the Road derived from Inspection. — Inspection on the Pit. — Outside Inspection. — Oil-cups. — Inspection of Running-gear. — Attentions to the Boiler. — Miscellaneous Attentions: — Reward of Thorough Inspection.

CHAPTER IV. Getting ready for the Road 39

Raising Steam. — Precautions against Scorching Boilers. — Starting the Fire. — Fireman's First Duties. — Saving the Grates. — Supplies. — Engineer's First Duties. — Reaching his Engine in Good Season. — Oiling the Machinery. — Quantity of Oil that Different Bearings need. — Leaving the Engine-house.

CHAPTER V. Running a Fast Freight Train .' . 48

Running Freight Trains. — The Engine. — The Train. — The Division. — Pulling out. — Hooking back the Links. — Working the Steam Expansively. — Advantage of Cutting-off Short. — Boiler Pressure Best for Economical Working. — Running with Low Steam. — The Throttle-lever. — Management of the Fire. — Conditions that demand Good Firing. — Highest Type of Fireman. — Scientific Methods of Good Firemen. — The Medium Fireman. — The Hopelessly Bad Fireman. — Who is to Blame for Bad Firing ?

CONTENTS. xi

Chapter VI. Page

Getting up the Hill 6i

Special Skill and Attention required to get a Train up a Steep Grade. — Getting R«ady for the Grade. — Working up the Hill. — Wheel-slipping, — How to use Sand. — Slippery Engines. — Feeding the Boiler. — Choice of Pump and Injector. — Fall of Boiler-temperature not indicated by the Steam-gauge. — Some Effects of Injudicious Boiler-feeding. — Careful Feeding and Firing preserve Boilers. — Operating the Dampers. — Loss of Heat through Excess of Air. — Loss of Heat from Bad Damp-

CHAPTER VII. Finishing the Trip 74

Running over Ordinary Track. — Stopping-places. — Knowledge of Train-rights. — Precautions to be observed in approaching and passing Stations. — The Best Rules must be Supplemented by Good Judgment. — Operating Single Tracks Safely. — Causes of Anxiety to Engineers. — Acquaintance with the Road. — Final Duties of the Trip.

CHAPTER VIII. Running a Fast Passenger Train 82

Average Speed. — Speed between Jersey City and Philadelphia. — Requisites of a High-speed Locomotive. — Making up the Fire. — Getting ready for the Trip. — The Train to be pulled. — The Start. — Getting the Train over the Road. — How the Engineer did his Work. — Qualifications that make a Successful Engineer. — How the Firing was done.

CHAPTER IX. Hard-steaming Engines 92

Importance of Locomotives Steaming Freely. — Essentials for Good-steaming Engines. — Causes Detrimental to making

XU CONTENTS.

FACE

Steam. — Petticoat-pipe. — The Smoke-stack. — Obstructions , to Draught. — Choldng the Netting with Oil. — Silicious Deposit on Flue-sheet. — The Extended Smoke-box. — Steam-pipes leaking. — Defects of Grates. — Lime, Scale, and Mud. — Preventing Accumulation of Mud in Boilers. — Temporary Cures for Leaky Flues. — Good Management Makes Engines Steam. — Intermittent Boiler-feeding. — Too Much Piston Clearance. — Badly Proportioned Smoke-stacks. — The Exhaust Nozzles.

CHAPTER X. Shortness op Water. — Pump Disorders 109

Trouble develops Natural Energy. — Shortness of Water a Serious Predicament. — How to deal with Shortness of Water. — Watching the Water-gauges. — What to do when the Tender is found empty between Stations. — A Trying Position. — Watching the Strainers. — Care of Pumps. — How the Condition of Pumps can be tested. — Lift of Pump-valves. — Keep Pipes tight, and Packing in Order. — Sand in the Pump-chambers. — Delivery Orifice choked with Lime Sediment. — Minor Pump Troubles.

CHAPTER XL

Injectors no

Invention of the Injector. — Trying to find out how the Injector worked. — The Prindple of the Injector's Action. — Different Forms of Injector. — A Heater-pipe acting as an Injector. — Skill and Reflection Needed in Repairing Injectors. — Care of Injectors. — The Most Common Causes of Derangement. — How to Keep an Injector in Good 'Order. — Curious Cases of Trouble with an Injector. — Common Defects — Care of Injectors in Winter. — Sellers Injector. — The Nathan Manufacturing Company's Monitor Injector. — The Korting Injector. — The Hancock Inspirator.

