THE STEAM LOCOMOTIVE

[Music] e [Music] the Iron Horse what American does not thrill to the sight of a speeding trade the biggest thing that moves on land here is mass action today the economic importance of the steam locomotive can hardly be overestimated in peace and War it ties our far-flung country together and makes it possible for our Commerce and industries to function it brings us our daily food from all quarters of the land and Carries us on business and pleasure safely and incumbent it has been one of the essential creators of the America we know today probably the most famous locomotive in the world is the giant Hudson type developed by the New York Central in 1927 since then nearly 300 of them have been in use on famous Mainline passenger trains of the Central's great steel Fleet renowned 20th century limited is pulled by a streamlined Hudson the gleaming Empire State Express speeds over the rails behind a Hudson streamlined in stainless steel to match its luxurious cards although these handsome engines differ in outward appearance from the conventional Hudsons they are of the same same basic type no other locomotive has ever caught the public fancy like this one or attained such an enviable record for operating efficiency the steam locomotive is one of the most compact power plants in the world within comparatively close limits are 300 tons of Machinery every pound designed for the most gring work each engine costs nearly $200,000 perhaps you wonder why a locomotive is such a complicated and expensive piece of Machinery well let's take a look at some of the answers since the day James Watt discovered the power of steam it has been serving mankind it is the prime mover of the steam locomotive the largest part of the engine is the boiler where water is turned into steam by a white hot fire stripped of its insulating jacket a boiler looks like a long tank with a box built in one in the fire box is similar to that in your furnace at home and is built to hold a fire which drives its heat through long tubes surrounded by water the water absorbs heat from the tubes and the result is steam in enormous quantities the smoke and burn gases finally reach the front of the boiler and are discharged into a smoke box from here they reach the open air through the Smoke [Music] Stack to produce mechanical energy the tremendous power of expanding steam must be properly harnessed in a locomotive this is accomplished by utilizing cylinders Pistons connecting rods and wheels in this cutaway model the fundamental parts are shown in action this relatively simple appearing Machinery is the result of more than 100 Years of constant research and experiment M mation which is still being pressed the power stroke begins when the valve allows steam to flow into the cylinder its expanding Force pushes the Piston to the other end of the cylinder in the meantime the valve again moves allowing the steam to push the Piston [Music] back the pushing and pulling of the Piston is linked to all Wheels by Rod thus the force of each stroke reaches all Drive wheels at [Music] once although this mechanism produces the actual power there are many other accessory devices which are necessary to make the modern engine safe and efficient the whistle might be called the voice of the engine man its blast warns trespassers and communicates signals the automatic Bell cautions that the engine is moving or about to start when the pressure becomes too great safety valves allow the steam to escape among the many pipes on the side of the engine are those carrying water from the tender to the pump which forces it into the boiler another device called an injector is used to supplement the action of the pump on top of the boiler is located a small steam driven generator this supplies electricity for the headlight automatic train stop device and various lights in the cab two pumps Supply compressed air for the brake equipment bell ringer and other accessories strong reservoirs hold the air at a pressure of 140 lb per square in the brakes are iron shoes held against the wheels by air pressure a slight Twist of the engine man's brake handle applies the friction when the rails are slippery from rain or snow it is necessary to use sand to provide fraction it is stored in a compartment on top of the boiler and fed through pipes by compressed air the flow is controlled by the engine [Music] man important as the engine itself the tender rides along behind carrying Fuel and water the huge coal bin holds enough to run the engine for hundreds of miles water for the boiler air for the train brakes and steam for heating the cars are carried through flexible coupling coal is brought forward from The Tender by a revolving screw which crushes large lumps as it moves them through a tube to the Firebox door as the coal emerges from the tube it is sprayed to all parts of the fire by Jets of Steed regulated by the fireman the Jets point in different directions thus the coal may be set where it is most needed after the first adjustments have been made the firemen can regulate the stoker so that a constant spray of coal will be fed to the fire on the larger locomotives of today a man cannot shovel coal fast enough to develop the full power of the boiler on the rear of the tender are the coupler and other connections the entire pulling power of the locomotive is transmitted by this steel knuckle the pipes carry Steam Heat air for the brakes and air for the communicating signal locomotives do not earn their keep when standing still the interest charges on an investment of nearly $200,000 a unit run so high that it's good business to keep engines in operation as much as possible after their runs of from 3 to 900 M they are given a thorough servicing this is handled at engine terminals located at important points each engine is put through a detailed routine of checking lubricating and repairing much of which is prescribed by law the first step in servicing is performed on The Ash pit here the fire is dumped into a concrete pit filled with water The Hoppers are washed clean and the grates tilted so that the fire box is empty as soon as the fire is dumped the steam pressure begins to drop however the insulation on the boiler is so efficient that it will hold steam long enough to move the engine into the roundhouse railroad management believes that its equipment must not only run well but look well good oldfashioned scrubbing with plenty of soap and water does the job it is all part of a gigantic housekeeping task that employs thousands of men and women on the river normally an engine is cleaned before it goes into The Engine [Music] House a sample of water from each incoming locomotive is is tested to determine the amount of dissolved or scale forming solids in the boiler if the proportion is too high it is necessary to change the water in the boiler to prevent foaming and poor steaming all water used by locomotives is treated to keep scale formation to a [Music] minimum the major part of servicing takes place in the busy Engine House built in the form of a semicircle ccle it is commonly called a roundhouse by means of a turntable engines may be quickly placed in the proper stall it's interesting toine railroad terms such as stall and Hustler which have persisted from Stage Coach days Hustlers are The Men Who Run the locomotives at engine terminals