DUTIES OF AN ENGINEER.
Let us now consider in detail some of the more important duties of an
engineer.
THE NOTICE BOARD.
Before going to his engine an engineer should, for his own safety, as
well as that of the public, visit the special and general notice boards
and post himself fully upon the running of the trains for the day. By
neglecting this more than one engineer has lost his life.
An anecdote bearing on this is related on good authority, as follows:
"By incessant rain a river had become so swollen that, owing to the
rush of water, the spiles of a wooden railway bridge became shifted.
"The bridge was inspected, and one side of it pronounced to be
dangerous. Arrangements were made to use only one track until
repairs could be made, and notice of such arrangements posted in the
round-house.
"The engineer neglected to visit the notice board, ran his train past
the man appointed to pilot him over the break, got his train off the
track, and was killed."
After the engineer has read the notices and made himself thoroughly
acquainted with them, he may proceed to his engine--not before.
INSPECTION OF THE ENGINE.
When on the foot plate the first thing an engineer wants to do is to
inspect his engine in every part.
Begin with the water in the gauge glass and ascertain its level and
find out whether it correctly indicates the height of the water in the
boiler by opening the lower cock in the usual manner.
Satisfied that the boiler is safe, the engineer must assume the
responsibility of looking after it, for should anything prove wrong
afterward, he alone can be called to account.
He should also observe what pressure of steam there is in the boiler,
what is the condition of the fire, how much coal there is in the tender
and its quality, and lastly that the water supply is all right.
If the inspection is made properly all will go well; if in a
half-hearted, slip-shod fashion trouble is sure to follow.
INSPECTION OF AN ENGINE OVER A PIT.
It is a good and a safe rule to examine an engine over a pit before
starting out. When this is done properly and regularly, the habit is
unmistakably the mark of a good engineer.
That an engine may be properly examined over a pit, it is necessary
that it should be placed in such a position that every part of it may
be seen and inspected without having the machinery moved.
The examination, to be complete, should be commenced at one specified
point, and continued all around the engine, until the engineer returns
to the place where he began.
In general, the only tools needed are wrenches.
The inspection should begin at the trailing engine axle, on the
engineer's side, and the best rule is to examine everything, not
forgetting the fact that more engines break down in consequence of
bolts and split pins working out than from any other cause.
After the engineer's side has been properly examined, the under side
of the engine next claims attention. The engineer should begin at the
crank shaft, taking his stand, where it is possible to do so, between
the shaft and the fire box, while he is testing the bolts and rivets
connected with it.
BIG ENDS.
Big Ends require to be fitted brass and brass, to work well, and to be
well-cottered or bolted up, but with sufficient slackness on the crank
bearing to allow of their being easily moved sideways by hand, so that
a little room may be left for the expansion of the journal by heat.
Big End brasses do best, wear longest, and knock least, when tightened
up a little at a time and often, instead of being allowed to run until
they thump alarmingly. With proper attention they seldom run hot.
LITTLE ENDS.
Little Ends need scarcely any supervision excepting what is required
from the oiler, provided they are fitted with steel bushes. Those
fitted with brasses require the same attention as Big Ends.
ECCENTRICS.
When the eccentrics are being examined particular attention should be
paid to the bolts, nuts, safety-cotters and set-pins. The bolts which
hold the two halves of each eccentric strap together should always nip
tightly, as any slackness always affects the engine's speed.
Inspect carefully also the inside springs and axle boxes, specially
the latter. See that the fireman oils them; if he does not, you are to
blame.
The ash-pan, piston rod, smoke box, etc., all need to be looked at with
care, for to run right the engine must start right, and this brings us
to the most important thing of all--the condition of the fire before
leaving the round house, for there is no other one thing on which an
engineer's good name, success and future prospects depend so much as on
the condition of the fire at the beginning of the day's work.
If the fire is not properly lighted at the start, no matter how good
the engine or how smart the engineer, constant trouble during the trip,
to say nothing of an increased consumption of coal which is bound to
tell against him, will be the result.
Don't get to your work late, and don't allow your fireman to be late.
If the fire is to be properly built he has got to take time to it.
Fires thrown together in a hurry always turn out bad.
DUTIES OF A FIREMAN.
As the model engineer must first have served as fireman, let us say a
word on that score.
Before a fireman can serve on a passenger train, he should have served
awhile as freight brakeman, or in the yard shifting cars. Before going
on an express train, he must have run on slow trains as fireman. All
this is necessary that he may acquire a knowledge of the petty details
of his work.
A superintendent who puts a green hand at firing certainly exhibits a
great want of good judgment, to say the least, and just this has often
been the cause of serious accidents and loss of life.
Here are a few things that a man must know before he can become an
engineer:
1. How to make up a proper fire in a locomotive fire-box.
2. How to handle the shovel when the engine is running.
3. How to learn roads and signals.
4. How to calculate the effect of the weather on the rails.
5. How to manage an engine and train on varying grades.
6. How to have full control of an engine and train at full speed.
7. How to work the steam expansively and yet keep time.
8. How to regulate the water supply.
9. How to read the gauges at a glance and understand just what they
mean.
Now all these things have got to be learned while a fireman, for unless
you know them you can never become an engineer.
Some engineers will give no instructions. They demand certain results,
and if the fireman don't do just what they expect because he does not
understand what is wanted, they call him a fool, snatch the shovel out
of his hand and do the work themselves.
It is the engineer who is the fool in this case, and doubly so if he
loses his temper and swears.
Certainly it is very hard for a sensitive young man to learn of such a
master, but after all it is good discipline.
Never mind if you are sworn at and dubbed an idiot. No matter if you do
choke a few fires and stop a few trains. Persevere! Keep your temper,
watch how the engineer does it and try to do the same yourself next
time. Show him that you are not the idiot he has called you, prove that
you are no fool by your patience and perseverance--qualities, like
enough, which he himself does not possess.
A first class engineer, however, will show a new fireman just what he
wants done and how to do it.
Here are a few lines from an excellent manual on engineering,
describing the conduct of a good engineer to his fireman. Read them
with care:
"With good engineers an awkward fireman soon changes his habits and
appearance--he gets the knots dressed off of him, as it were. Has he
been taught to come on duty dirty and late? He is sharply reproved, and
very properly too. Does he throw the fire irons down anywhere after
using them? He is told there is a place for everything in that engine.
Is he dirty about his work? He is shown how to handle the shovel, oil
feeder and everything else without blackening himself to such a degree
that a boy in the street mistakes him for a chimney sweep. Thanks to
such engineers, who deserve much praise for keeping their firemen in
proper training, for, just as they _are_ trained so will they turn out
engineers, good or bad."