CONTENTS. xiii

Chapter XII. Page

Care of Locomotive Boilers. — Factor of Safety. — Boiler Explosions. — Preservation of Boilers. — Causing Injury to Boilers.

— Dangers of Mud and Scale. — Blowing off Boilers. — Over-pressure. — Relieving Over-pressure. — Bursted Flues.

CHAPTER XIII. Accidents to the Valve-motion 143

Running Worn-out Engines. — Care and Energy defy Defeat. — Watching the Exhaust. — The Attentive Ear detects Deterioration of Valves. — Locating the Four Exhaust Sounds. — Identifying Defects by Sound of the Steam. — Accidents Prevented by attending to the Note of Warning from the Exhaust. — Neglecting a Warning. — How an Eccentric-strap Punched a Hole in a Fire-box. — Interest in the Valve-motion among Engineers. — Trouble with the Valve-motion. — A Wrong Conclusion. — Locating Defects of the Valve-motion. — Position of Eccentrics. — Method of Setting Slipped Eccentrics. — Slipped Eccentric-rods. — Detecting the Cause of a Lame Exhaust. — What to do when Eccentrics, Straps, or Rods Break. — Different Ways of securing the Cross-head. — Broken Tumbling^haft. — Broken Valve-stem, or Valve-yoke. — When a Rocker-shaft or Lower Rocker-arm Breaks. — Miscellaneous Accidents to Valve-motion.

— Broken Steam-chest Cover. — Steam-pipe Bursted. — Testing the Valves.

CHAPTER XIV. Accidents to Cylinders and Steam Connections 162

Importance of the Piston in the Train of Mechanism. — Causes that lead to Broken Cylinder-heads. — Broken Cylinder-heads often Preventable. — When a Main R6d breaks. — Crank-pin broken. — Throttle disconnected. — Oiling the Valves when the Throttle is Disconnected. — What causes a Disconnected Throttle. — Bursting a Dry Pipe. — Other Throttle Accidents. — Pounding of the Working-parts. — Some Causes of Pounding.

— Locating a Mysterious Pound.

XIV CONTENTS.

Chapter XV. Page

Off the Track. — Accidents to Running-gear 172

Getting Ditched. — Dealing with Sudden Emergencies. — Stopping a Freight Train in Case of Danger. — Saving the Heating Surfaces. — Getting the Engine on the Traclc. — Understanding the Running-gear. — Broken Driving-spring. — Equalizer Broken. — Accidents to Trucks. — Broken Frame. — Broken Driving Axles, Wheels, and Tires.

CHAPTER XVI. Connecting-rods, Side Rods, and Wedges 182

Care of Locomotive Rods. — Functions of Connecting-rods. — Effects of Bad Fitting. — Striking Points and Clearance. — Watching Rods on the Road. — Side Rods. — Adjustment of Side Rods. — Keying Side Rods. — Difficulty in locating Defects. — Pounding in Driving-boxes and Wedges. — Importance of having Wedges properly Fitted. — Influence of Half-round Brasses. — Position of Boxes while setting up Wedges. — Necessity for keeping Boxes and Wedges Clean. — Temperature of the Box to be considered. — Small Disorders that cause Rough Riding.

CHAPTER XVII. The Valve-motion 199

The Locomotive Slide-valve. — Invention and Application of the Slide-valve. — Description of the Slide-valve. — Primitive Slide-valve. — Outside Lap. — Some Effects of Lap. — Inside Lap. — The Extent of Lap usually adopted. — First Application of Lap.

— The Allen Valve. — Advantages of the Allen Valve. — Case where the Allen Valve proved its Value. — Inside Clearance.— Lead. — Operation of the Steam in the Cylinders. — Back Pressure in the Cylinders.— Effect of too Much Inside Lap. — Running into a Hill. — Compression. — Definition of an Eccentric.

