DESCRIPTION OF THE LOCOMOTIVE.
In order to become an engineer, the first thing necessary is to gain a
thorough understanding of the peculiarly complicated machine which it
is the duty of engineers to control.
This is of the highest importance, and a careful study of this chapter
and the diagrams accompanying it will be of great assistance to anybody
who contemplates becoming an engineer.
There are locomotives and locomotives, all built on the same general
plan, but varying in details according to the ideas of their builders,
and the class of work which they are expected to perform.
[Illustration: AN AMERICAN LOCOMOTIVE WITH TWO DRIVING WHEELS.]
Thus for elevated roads and short surface lines, devoted principally to
passenger travel, locomotives of light capacity are employed; costing
less at the start, and being less expensive to run.
[Illustration: AMERICAN LOCOMOTIVE WITH FOUR DRIVING WHEELS.]
The "dummy" is even a grade below these, being practically a stationary
engine set on a car with driving wheels attached.
[Illustration: OUTSIDE VIEW OF LOCOMOTIVE.]
[Illustration: INSIDE VIEW OF LOCOMOTIVE.]
In America our locomotives are built with long boilers and have a
general trim appearance.
Some have two driving wheels, others, still longer, have four. We
illustrate both of them.
English locomotives present a clumsy appearance alongside the American.
For us to attempt to decide which is the best, would be the height of
presumption.
Certain it is, however, that English locomotives do run at a greater
average speed than those in the United States.
We will now proceed to describe by tabular arrangement, an English
locomotive.
This description will practically describe the American locomotive as
well.
We cannot enter into a detailed description of both for want of space,
and select therefore the machine which has attained to the highest
speed.
We will first look at the outside of the locomotive.
1, 2, 3, Barrel of Boiler. 6, Smoke-box. 22, Smoke Stack. 32, Spring
balance.
33, Whistle. 34, Dome. 64, Exhaust pipe. 70, Cab. 85, Brake blocks. 87,
Life guards. 88, Trailing axle and wheel. 59, Heading axle and wheel.
54, Driving axle. O, Speed indicator. P, Splasher. S, Sand-box. T,
Tool-box. V, Safety valve. W, Balance-wheel.
Let us now take an inside view of the locomotive. Compare the numbers
carefully with the cut, and take time to think what you are doing,
otherwise don't read this part at all.
1, 2, 3, Rings arranged telescopically, forming barrel of boiler.
4, Solid angle-iron ring. 5, Tube plate. 6, Smoke box. 7, Shell, or
covering plate. 8, Foundation ring. 9, Throat plate. 10, Back plate.
11, Fire door. 12, Covering plate of inside fire-box. 13, Tube plate.
14, Back plate. 15, Stays. 16, Mouth-piece. 17, Stays from inside
fire-box to shell plate. 18, Palm stays. 19, Tubes. 20, Smoke-box door.
21, Pinching screw. 22, Chimney. 23, Chimney cap. 24, Blast pipe. 25,
Top of blast pipe. 26, Balance weight. 27, Wheel spokes. 28, Front
buffer. 29, Mud plug. 30, Safety valve. 31, Safety lever. 32, Spring
balance. 33, Whistle. 34, Dome. 35, Regulator. 36, Steam pipes. 37,
Elbow pipe. 38, Brick arch. 39, Fire bars. 40, Ash pan. 41, Front
damper. 42, Back damper. 43, Frame plate. 44, Iron buffer beam (front).
45, Iron buffer beam (back). 46, (See half width plan) cylinder. 47,
Cylinder posts, valve. 48, Valve chest. 49, Steel motion plate. 50,
Horn blocks. 51, Axle boxes. 52, Slide bars. 53, Connecting rod. 54,
Crank shaft. 55, Crank shaft, big end of. 56, Crank shaft, arm of. 57,
Expansion link. 58, Weigh-bar shaft. 59, Valve spindle. 60, Valve rod
guide. (See half width plan). 61, Pump. 62, Delivery pipe. 63, Field
pipe. 64, Exhaust pipe. 65, Volute spring. 66, Draw-bar hook. 67, Lamp
iron. 68, Oil cup. 69, Oil pipes. 70, Cab. 71, Regulator handle. 72,
Reversing lever. 73, Draw-bar. 74, Draw-pin. 75, Steam-brake cylinder.
