Modern air-brake practice : its use and abuse; a book of instruction on the automatic high speed and straight air brake. Together with questions and answers covering a complete air brake examination for enginemen, trainmen and motormen

Front matter

'ih

COFITRICHT DEPOSn^

1%"''

Introduction

The author, realizing that the average Air- Brake Instruction book is written in a style much too hard for the ordinary reader to understand, has endeavored to illustrate the principle on which the Air Brake works by drawing comparisons with things commonly met with in the daily life of every one, and has avoided technicalities as much as possible.

To still further simplify the study of the brake he has divided the subject matter into eight distinct sections. By this system the reader will find that the knowledge necessary for the proper handling and care of the different air-brake systems can be acquired in the shortest possible time and in the very easiest manner when compared with any other plan.

Section i explains why the air brake is so little understood.

Section 2 describes the different parts of the

2 INTRODUCTION

Westinghouse air brake equipment and their duties.

Section 3 explains the various defects arising from the use and abuse of the Westinghouse Air Brake Company's equipment, and their remedies.

Section 4 describes the different parts of the New York Air Brake Company's equipment and their duties, and explains the various defects arising from the use and abuse of the New York Air Brake Company's equipment and their remedies.

Section 5 describes the different parts of the Dukesmith Air Brake Company's Equipment and their duties.

Section 6 explains the various defects arising from the use and abuse of the Dukesmith Air Brake Company's equipment and their remedies.

Section 7 is devoted to the Philosophy of Air- Brake Handling, in which is brought out many important points that have not heretofore been made sufficiently clear by air-brake writers; together with tables and rules for computing Brake Power, Leverage, etc., etc.

Section 8 is a special feature of this book, as it describes the Straight Air Brakes used on electric-motor cars, thereby affording motormen and others employed on electric car lines the oppor-

INTRODUCTION 3

tunity of acquiring valuable and much needed information.

Following each section are carefully selected questions and answers, which tend to fasten firmly upon the reader's mind every possible detail pertaining to the operation and maintenance of the air brake.

As books of instruction are supposed to be written for the benefit of the very beginner as well as the advanced student, the author has endeavored to make each sentence as clear as language will permit, even to the extent of repeating some things (in a different form of expression) in order to meet the comprehension of even the dullest student, and in all cases he has tried to shape his sentences in a style which railroad men generally will readily comprehend, without having to guess at anything.

While it is necessary, of course, in describing a drawing of any piece of machinery, to use either letters or figures to point out the several parts, it is not necessary to be continually referring to the letter or figure in speaking of the part afterwards, as it gets the reader badly muddled; but once the letter has pointed out what part is meant, in speaking of it afterwards the part will be called by its proper name. When a certain part is illustra-

4 INTRODUCTION

ted in this book the letters or figures used in referring to it will also be placed on the same or opposite page, so that if the read,er wishes to recall the relation of any given part to another he can turn to the engraving illustrating that particular piece of machinery, and will there find an explanation of the letters or figures used in referring to it.

When a man has learned thoroughly the Westinghouse air brake system a study of the New York air brake equipment becomes a very easy matter, for the reason that the same general mechanical principles apply with equal force in both cases, the only difference between the two systems is that the results accomplished are arrived at somewhat differently. This being true the author has fully described and illustrated the Westinghouse Air Brake System first, after which he has thoroughly described and illustrated the New York Air Brake System.

As the subject matter pertaining to train handling, leverage, brake power, etc., applies equally as well to one system of air brakes as to the other, it is not necessary to again refer to these subjects when the New York air brake is being described.

As the great tendency of modern railroading Is to heavy locomotives and long heavy trains,

INTRODUCTION 5

the question of controlling the locomotive brakes separately from the train brakes is undoubtedly of more importance today than any other branch of *air-brake practice, and this being true the author has not only fully described both the Westinghouse and New York straight air systems but has shown with equal f allness the latest developments in the Dukesmith Air Brake Control System as used on locomotives and cars.

In order to assist the reader to quickly find any and all information in this book he has divided the indexes into two parts, the first index covers the Westinghouse, New York and Dukesmith Air Brake Systems, Leverage, Brake Power, etc.; the second index covers the Straight Air Equipment as applied to traction railroads.

Chapter I ^ Some Reasons Why The Air Brake Is So Little

UNDERSTOOD BY RAILROAD OFFICIALS

AND EMPLOYES, AND WHY IT

IS SO BADLY NEGLECTED

In writing a book of instruction an author has no right to presume upon his reader's previous knowledge of the subject, as there is no way of his knowing how far that knowledge may extend. Therefore, as this book is meant to contain full and complete instructions on modern air-brake practice, its use and abuse, I will take it for granted that you, my reader, are desirous that I leave nothing unsaid which may in any way throw light on the subject.

