second a day, a chronograph by which the readings of the watches can be recorded and the corrections determined to one-tenth of a second, and a special room of refrig0.30 sec. erator construction which can be varied in temperature from freezing to over 100° Fahrenheit while the temperature can be controlled at the same time and kept constant within a tenth of a degree by means of a sensitive thermostat.

The certificate issued for timepieces by the Bureau shows not only whether the watch was accurately adjusted within the 1.00 sec. limits given above, but also gives the actual rates of the watch under the different conditions and, in the case of the isochronism test, shows graphically by a curve accompanying the certificate, the variations observed in the watch's rate throughout the 24 hours and for a portion of the time following the first 24 hours after winding. When a watch does not receive a certificate a report is made giving the actual observed rates and indicating in what respect the watch failed to meet the requirements.

not steam freely and various changes burning soft coal properly. Among these were tried, but eventually the combus- devices, the combustion chamber was tion chambers were removed. The decision arrived at by Millholland was that to burn anthracite coal successfully, a large grate and long flues were necessary. The locomotive engineering practice of the United States followed Millholland's practice closely, as far as burning anthracite was concerned.

tried in various forms. It was tried from one foot to five feet long. Large flues and flues as small as 14 inches were tried in connection with the combustion chamber; while brick arches of various forms were tried to prevent the combustion chamber from filling up with cinders. Various methods were adopted to In those days, most of the locomotives mix air with the gases of combustion in in the United States burned wood, for the combustion chamber. Nothing that which they used plain deep fireboxes. skill, directed by zealous intelligence, could When wood was becoming scarce, and the do to make the combustion chamber proburning of bituminous coal was becom- mote steam generation was spared, but ing a necessity, inventors began to offer without success. When a courageous for adoption various novel forms of furnaces and fireboxes, guaranteed to extract master mechanic abandoned the combusthe greatest amount of heat out of the tion chamber and substituted plain flues coal, along with some heat that was not the full length of the boiler, the steaming there. The old Hudson River Railroad qualities of the engine was always imtook a lead in trying out so-called im- proved, and so the combustion fell into provements designed for the purpose of innocuous desuetude.

Echoes from the Firing Line

THE FIRST LOCOMOTIVE IN THE WORLD EQUIPPED WITH BALL BEARINGS

BY JOHN BJORKHOLM.*

The last two issues of "Locomotiv- placed by heavier power, especially so manna och Maskinist Tidning" (the Swed- after the introduction of the through ish Enginemen's Journal) contain some trains for continental Europe over the very interesting data in regard to devel- ferry route, Trelleborg (Sweden) and opments in engine building in Sweden, Sassnitz (Germany), with considerably and from those articles the following has heavier cars and sleepers and the clamor

been gathered:

When the Swedish State Railways in 1906 departed from the old class saturater steam passenger engines and adopted those of the superheated steam Atlantic type, it was then generally believed that those engines would answer the purpose for some time to come.

of the traveling public for higher speed.

Four years later, or in 1910, a heavier

class of power was introduced that was specially adapted for heavy passenger or fast time freight service, and in that capacity they fully came up to expectations, but only with difficulty can they satisfy

They were ex- the public's raving for more speed.

pected to haul a train of seven coaches (somewhat lighter than the American

With the ever increasing passenger

traffic on the continental route in mind,

cars) at a speed of 50 kilometers (31 and bending all their energies toward sat

cent

miles) per hour over long one per isfying the thousands of tourists annually grades, with a maximum speed of 90 visiting the land of the midnight sun, the kilometers (55.2 miles) per hour, and Swedish engineers have now designed an fully came up to the requirements at that engine of the superheated four-cylinder time. However, it soon became evident that these engines would have to be re- heater, that in some respects surpasses compound type, with Schmidt super*Local Chairman, Lodge 180, Milwaukee, Wis.

anything ever built in that line, a class

of power that is likely in the not distant The injectors are of "Greshams" (in future to make its debut on the European Europe) well known make, the water beas well as the American continent. Built

at the Nydkvist & Holm Locomotives and Marine Engine Works, Trollhattan, Sweden, the oldest establishment of its kind in the Scandinavian countries, and which has been engaged in locomotive building since 1865, this engine has, after successful trial trips, been placed in the Baltic Exposition, Malmo, Sweden, where it is at present competing for first honors among the latest products in engine building from some of the best known firms in the world.

During one of its trial trips this engine fully demonstrated that it will, in all details, come up to the designer's expectations, the requirements being that it must haul a train of not less than 6 coaches weighing not less than 60 tons each, or a load of not less than 360 tons exclusive of the engine, at a speed of not less than 60 kilometers (37.3 miles) an hour over long one per cent grades, and at not less than 100 kilometers (62.2 miles) per hour on fairly level track, with a maximum speed of 127 kilometers (78.93 miles) per hour.

As earlier mentioned, the engine is of the compound type equipped with Schmidt superheater, which has to a large extent been lately introduced on American railroads and is therefore familiar to the readers of the Magazine.