76, Hand-brake. 77, Sand-rod. 78, Front damper. 79, Back damper. 80,
Trailing wheel. 81, Driving wheel. 82, Leading wheel. 83, Spring. 84,
Hand rail. 85, Brake blocks. 86, Waste water-cocks. 87, Life guard. 88,
Railing axle. 89, Leading axle. Z, Lead plug.
43, Frame plate from end to end of engine. 44, Iron buffer-beam. 46,
Cylinders. 50, Horn block, to carry axle-box and brass. 51, Axle-box
and brass. 52, Slide bars. 53, Connecting-rod. 54, Driving axle. 55,
Big end of driving axle. 56, Arm of driving axle. 59, Valve-spindle.
60, Valve-rod guide. 61, Pump. 76, Hand brake. 85, Brake blocks. 88,
Trailing axle. 89, Leading axle. 90, Piston rod. 91, Piston head, held
on the rod by a brass nut. 92, Backway eccentric rod. 93, Frontway
eccentric rod. 94, Eccentric Straps. 95, Eccentric sheaves. 96, Tire.
97, Lip on tire. 98, Brake irons. 99, Foot plating. 100, Transverse
stay. A, Water space between inside and outside fire boxes. B,
Slide-block with end of pump-ram screwed into the end. C, Link motion
(see 57, inside view). D, Slide valve rod, working guide. H, Inside
journal, showing how the axle is supported inside of frame plates. I,
Cross-head, solid, with piston rod.
[Illustration: UNDERNEATH THE LOCOMOTIVE--HALF WIDTH PLAN.]
15, stays in walls of fire-boxes. 18, stays from crown plate to
covering plate. 19, tubes. 23, smoke-stack. 40, ash-pan. 54, crank
shaft. 55, big end of crank-shaft. 56, arm of big end. 34, dome.
[Illustration: IN FRONT OF THE LOCOMOTIVE CROSS-SECTION.]
A, water space. F, nave of wheel. P, P, splashers over driving wheels.
R, right side of engine. L, left side of engine.
75, steam brake handle. 33, whistle handle. 23, smoke stack. K, K,
weather glasses. O, speed indicator. E, conductor's bell. N, oil for
cylinder. X, blower handle. R, right side of engine. L, left side of
engine. M, M, gauge glasses.
SOME POINTS ABOUT THE LOCOMOTIVE.
Here are a few interesting points about this particular locomotive
which we have just been describing.
It is a single engine on six wheels--which are well distributed, with a
large boiler of abundant steam generating power with cylinders of great
capacity, and driving wheels of moderate diameter.
It is accompanied by a tender on six wheels, capable of holding a
supply of 2,520 gallons of water, and 40 cwt. of coal.
Notwithstanding its great capacity, this tender is so low that a tall
man may stand on top of the coal without fear of being knocked down by
bridges.
There are over 47 tons of metal in the locomotive and tender.
When they are in full working order the gross weight with water and
fuel amounts to 59 tons.
This locomotive drew its first train 87 miles in 1 hour and 50 minutes.
DIFFERENCES IN LOCOMOTIVES.
It is an old saying and a true one that no two locomotives are ever
alike, any more than two men are ever alike.
The difference is due not so much to the materials of which the
locomotive is built as to the method in which they are put together,
for no two engines were ever put together geometrically alike.
They may differ in some simple matter. It may be in the casting of the
cylinders, in the quality of the copper of the fire box, in the valves
or in the smoke stack. Whatever the difference may be there is still
always a difference which is bound to affect the running qualities
either for better or for worse.