— Early Application of the Eccentric. — Relative Motion of Piston and Crank, Slide-valve, and Eccentrics. — Attempts to Abolish the Crank. — Valve Movement. — Effect of Lap on the

CONTENTS. XV

Eccentric's Position. — Angular Advance of Eccentrics. — Angularity of Connecting-rod. — Effect on the Valve-motion of Connecting-rod Angularity. — Aids to the Study of Valve-motion. — Events of the Piston Stroke. — What Happens Inside the Cylinders when an Engine is Reversed. — Events of the Stroke in Reversed Motion. — Purpose of Relief-valve on Dry Pipe. — Using Reverse-motion as a Brake.

CHAPTER XVIH.

The Shifting-link 229

Early Reversing Motions. — Invention of the Link. — Construction of the Shifting Link. — Action of the Link. — Valve-motion of a Fast Passenger Locomotive. — Effect of changing Valve-travel. — Weak Points of the Link-motion. — Why Decreasing the Valve-travel Increases the Period of Expansion. — Influence of Eccentric Throw on the Valve. — Harmony of Working-parts.

— Adjustment of Link. — Slip of the Link. — Radius of Link.

— Increase of Lead.

CHAPTER XIX. Setting the Valves 246

The Men who learn Valve-setting. — Best way to learn Valve-setting. — Preliminary Operations. — Connecting Eccentric-rods to Link. — Marking the Valve-stem. — Length of the Valve-rod. — Accuracy Essential in Locating the Dead -Center Points. — Finding the Dead Centers. — Turning Wheels and Moving Eccentrics. — Setting by the Lead Opening. — Ascertaining the Point of Cut-off. — Adjustment of Cut-off.

Chapter XX

Preliminary Explanations. — Definition of Terms used. — Conditions. — Problems Involved in Laying Out Link-motion. — To find the Position of Crank when the Piston is at Full and Half

CONTENTS.

PAGE

Stroke. — To find the Center Line of Motion and the Amount of Offset in the Lower Rocker-arm. — To find the Relative Positions of Crank-pin and Eccentrics when the Piston is at Full and Half Stroke. — To determine the Correct Length of the Eccentric-rods. — To find the Position of the Center of Saddle-pin. — To Find the Position of the Center of Lifting-shaft and the Length of its Arms. — Dimensions of Locomotives.

CHAPTER XXL The Stevens Valve-gear 287

Description of Motion. — Arrangement of the Motion. — Valve Movement. — Valve-stems and Stuffing-boxes. — How Movement of Valve is Governed. — How Exhaust Lead is Controlled.

CHAPTER XXII. The Joy Valve-gear 292

Description of Motion. — How to Apply this Gear to American Locomotives. — Construction Directions. — How Lap and Lead are Regulated. — Advantages claimed for the Motion. — Action of the Motion. — Rules for laying down the Center Lines of the Motion.

CHAPTER XXIIL The Steam Engine' Indicator 303

Purpose of the Indicator. — Description of Instrument. — Operation of the Indicator. — Lines of the Diagram. — Data Necessary for Analyzing the Diagram. — Advantages of Indicating Locomotives.

Chapter XXIV

Invention of the Westinghouse Atmospheric Brake. — Distinct Classes of Inventions. — Benefits conferred on Train Men by

CONTENTS. XVU

PAGE

Good Brakes. — First Trials of the Westinghouse Atmospheric Brake. — First Roads that Adopted the Westinghouse Brake. — Outlines of the Atmospheric Brake. — How Eastern Railroads kept aloof from the Westinghouse Brake. — Lesson of the Revere Railroad Accident. — Weak Points of the Atmospheric Brake. ^ The Westinghouse Automatic Air-brake. — Life-saving Value of the Automatic Brake. — First Railroads that adopted the Westinghouse Automatic Air-brake. — Essential Parts of the Westinghouse Automatic Air-brake. — The Air-pump. — How the Air-pump Works. — How the Air-end Operates. — Air-pump Disorders. — Puny Difficulties Vanquish the Ignorant Engineer. — Causes that make Brakes Inoperative often Easily Remedied. — Care of the Air-pump. — Pump Packing. — How Steam Passages get Choked. — Sagacity needed in Repairing Air-pumps. — Gradual Degeneration of the Air-pump. — Causes that make a. Pump Pound. — The Triple Valve. — Action of the Triple Valve. — To prevent creeping on of Brakes. — How to Apply and Release the Brake.

CHAPTER XXV. The Fames Vacuum Brake 340

Efficiency of the Brake on the Elevated Railroads. — Operation of the Brake. — The Diaphragm. — The Ejector. — Care of the Brake.

