133. Throttle and Cut-Off. "What would you advise for best results in pulling a train, a certain stroke and a full throttle or a little more stroke and less throttle? I find I can keep them hot the easier with more stroke and less throttle."C. H. D. Answer. Would advise that the engine be worked where she will do the best. A short cut-off and a full throttle will not, as a rule, always prove as satisfactory with a high-pressure engine at slow speed as with the low pressures and small en could not put it in place, would reduce train, get into terminal and report it, but if at an outside point would try and put it where it belonged, after the fire was drawn. It's almost impossible to adjust a pipe in the front end of an engine with a fire in the box, unless the adjustment can be made from the outside. The Westinghouse Air-Brake. Answers by F. B. Farmer. 180. Reversing Affecting Stopping Distance."Can a train be stopped in a shorter distance by reversing the engine after driver brakes have been applied?"-A. B. C. Answer.-It can not. This assumes that the driver brake is at least fairly efficient and that the rule instead of the exception is considered. Tests made about 1894 by the N. C. & St. L. Ry. with the object of settling this question gave results as shown elsewhere in this number, being copied from the proceedings of the Air Brake Association for 1895. While in exceptional instances where everything was favorable the effect of reversing did shorten the stop, yet in the majority of the stops the effect was to increase the distance over that where the driver and tender brakes alone were used. The principle involved is that sliding wheels retard less than where the resistance to rotation or turning is not quite sufficient to cause sliding. This does not necessarily imply that in a stop where some wheel sliding occurs the distance would have been shortened if the braking power had been sufficiently less as would have prevented sliding. It is a question of how much the greater holding power acting on all wheels up to the stop on the wheels that do not slide and to the time when some commence to slide, tends to shorten the distance as compared with the loss in holding power with the wheels that slide, and after sliding commences. 181. Double-Heading Problem.-"In doubleheading trains the head engineer is supposed to handle the air and some of the men here say that if you leave the second engine's brake valve cut in its pump will supply the train pipe as fast as the leading engine's brake valve discharges from it. Still you hear men that were running the second engine talk about cutting in and stopping the train. If the first case be true, please explain why. If it is true, how can the second also be true?"— V. D. W. Answer. This is explained as follows: Ordinarily the head engineer does the braking in service position and in which the discharge of train pipe pressure is slow, compared with emergency, particularly with very long trains. With the second engine's brake valve cut in and the handle in running position the feed into the train pipe is not in all, if in any cases, as rapid as the discharge made in service position by the other brake valve, but it will at least be sufficient to so slow up the train pipe reduction as to prevent many brake cylinder pistons from passing the leakage grooves, and will greatly retard the application of other brakes. The discharge from the head engine's brake valve will not cease because of the air fed into the train pipe, being supplied by the pump and main reservoir of the sec ond engine. The exception is where pressure can leak from the train pipe past the equalizing piston of the head engine's brake valve. In the latter case any brakes that may have applied are liable to release, and in the other the head engineer is liable to cause the same result by moving the handle into running or release position for a second or so to stop the discharge. If, as he should, the head engineer promptly recognizes the cause of the trouble and if a prompt application is very important, he will at once use the emergency position, making and maintaining a sufficient discharge to apply and hold the brakes until stopped. Here he is sure to get an application, though slower than it otherwise would be, even though the second engine's brake valve is in release position. However, under such circumstances it is practically impossible to get quick action. When there is reason for the second engineer to cut in and stop the train it may be said to be in every instance a case of emergency, under which circumstance he would promptly use the emergency position. The head engineer being responsible for the braking is more liable to promptly note such application and at least move his brake valve handle to lap, than is the second engineer when he has forgotten to cut out his brake valve and a service application is attempted. This answer would not be complete without a warning against such carelessness as leaving the second engine's brake valve cut in. The only safe plan is to cut out before the brake test and stay cut out until the head engine is cut off. A prominent Western road that uses helpers on its mountain grades has an excellent rule on this subject. While on the head end the helper handles the air, but before cutting off must apply the brakes and leave them so. As the second engineer can not release them without cutting in, this insures against the dangerous fault of forgetting to cut in. Even so, the usual brake test is required as an additional and wise safeguard. If aid from the second engine is needed in recharging, then both main reservoirs should be connected by a separate and special line of pipe, as has been provided for on some roads. Up?"Referring to my question in the Feb 182. Was the Pump Suction Strainer Frozen ruary number, since then I was on a passenger engine, and on leaving the terminal we could not get but about 40 pounds of air, though the pump ran very fast. At the first stop we found that the pump suction strainer was stopped up with dirt and frost. Cleaning it remedied the trouble. Since then I have wondered if this could have caused the trouble in the other case I referred to, as it did not occur to me to examine the strainer on that pump."