If the human memory could be depended upon to reproduce impressions made upon it after the manner of a phonograph, it would be the easiest thing in the world to acquire an education on any given subject, but as this is not the case, we must, first of all, bring ourselves to realize that

*Be sure and read the Introduction first.

if the knowledge we acquire is to be of any real value to us we must conform to the natural mental laws in our method of acquiring it, if we are to have any assurance that our memory will reproduce that knowledge at a time when it is most needed.

The mental laws by which the action of the mind is mainly controlled are those of Logic and Association. This may sound like Greek to you, but as it is very essential that you should know, at least in a general way, what is meant by the laws of Logic and Association, I will explain by saying that the truth or falsity of every statement is determined by Logic, and by the law of Association you are enabled to remember and trace one circumstance to another.

To make this plain, if I should say to you that the principle on which the automatic air brake operates is that any material reduction in the trainpipe pressure will cause the brake to set, then, if you should see the brake set on a car to which no engine was attached, you would logically say there must be a leak in the trainpipe somewhere, or the pressure could not have been reduced.

That you may understand how the law of Association enables you to remember things, I

ITS USE AND ABUSE g

will just ask you to think for a moment of your home, and immediately there comes to your mind a mental picture of familiar faces, scenes and objects that a few minutes ago were buried in the depths of your memory. Now, supposing you wish to recall some bit of knowledge that has apparently slipped your memory, if you can take up the thread at any given point, the law of Association will carry your thoughts along, step by step, until you finally perceive the point you had forgotten, and which will cause you to suddenly exclaim, "O, pshaw, I remember now, it's so and so!" Now haven't you often gone through just this sort of experience?

Well, then, when you study any subject in a systematic way yo'u will find that after you have once mastered it you can take it up at almost any given point, and by the laws of Association and Logic, recall and prove up your previously acquired knowledge.

The air brake is, comparatively speaking, a simple piece of mechanism, and as all machinery must conform to the laws of Logic in order to perform its functions correctly, it will be an easy matter for you to master a knowledge of the air brake provided you will keep firmly in mind the fact that the action of any one part of the appalo MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE

ratus always depends on the action of some other part in order to produce a certain result. For instance, if you had your train fully charged, and the gauge on the engine showed a pressure of 70 and 90 pounds, and the angle-cock was closed between the tender and the head car, you might even throw the handle of the brake valve to the emergency position, and still the brakes wouldn't set. Why? Simply because the action of the triple valve depends on the changing of the pressure in the trainpipe, and with the angle-cock closed on the head car the brakes couldn't set, even if you should knock the engineer's brake valve clear off the engine.

Therefore, when you have mastered a perfect knowledge of the air-brake system, the law of Association will force you to remember the functions of the different parts of the equipment, and by the law of Logic you will be enabled to tell exactly when the apparatus is working properly.

It may sound strange to make such a statement, but it is a fact, nevertheless, that the main reason why the air brake is so badly neglected is because it is automatic, or self-acting.

The average man, whether he be an official or employe, seems to feel perfectly safe on any kind

ITS aSE AND ABUSE n

of a train so long as he knows it has air brakes on it, and if any one were to ask him if he thought there was any danger of the brakes failing to stop the train, would laugh and say, '*0, no, not at all, as all the engineer has to do is to make an emergency application, and the train will stop all right."

This would be a perfectly true statement if the air-brake equipment was always kept in its proper condition, but there are so very many things that can and do go wrong to prevent the brakes from doing their duty that the question of keeping them in good order is a very serious problem, indeed, and one that is arousing a deep interest in the minds of all railroad men. One of the strongest evidences of this fact is shown in the enactment of the national law spoken of elsewhere in this chapter.

It does not require much of a mechanical mind to grasp the fact that an air brake on a car would be worse than useless if the packing leather in the brake cylinder was dry, and allowed the air to escape, for no matter how good the engineer might be at handling his Drake valve, the brake on that car could not be made to hold.

This is only one of a score of things which might prevent the brakes from doing their duty, but because the brake will "work itself" the majority of men fail to see why the brake should not also 'take care of itself." But, like all other mechanism, it requires proper attention.

Another reason why the average man is lulled into the belief that the air brake needs but very little attention, is because a very few good air brakes on a train will produce results simply wonderful when compared with the old hand brake.

Such over-confidence in the power of the brakes to always stop the train is very much like the Irishman who bought two currycombs for his horse, because the dealer said to him if he would "buy one of his new patent currycombs, he could keep his horse on half the usual feed," whereupon Pat replied, "Faith, thin, I'll just take two, and I won't nade to buy any feed at all, at all."