CHAPTER XXVI. Power of Locomotives and Train Resistances 346

Calculating Power of Locomotives. — Proportion of Adhesion to Traction. — Estimating Tractive Power. — Horse-power of Locomotives. — Formulas of Train Resistances. — Experiments, of Train Resistances on the Erie Railway. — Conditions that Increase Train Resistances. — Resistance of Curves. — Work done by a Locomotive pulling a Train. — Record of Fast Express Train made by Professor P. H. Dudley's Dynagraph Car. — Calculations of Weight of Trains that Locomotives can Pull.

XVlll CONTENTS.

Chapter XXVII. Page

How Water gets mixed with Lime. — Expense entailed by using Bad Water. — Efforts of Master Mechanics to secure Good Water. — Loss of Faith in Purifying Methods. — Scale-making Agencies. — To Ascertain the Quality of Water. — Appliances needed in Testing Water. — Preparing for the Experiments. — Lime held in Solution by Free Carbonic Acid. — Test for Lime Salts. — Test for Sulphate of Lime. — Test for Carbonate of Magnesia. — Test for Salts of Iron. — Test for Chlorine. — Learning the Manipulation of Tests. — Making Qualitative Tests. — The Soap-test for Hardness. — Modification of the Clark Soap-test. — Applying the Soap-test. — Difficulties of purifying Water for Locomotives. — Mud. — Carbonate of Lime. — Sulphate of Lime.

CHAPTER XXVIII. Examination for Locomotive Engineers 376

Principal Duties of an Engineer. — Carrying Water in Boiler. — Procedure when Short of Water. — Boiler-foaming. — Disconnecting the Engine. — Slipping an Eccentric. — Breaking a Valve-yoke. — Cylinder-packing Blowing. — Broken Rocker-arm. — Broken Link-hanger. — Broken Side Rods. — Throttle Disconnected. — Broken Tires.

LOCOMOTIVE ENGINE RUNNING.

Chapter I. Engineers And Their Duties

ATTRIBUTES THAT MAKE A GOOD ENGINEER.

The locomotive engine which reaches nearest perfection, is one which performs the greatest amount of work at the least cost for fuel, lubricants, wear and tear of machinery, and of the track traversed': the nearest approach to perfection in an engineer, is the man who can work the engine so as to develop its best capabilities at the least cost. Poets are said to be born, not made. The same may be said of engineers. One man may have charge of an engine for only a few months, and yet exhibit thorough knowledge of his business, displaying sagacity resembling instinct concerning the treatment necessary to secure the best performance from his engine : another man, who appears equally intelligent in matters not pertaining to the locomotive, never develops a thorough understanding of the machine.

HOW ENGINEERING KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL ARE ACQUIRED.

A man who possesses the natural gifts necessary for the making of a good engineer, will advance more rapidly in acquiring mastery of the business than does one whom Nature intended for a ditcher. But there is no royal road to the knowledge requisite for making a first-class engineer. The capability of handling an engine can be acquired by a few months' practice. Opening the throttle, and moving the reverse lever, require but scanty skill ; there is no great accomplishment in being able to pack a gland, or tighten up a loose nut ; but the magazine of practical knowledge, which enables an engineer to meet every emergency with calmness and promptitude, is obtained only by years of experience on the footboard, and by assiduous observation while there.

PUBLIC INTEREST IN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEERS.

Ever since the incipiency of the railroad system, a close interest has been manifested by the general public in the character and capabilities of locomotive engineers. This is natural, for no other class of men hold the safe-keeping of so much life and property in their hands.

IGNORANCE VERSUS KNOWLEDGE.

Two leading pioneers of railway progress in Europe took diametrically opposite views of the intellectual qualities best calculated to make a good engineer. George Stephenson preferred intelligent men, well educated and read up in mechanical and physical science ; Brunei recommended illiterate men for taking charge of engines, on the novel hypothesis, that, having nothing else in their heads, there would be abundant room for the acquirement of knowledge respecting their work. In every test of skill, the intelligent men proved victors.

ENGINEERS AND THEIR DUTIES. 3

ILLITERATE ENGINEERS NOT WANTED IN AMERICA.