-T. S. Answer. It is quite possible that this contributed to the inability to get standard train-pipe pressure, as tests have shown that many pumps are far less efficient than they should be for no other reason than a dirty suction strainer. Nor is a clean and polished outside any indica tion of a clean strainer. Mr. Kolseth, Inspector for the Westinghouse Air Brake Co., was the first to bring this prominently before the mind of the writer and others. In testing a strainer that was not stopped up, but merely dirty, he found it required 628 pump strokes, time 4 minutes and 8 seconds, to pump up full pressure (100 pounds) on the engine with the strainer on the pump, and only 540 strokes, 3 minutes and 30 seconds, with it off. Recently a very observing and successful engineer told the writer of an instance of the pump strainer stopping up with light ashes which arose while the fireman was cleaning the fire. The moral of it all is, give more attention to keeping the pump strainer clean inside, as well as out, and remember that with rising steam or under certain atmospheric conditions it can quickly choke up with frost during freezing weather. many Canadian Pacific locomotives the pump suction is inside of the cab in winter, for the purpose of guarding against stoppage from frost. On However, that you did have excessive train-pipe leakage is indicated by the rapid and unintentionally heavy brake application which you noted at the first stop. Train Rules and Train Practice. Answers by H. A. Dalby. 119. Extra with "Right" Order.-"The following train order has given rise to conWould siderable difference of opinion. like to have your view: "Engine 9 will run extra A to D and return with right over No. 136 engine 1.' "No. 136 is due to leave A at 4 p. m. Engine 9 gets above order and it is completed at 4.10 p. m. No. 136 has not left A. Has the extra a right to leave A ahead of them?"-G. E. J. Answer. Yes. The order makes extra 9 superior to No. 136 and entitles it to run in both directions without regard to the latter train. 120. From the Same.-" Referring to the same order in a little different case: The order is completed at 3 p. m., No. 136 due to leave A at 4 p. m. There is a telegraph station at C, but none at D. Engine 9 breaks down before reaching C. They can back up, but can not go ahead. They start to back up to A and No. 136 gets into them. Who is to blame? North bound trains have right of track. D is north."-G. E. J. Answer.-Extra 9 is to blame. Their order was to run extra A to D and return, and they have no right to run south (from D to A) until they have run from A to D. There are probably orders out at B or C for extra 9 south helping No. 136 against them. 121. An Irregular Order. -"On a single track line No. 1109 arrives at D and receives an order to carry signals D to G for engine 275, south bound, together with a message stating that engine 275 has already run extra D to E. No. 1109 also receives copies of the order for engine 275 to be delivered at E, since E is not a telegraph station. No. 1109 and 1110 meet regularly at E. No. 1110 finds engine 275 in south end of siding at E carrying white signals and No. 1109 in north end of siding carrying green signals. Shall No. 1109 blow for signals to No. 1110 and what shall No. 1110 do? 1110 has no orders."-G. L. F. No. Answer. The irregularity of the order is easily seen and is responsible for the situation which followed, which might have been expected. It would seem that it was as easy to direct No. 1109 to carry signals from E as from D, which would have made the order above criticism. The only way out of the difficulty was for No. 1109 to make an explanation to No. 1110, which might consume a little time and could have been avoided had the order been properly issued. Although the rules require trains carrying signals to exchange whistle signals when meeting trains of the same class, the inconsistency of sounding the whistle in this case is apparent, and we see no other way than for No. 1109 to stop and explain the situation to No. 1110. It may make the situation clearer to some readers if we explain that on the road from which the question came trains of the same class wait indefinitely for each other at the time-table meeting point, there being no "Train of Superior Direction" in that code of rules. No. 1110, therefore, would wait indefinitely for 2d 1109, unless released in some legitimate way. 66 'Engine 645 will run extra A to E. Engine 634 is working as an extra between B and C.'"-J. A. B. Answer. As the order is not according to any Standard Code form it is impossible to say how it would affect extra 645. The Standard Code prescribes that in such a case one extra shall protect against or keep clear of the other. There may be roads where this order would require extra 645 to look out for engine 634 working under flag, and there may be others where extra 645 would have no right to enter the working limits without further help against the work extra, but without seeing the rules of the road where the order was issued we can not answer. bound. The question is, who takes the siding at Hogan? We were on 1st No. 95 and the engineer and conductor said we would take siding at Hogan, but I say we hold main track. I claim we would have to take the siding at Hogan if the word 'meet' had been inserted in Order No. 7 before the words '3d and 4th No. 86.'"J. P. Answer. In all probability, No. 95 being a second-class train, the dispatcher intended it to hold the main track at both Middlebrook and Hogan, but we think the order should state in positive terms just what is meant. The order as it reads and the understanding of "J. P." are, perhaps, grammatically correct, but to the ordinary reader and to one who has not the time to carefully analyze the phraseology of the order, it might present a reasonable doubt as to which trains should take the siding at Hogan. There is nothing in the Standard Code to tell us whether, in an order of this kind, the provision to "hold main track” or "take siding" should apply to the first named meeting point only, or to all meeting points, if there be more than one. It is our opinion, therefore, that the provision to hold the main track should be 124. A Grammatical Question.