Another reason why the air brake is so little understood and so badly neglected is because of its extreme simplicity, for with just ordinary attention it will continue to do its work, with more or less efficiency, for a considerable length of time, and as a consequence it is neglected until the brake-cylinder leather becomes dry and worthless; or the piston travel becomes too great; or the triple valve becomes gummed and dirty, and causes the brake to stick; or the strainers in the cross-over pipe becomes clogged; or the seats of some of the valves become worn and leaky, when the brake is "cut out,** and the weight of that car is left to be stopped by the next car on which there happens to be a good air brake. But the average man fails to realize either the danger or expense of having the brakes "cut out," simply because so long as he knows a car to have a "self-acting brake" on it he feels safe, when as a matter of fact a handbraked car is much safer for the railroad company than one with the air brakes cut out. For if it were 'not equipped with air the car would be carried with the non-air cars, and the train crew would have to look after it accordingly.

When short trains and slow speed were the order of the day it was perfectly safe to handle trains with only one-third of the cars air-braked, but in this twentieth century when long trains of heavy cars are shot over the country, up and down hill, like a Kansas cyclone or a scared wolf, the question of stopping power is of the highest importance, which means that every car in the train should not only have a ''quick-action" brake on it, but that the brake must be in perfect order, and the "piston-travel ' right up to where it belongs, and the enginemen and trainmen possessed of the proper knowledge of how best to manipulate and control the brakes in order to prevent accidents — as the great variety of accidents which may happen from bad handling, or not having a sufficient number of air brakes, is too numerous to mention.

It is safe to state that there is not a single railroad of any importance that does not pay out annually three times as much money on account of bad brakes and bad handling of brakes as they pay for a general manager, but because of the many different channels through which the expenditures are made they are not charged up directly to the brakes.

For instance, an engineer in coming into a station with a passenger train is making the stop with "one application" (the old way) and, after his brake cylinders and auxiliaries have equalized their pressure, and he is drifting along, depending upon the weight of the train to stop him at his usual place (because after equalization the automatic brakes cannot be applied any harder), a woman or child in crossing the track is killed. The amount of money the company has to pay out as a result of this "bad handlintr" of the brakes will run up into thousands of dollars, and yet the engineer excuses himself by simply saying: "The brakes failed to work."

Again, railroad companies are out thousands of dollars annually on account of damaged mer-" chandise, caused by the brakes being "thrown into the emergency" when there was no real danger ahead to require the emergency application to be used, or because of a defective triple valve.

Uneven piston-travel causes more trains to be parted while running along, draw-heads pulled out, wheels flattened, etc., than any other one cause; hence it is evident that the brakes should not only be kept in perfect working order at all times, but the men who handle them should understand thoroughly how to properly manipulate and keep them in order.

The American Congress, realizing the vast importance of having the air-brake equipment kept up to somewhere like it should be, recently enacted a law, which became effective in September, 1903, requiring all railroads to have at least fifty per cent of the cars in all trains equipped with air brakes in good condition. And as the law would be a dead letter if the "good condition" clause was not lived up to, it is easy to see l6 MODERN AIR-BRAFCE PRACTICE

that railroads are forced to look after the instruction of their men as much as possible, and in order to do so many roads which are not already so provided, are putting on regular air-brake instructors as rapidly as conditions will permit, and are voluntarily increasing the number of air-braked cars in freight trains.

Some idea may be formed of the average man's knowledge of the "equalization of pressure" by the following true stor>': A certain engineer on a mountain road was going down a pretty stiff grade, and after making a great number of "reductions" from his trainpipe, and not feeling the train slow up as he expected, turned to the head brakeman, who happened to be riding on the engine, and said: 'Hey, Bub, you'd better be gittin' back, 'cause I ain't got but a few more squirts left in this thing." And still he was considered a good runner by his employers.

In order to insure safety in the handling of trains it is absolutely essential that ever>' one whose duties in any way connect him with the air brake, should not only know what all the parts are that constitute the air-brake equipment, but must also understand the philosophy of handling the brakes under any and all circumstances, as the requirements of his position may demand.

In addition to all of the many reasons previously mentioned as to why the air brake is so little understood by the average engineman and trainman alike, a very common one is because of the unsystematic manner in which the study of the air brake is usually begun. The engineman, if he gives the subject any study at all, usually begins by trying to master the mysteries of the brake valve, or the pump, and the trainman usually thinks there is nothing for him to learn except how to "cut it in, or cut it out," and gives as his excuse that "the engineer handles the brake, and, besides, it is automatic, and works itself."

The experience of late years has abundantly proven that if an air-braked train is to be handled with safety it is absolutely necessary that every man on the train thoroughly understands at least the principle on which the brake operates, and must be able for a certainty to tell when the brakes are in perfect working order by making a careful test before starting, or when any change is made in the train. ^

A serious accident happened recently by the simple act of a brakeman turning up the handle l8 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE

of a pressure-retaining valve. He heard the air escaping at the "retainer," and thinking he would '*stop the leak," turned up the retainer handle, and as a consequence the brake on that car could not be released from the engine, which allowed the wheels to become overheated, causing them to burst, which ditched the train and killed three men. This would never have hapypened if that brakeman had only understood the mere principle on which the brake operates.