No demand for illiterate or ignorant engineers has ever arisen in America. Many men who have spent an important portion of their lives on the footboard, have risen to grace the highest ranks of the mechanical ■ and social world. The pioneer engines, which demonstrated the successful working of locomotive power, were run by some of the most accomplished mechanical engineers in the country. As an engine adapted to the work it has to perform, the American locomotive is recognized to have always kept ahead of its compeers in other parts of the world. No inconsiderable part of this superiority is due to the fact, that nearly all the master mechanics who control the designing of our locomotives have had experience in running them, and thereby understand exactly the qualities most needed for the work to be done.

GROWING IMPORTANCE OF ENGINEERS' DUTIES.

The safe and punctual operation of our railroads has always depended to a great extent upon the discriminating care of the engineer. The present tendency of railroad operating is to increase his responsibility. Every advance in brake improvement increases the duties of the enginemen, and upon them will soon devolve the entire management and control of trains while in motion.

INDIVIDUALITY OF AMERICAN ENGINEERS.

Writing on the fitness of various railroad employes for their duties, that eminent authority, Ex-Railroad- Commissioner Charles F. Adams, jun., says, "In discussing and comparing the appliances used in the practical operating of railroads in different countries, there is one element, however, which can never be left out of the account. The intelligence, quickness of perception, and capacity for taking care of themselves, — that combination of qualities, which, taken together, constitute individuality, and adaptability to circumstances, — vary greatly among the railroad employes of different countries. The American locomotive engineer, as he is called, is especially gifted in this way. He can be relied on to take care of himself and his train under circumstances which in other countries would be thought to insure disaster."

NECESSITY FOR CLASS IMPROVEMENT.

While American locomotive engineers can confidently invite comparison between their own mechanical and intellectual attainments and those of their compeers in any nation under the sun, there still remains ample room for improvement. If they are not advancing, they are retrograding. The engineer who looks back to companions of a generation ago, and says that we know as much as they did, but no more, implies the assertion that his class is going backward. On very few roads, and in but rare instances, can this grave charge be made, that the engineers are falling behind in the intellectual race. On the contrary, there are signs all around us of substantial work in the cause of intellectual and moral advancement.

THE SKILL OF ENGINEERS INFLUENCES OPERATING EXPENSES.

No class of railroad-men affects the expenses of operating so directly as engineers do. The daily wages

ENGINEERS AND THEIR DUTIES. 5

paid to an engineer is a trifling sum compared to the amount he can save or waste by good or bad management of his engine. Fuel wasted, lubricants thrown away, supplies destroyed, and machinery abused, leading to extravagant running repairs, make up a long bill by the end of each month, where enginemen are incompetent. Every man with any spark of manliness in his breast will strive to become master of his work ; and, stirred by this ambition, he will avoid wasting the material of his employer just as zealously as if the stores were his own property ; and only such men deserve a position on the footboard.

'The day has passed away when an engineer was regarded as perfectly competent so long as he could take his train over the road on time. , Nowadays a man must get the train along on schedule time to be tolerated at all, and he is not considered a first-class engineer unless he possesses the knowledge which enables him to take the greatest amount of work out of the engine with the least possible expense. To accomplish such results, a thorough acquaintance with all details of the engine is essential, so that the entire machine may be operated as a harmonious unit, without jar or pound : the various methods of economizing heat must be intimately understood, and the laws which govern combustion should be well known so far as they apply to the management of the fire.

METHODS OF SELF-IMPROVEMENT.

To obtain this knowledge, which gives power, and directly increases a man's intrinsic value, young engineers and aspiring firemen must devote a portion of their leisure time to the form of self -improvement relating to the locomotive. Socrates, a sagacious old Greek philosopher, believed that the easiest way to obtain knowledge was by persistently asking questions. Young engineers can turn this system to good account. Never feel ashamed to ask for information where it is needed, and do not imagine that a man has reached the limit of mechanical knowledge when he knows how to open and shut the throttle-valve. The more a man progresses in studying out the philosophy of the locomotive and its economical operation, the more he gets convinced of his own limited knowledge. A young engineer who seeks for knowledge by questioning his elders must not feel discouraged at a rebuff. Men who refuse to answer civilly questions asked by juniors searching for information, are generally in the dark themselves, and attempt by rudeness to conceal their own ignorance.

OBSERVING SHOP OPERATIONS.

