Water 12,000 gals.
Fuel 16 tons]
[Illustration: THE LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEER’S WORKROOM
Here is a picture of one end of the boiler of this giant locomotive.
It would take a man more than seven feet high to bump his head in the
middle of it while standing on his feet.]
[Illustration: This shows a picture of the engineer’s cab of one of
these great railroad machines. We are accustomed to see the levers
and other machinery for operating the engine right in the back of the
engine cab. Over or near the firebox. Upon looking closely we find
that the operating machinery is at the side of the locomotive and
far forward in the cab. In fact there is a complete set of operating
machinery on both sides of the cab, so that the engineer can run the
engine from whatever side he happens to be on. This is very necessary,
particularly in switching. Near the end of the cab where the engineer
used to sit you will notice a peculiar pipe-like arrangement. This
is not for operating the engine, but is the automatic stoker, which
is fully explained in the next picture. An engine of this size will
require seven tons of coal per hour.]
[Illustration: A MACHINE WHICH DOES THE WORK OF FOUR FIREMEN
When these large locomotives were first used it was found that no one
fireman could shovel in enough coal to keep the steam up. It would
require three or four firemen working constantly to shovel enough coal
to keep this engine going. Man’s inventive genius came to the front,
however, and now we have an automatic fireman, so to speak. Instead of
shoveling coal on one of these engines the fireman merely operates a
lever. This is a picture of the Sweet locomotive stoker installed in
a railroad engine. This machine automatically conveys coal from the
tender to the locomotive, raises it by an elevator to a point above the
fire door, dumps it into the firebox and spreads it evenly over the
grate.]
[Illustration: This is the new type of electric locomotive being used
by the New York Central system]
[Illustration: HOW A FAST TRAIN TAKES WATER WITHOUT STOPPING
The fast express trains haven’t time to stop and take water from the
tank at the side of the railroad as in former days. This picture shows
a tank built between the tracks which enables the engineer to fill
his boilers without slackening speed. When approaching this tank the
engineer simply lowers a tube into the water, the end of which is a
scoop. The moving engine thus forces the water up into the tube, from
which it runs into the boiler.]
[Illustration: This is an improved signal tower from which switches are
operated. If you were ever in a signal tower you will not recognize
this as one, for you are used to seeing a room full of levers which the
tower man had to pull hard when he wished to throw a switch. By the old
way the end of the lever was attached to a wire which was connected
with the switch. The wire running through pipes, when the operator
pulled the lever the switch was pulled shut by the pull on the wire. In
this new plan the switch is controlled by electricity, and the operator
has merely to pull out a plug as shown in the picture, which is much
easier than operating a lever.]
[Illustration: WHAT MAKES A WIRELESS MESSAGE GO
Sketch showing arrangement of aerial on ship equipped with the Marconi
Direction Finder, an instrument which tells the sea captain the exact
points of the compass from which wireless distress signals are being
sent and enables ships to avoid collisions in fog.]