The boiler resembles very much those of the Pacific type, and the trade mark of Nydkvist & Holm is a sufficient guarantee as to its durability and efficiency. Like all locomotive boilers in Sweden, the firebox and tube sheets are made of copper, and a novel feature in the construction of this boiler is the seams of the forward section, which are welded instead of being riveted. The entire boiler, even the front end, is lagged with "Magnesia sectional locomotive boiler lagging" coated on the surface with oxidized sheet iron. The superheater tubes as well as the fire tubes, are made of soft cold drawn steel, and to guard against uneven expansion or contraction between the larger and thicker superheater tubes and the smaller and thinner fire tubes, the former are corrugated for a distance of about 21 inches from the tube sheet. The fire door is three-sectional, and is so constructed that the middle section and the desired side section will open simultaneously. The steam dome and sand box occupy the same exterior quarters, a large dome being placed on top of the boiler, half of

which is a steam dome, the other half ing delivered into the boiler through a serving as a sand box.

separator placed inside the boiler and

SWEDISH LOCOMOTIVE EQUIPPED WITH BALL BEARINGS

equipped with blow-off valves, this separa- these holes also serving to facilitate intor collecting all the sediment contained spection when the 'enginemen desire to in the feed water and thus, to a very look after the parts located within the large extent, preventing any impurities frames.

from entering the boiler.

The engine is equipped with the Heusinger von Walldegg's valve motion, which to an American engineman closely resem bles the now familiar Walschaert gear, and with the screw reverse so extensively used on European engines. Through a large cut-out valve operated from the cab it is possible to entirely eliminate the lowpressure feature, thus converting the engine into a high-pressure simple engine, a feature that the Swedish enginemen consider of great value when handling the engine on a turn table or when backing

onto a train.

The diameter of the high-pressure cylinders is 16 inches, while that of the low-pressure cylinders is 24 inches. The high-pressure main rods are connected to cranks on the main driving axle inside the frames, while the low-pressure main rods are connected to the pins on the main drivers. One of the reasons for placing the cylinders in their inclined position was to get the inside, or highpressure, rods above and to clear the forward driving axle. Another reason perhaps was to decrease to a minimum the distance for the superheated steam to travel.

For the first time in the history of locomotive design ball bearings have been introduced on this engine, a feature which without a doubt is being watched with great interest, not only by the designer but by all those whose duties will bring them in contact with this model engine, as well as by enginemen in general the world over.

Pretty Quick Work.

I have read the article appearing in the May issue of the Magazine, entitled "Rules for Keeping a Lookout on a Busy Road," wherein Edward F. McKenzie relates that while pulling a heavy passenger train on a dark night he ran through a box car that had been derailed on an adjoining track and had fallen on the track on which his train was running. He says that from the time the pilot struck the car until the car came in contact with the cab of his engine about one-half second elapsed, and that in that time he shut the throttle, applied the air brake, opened sand valve, reversed engine, jumped down behind boiler and whistled brakes for the second engine.

I would like to know if in that half

The main driving axle is made of nickel steel, having not less than 3 per second he also looked at his watch, and cent of nickel, while the other axles and pins are made from the highest quality why did he whistle for the second engine of Swedish steel. The wedges are of the to apply brakes? The head man always best of steel and well fitted, while the handled the air on any road I've worked shoes are made of hard brass.

The brake equipment is similar to that used on most European locomotives, being

on.

MEMBER, LODGE 806.

of the vacuum system. The engine is An Improved Switch Chain.

equipped with two independent systems

I wish to speak a word of commendaof vacuum, as well as with a steam brake. tion for the "McDonald" patent switch For recording the speed two speedometers chain. During a recent trip on train of the "Penta" system have been in- 605, which is known as the Coast Exstalled, and for the lubrication of the

valves and cylinders two plunge lubrica press Freight, on the Minnesota Divitors have been placed in a warm and well sion of the N. P. R. R., the train parted protected position behind the cylinders five cars from the caboose. This caused and inside the guides. The designer's the draft iron to pull out of the fiftyreason for placing the lubricators outside fifth car from the caboose. It was of the cab was the limited space in same. chained up securely by the train crew By overcrowding the cab difficulty is with the McDonald patent switch chain always experienced in keeping it clean, in less than two minutes. The train and cleanliness is very important on a Swedish engine. For this reason also, was moved in safety to the terminal and holes have been made in the frames,* I found the chain to be equal in strength to any other coupling in the train.

*Note.-Unlike the open bar frame universally used in locomotive practice on the North American Continent, those of European manufacture are mainly of the plate or slab type, made up of steel plates 1 inch to 14 inches thick and 18 inches to 2 feet in depth, hence the holes

referred to.-Editor.

This chain is the same as is used on all railroads, only that it is remodeled by the use of the patent link. Having learned of this useful invention, I was

pleased to have the opportunity of seeing in a simple device that is at once practiit in use as I have heard of a great many cal and efficient. similar instances where this chain was In my opinion no train equipment is used to good advantage. It is one of the complete without at least two or three few inventions which combine utility, of these chains. PETE CARLSON, simplicity and adaptability all embodied Member Lodge 443.

The above photographs were taken by Bro. C. H. Hazelhurst, of Lodge 140, who is the engineer of the train shown. Brother Hazelhurst writes that Ouray is a mining town, the citizens of which take great interest in this herd of mountain sheep which live among the hills above the town and come down in winter, sometimes going on the streets. They are fed and protected by the people. Many people visit Ouray during the winter to see the sheep, as they are scarce and a rare sight. During the past winter, which was a severe one in the mountains, they numbered as high as 5 to 70 in the herd.