The system in vogue in most of our States, especially in the West, of taking on men for firemen who have received no previous mechanical training, leaves a wide field open for engineering instruction. Such men can not spend too much time watching the operations going on in repair-shops ; every detail of round-house work should be closely observed ; the various parts of the great machine they are learning to manage should be studied in detail. No operation of repairs is too trifling to receive strict attention. Where the machinists are examining piston-packing, facing valves, reducing rod-brasses, or lining down wedges, the ambitious

ENGINEERS AND THEIR DUTIES. f

novice will, by close watching of the work, obtain knowledge of the most useful kind. Looking on will not teach him how to do the work, but interesting himself in the procedure is a long step in the direction of learning. Repairing of pumps and injectors is interesting work, full of instructive points which may prove invaluable on the road. The rough work performed by the men who change truck-wheels, put new brasses in oil-boxes, and replace broken springs, is worthy of close attention ; for it is just such work that enginemen are most likely to be called upon to perform on the road in cases of accident. To obtain a thorough insight into the working of the locomotive, no detail of its construction is too trifling for attention. The unison of the aggregate machine depends upon the harmonious adjustment of the various parts ; and, unless a man understands the connection of the details, he is never likely to become skillful in detecting derangements.

WHERE IGNORANCE WAS RUIN.

I knew a case where the neglect to learn how minor work about the engine was done, proved fatal to the prospects of a young engineer. A new engine-truck box had been adopted shortly before he went running ; and, although he had often seen the cellar taken down by the round-house men when they were packing the trucks, he never paid close attention to how it was done. As the new plan was a radical change from the old practice, taking down the new cellar was a little puzzling at first to a man who did not know how to do it. One day this young engineer took out an engine with the new kind of truck, and a journal got running hot. He crept under the truck among snow and slush, to take the cellar down for packing ; but he struggled half an hour over it, and could not get the thing down. Then the conductor came along, to see what was the matter ; and, being posted on such work, he perceived that the young engineer did not know how to take the cellar out of the box. The conductor helped the engineer to do a job he should have needed no assistance with. The story was presently carried to headquarters with additions, and was the means of returning The young engineer to the left-hand side.

PREJUDICE AGAINST STUDYING BOOKS.

There is a silly prejudice in some quarters against engineers applying to books for information respecting their engines. Engineers are numerous who boast noisily that all their knowledge is derived from actual experience, and they despise theorists who study books, drawings, or models in acquiring particulars concerning the construction or operation of the locomotive parts. Such men have nothing to boast of. They never learn much, because ignorant egotism keeps them blind. They keep the ranks of the mere stopper and starter well filled.

THE KIND OF KNOWLEDGE GAINED FROM BOOKS.

The books on mechanical practice which these ultra practical men despise, contain in condensed form the experience and discoveries that have been gleaned from the hardest workers and thinkers of past ages. The product of long years of toilful experiment, where intense thought has furrowed expansive brows, and

ENGINEERS AND THEIR DUTIES. 9

weary watching has whitened raven locks, is often recorded on a few pages. A mechanical fact which an experimenter has spent years in discovering and elucidating, can be learned and tested by a student in as many hours. The man who despises book-knowledge relating to any calling or profession, rejects the wisdom begotten of former recorded labor.

A careful perusal of Forney's Catechism of the Locomotive will teach the young engineer valuable lessons about his engine which can be daily substantiated by practice. In nearly every instance, reading such a work acts as a stimulant to the perceptive faculties of an engineer. An explanation of a point helps to throw new light on something that was hazy, but now appears perfectly clear. An assertion made that a man does not agree with provokes thought, and thought leads to investigation. A writer may continually present matters at variance with the views of a reader, and yet be the means of imparting valuable knowledge. When an engineer wishes to gain a thorough knowledge of the valve-motion, — and most of us pride ourselves on what we know about this subject, — he may go in for a systematic study of Auchincloss on Link and Valve Motions. Here he will obtain information that can never be reached by mere practice with the actual motion ; yet access to, and observation of, the workingmotion, will engrave the principles upon his memory so that they can never be forgotten. Porter on the Indicator is a good source from whence accurate knowledge respecting the expansive working of steam can be obtained. Many other springs of knowledge flow clear and free. What is needed is the inclination to receive lO LOCOMOTIVE ENGINE RUNNING.