-"The follow- placed in a separate sentence and should ing orders were issued: "Order No. 112. 44 '1st, 2d, 3d and 4th No. 86 have right apply, thus: over 1st and 2d No. 95 and No. 97 to Bismarck.' "Order No. 7. "1st and 2d No. 95 will hold main track and meet 2d No. 86 at Middlebrook and 3d and 4th No. 86 at Hogan.' "No. 95 is a second-class train south bound, No. 86 is a third-class train north state definitely at what stations it is to "1st and 2d No. 95 hold main track at Middlebrook," or "1st and 2d No. 95 hold main track at both stations." If we were on any of these trains we should approach the siding at Hogan very carefully, prepared to find the "other fellow" on the main track. Railway Club Proceedings Derating Seniority as Punishment of Railroad Employes.* This lack of uniformity in the application of the Brown System has, no doubt, created more dissatisfaction than anything else in connection with this system of discipline. However, the results obtained by the Brown System are good. For example: Our records show, at the close of the six months ending June 30, 1903, that, for the five and onehalf years since January 1, 1898, when the Brown System was installed, there was saved to the employes by book suspensions, instead of actual suspensions, the sum of $773,819.06. No one will probably dispute that it is better for the railroad company to give an employe a book suspension of thirty to sixty days than to give him an actual suspension for the same period. He is a better man to continue in the special line of duty which he has been following than a new man put in his place. Furthermore, after the employe has laid off thirty or sixty days for instance, take an engi neer or conductor-he is not as reliable a man for the service as he would have been had he received a book suspension and continued in the service, as there may have been bulletin notices issued during his absence, or there may have been some slow orders on track, that are re called before he resumes duty, which, however, would be information for him; and other little things affecting his service may have transpired which would be to his advantage and to the advantage of the company for him to have a knowledge of, which he would lose by taking an actual suspension. Furthermore, railroad men are not always provident, and fact that the object in publishing monthly bulletins calling attention to discipline that has been administered in particular offenses is not to show that certain men have been punished, but the object is more to bring out the educational features. In other words, the bulletin is posted so that other men may read it and see the object-lesson. It is worded so they are educational, as supertrue that many of these bulletins are not intendents in many instances simply state that an employe has been discharged for a particular offense, without explaining what should have been done. I can assure the employes of the Southern Pacific Company that the original idea of General Manager Kruttschnitt in installing the Brown System on the Southern Pacific Company's lines was a purely humanitarian one. We all know that strict discipline is essential to the successful operation of a railroad, and the primary object was to secure a higher state of efficiency. His idea was that it would and possibly suffering of those dependent avoid loss of time and wages to employes, on their earnings; furthermore, that all employes might become better acquainted with each case for which discipline was imposed and learn something from the failure of others; also to encourage and stimulate employes to co-operate with the tending to produce harmony, economy, officials of the company in all matters safety, and efficiency, thereby securing better service and resulting in profit and credit to the company and to the employes, as well as better service to the public. The idea was that the employes would become more contented, more intelligent, more courteous, more watchful an actual suspension of thirty or sixty and zealous for the company's interests, days many times means a hardship upon a wife and several children, who are compelled to suffer through the fault of their breadwinner, whom the company may have reason to believe is a very good man, and one that the company does not want to get rid of; but he has committed some violation of the rules which can not be overlooked, if discipline among the army of men in railway service is to be maintained. We must not lose sight of the Continued from February. realizing that their interests were his interests, thus securing a more harmonious, economical, and efficient service. While the objection is made that many of the men care little or nothing for the demerit marks on the record bulletin, this may be true with reference to some of them; but on the Coast Division I know my boys did not like to have the marks, and I have had many of them come to me and say, "Mr. Worthington, do anything to me, but do not put this ten days on the book against my record." One |