they handle these unwieldy Giants with great skill and precision no sooner does a locomotive enter a stall than its inspection report is placed beside it provision is made for dozens of entries and signatures for everything that is done to an engine must be signed for by Workman the engine man who last ran the locomotive has already reported on its performance and his remarks guide The Roundhouse men in their work activity begins at once though the boiler is still warm the inspectors climb in and start their pain staking work the Firebox in the rear and the Smoke Box in front get careful attention Machinery inspectors check the mechanical parts to detect flaws and loose bolts they must use their sense of hearing and sense of touch as well as their eyesight during the checking of air equipment a flaming torch serves a double purpose besides giving light its flame makes otherwise invisible leaks apparent because of other noises the inspector cannot depend on hearing a Telltale hiss of escaping air during most of its stay in the round housee the locomotive is subjected to inspections of many kinds here the electrical parts come in for their share each inspector is an expert in his life by using Crews of skilled men in definite routine it is possible to service these engines in a few hours unlike most Industries the railroad must operate on a rigid time schedule this means that no delays can be tolerated except under the most unusual circumstances The Men Who operate the trains must be backed by vast behindth scenes facilities an engine terminal employs hundreds of mechanics working at many different traes aided by modern efficient tools these men are constantly winning a Race Against Time many come from families whose men have been railroad workers for Generations they have a deep rooted pride in their work and their Spirit plays no small part in keeping the trains rolling during extremely difficult times regardless of we the work must go on day or night to provide a steady stream of locomotives to keep America's Transportation lines open in addition to the routine inspection it is sometimes necessary to make various repairs more extensive inspection at overhauling is scheduled on a monthly quarterly and annual basis a complete reconditioning is done after the locomotive has run a specified number of miles most roundhouses are provided with special apparatus for changing wheels this operation is done by Electric elevators which lower the wheels into a pit after they have been detached from the engine phame after they have been lowered they are moved to one side and brought up to floor level again in sharp contrast to the ponderous work of removing Wheels is the inspection and calibration of the delicate valve pilot in this small box is a recording apparatus which gives a graphic picture of the locomotive's performance pencils Trace lines on a moving paper tape to tell the story one makes a chart of the engine speed and another tells how efficiently it is operating the records are used to determine such things as fuel and water consumption and other important factors in the locomotives operation after each run the tape is removed and sent to a central office for analysis through the study of these records it is often possible to affect improvements in locomotive operations when something breaks it is important to know the reason detailed reports of the failure are sent to the railroad's own engineering test Laboratories for study some cracks cannot be seen by the naked eye but an ingenious electromagnetic device detects flaws in metal Park metallic dust sprinkled on the surface will form ridges when the unit approaches a hidden crack lubrication the final roundhouse operation requires more than a dozen different oils and greases while the work is being completed the terminal Foreman is receiving a list of scheduled trains with the number of cars in each with his assistance he assigns the locomotives for the day's work a bulletin board tells Hustlers when and where the engines will be needed at last the time comes when the prepared locomotive must be moved out to the ready track it's an inspiring sight to see these monsters roll majestically out of their stalls they stand panting like racehorses and they are swung around to the outgoing track they almost seem alive to the men who work with them and each one appears to have a personality all its own it's easy to see why the locomotive has such a strong appeal for the average person because of their Sleek lines and Powerful appearance the Hudson type engines have been copied by toy manufacturers and model makers ever since they were first built their performance records have been outstanding in the railroad [Music] world [Music] the coaling plant is the next stop some engine terminals use over 1,000 tons a day of this specially grad soft [Music] Co the problem of securing an adequate supply of of water satisfactory for locomotives is a serious one the New York Central spends over $2.5 million each year for this purpose the water must be treated and stored in sufficient quantities to guard against the possibility of shage these locomotives use about six barrels of water a minute when running at high speeds in order to keep up with this demand without the delay of frequent stops the engine must pick up water while running it is taken from a long long pan between the rails a scoop is lowered when the pan is reached and the speed of the engine sends the water up into the tender sister track pans are located at approximately 40 m intervals along the main line moving to the ready track is the final operation at the engine terminal here the locomotives are lined up in the order in which their trains will Le every part of the engines has been inspected and put in proper working order [Music] the locomotive in action is a magnificent sight when the starting signal comes the engine man's hand is on the throttle lever a gentle tug and the steam Roars into the cylinders the giant moves every ounce of its 5,000 horsepower is brought into play to pull more than a th000 tons of Passenger cars as the train gather speed the exhaust beats come in a faster Cadence locomotive is using a vast Quan of steam at this point and the fireman must adjust his stoker to make a clean hot fire by skillful manipulation he feeds the coal just fast enough to make a roaring fire with almost no smoke a great deal depends on how well his job is done or lack of steam prevents the engine man from making his schedule [Music] speed the bark of the the exhaust deepens into a Roar as the train speeds faster the reason for the painstaking inspection and servicing becomes apparent when one sees this traveling Powerhouse at its terrific job no weak parts or loose bolts can stand up under such usage the Apparently casual greeting of the crews may also mean alls well when trains are passing in addition to their other duties the engine crew must keep an eye ahead for Signal indications and call them aloud to each other the men are required to check all signals in this manner with his own Keen judgment and the cooperation of his firemen the engine man can make his locomotive perform to Perfection this combination of matchless skill and superb Machinery has done much to make the New York Central famous throughout the world here is steam power in its most exciting development