Practical Rules for the Management of a Locomotive Engine: | Page 2

of the Engine. A similar examination must be extended to the hand-gear, if there be any; and the bolts which fasten the plummer-blocks of the weigh-bars, &c., must be screwed up if they are loose.
The straps of the eccentrics should work with sufficient freedom, and the eccentrics must be firm in their right position on the axle, or the Engine will beat unevenly: if any escape of steam has been observed in the stuffing-boxes of the piston-rod and slide-valve spindle, or of water from the joints of the feed-pumps and suction-pipes, they must be screwed up; and any dirt that may have collected near any of the bearings or connections must be carefully wiped off with cotton waste.
The inspection beneath the Engine being complete, the Engine-man should examine the ends of the tubes of the boiler, and if there should be leakage to any serious extent, it would be prudent to drive in a plug at each end of the defective tube. A small quantity of Russian tallow should occasionally be introduced into the steam-chests and cylinders, to grease the slides and pistons. This is done, either by cocks on the outside of the smoke-box or in the cylinder covers, or through holes secured by plugs, in the steam-chest covers. The ashes should be emptied out of the smoke-box, and the small ash-door carefully secured.
Occasionally the gauge should be applied to the wheels, and the Engine should never be allowed to run when they are found to be at all incorrect or out of the square.
If there are oil-vessels at the side of the Engine with pipes to the pistons, bearings, &c., the Engine-man must see that they are filled, and the cotton wicks in the top of the pipes, and hanging over into the oil; that the grease-boxes of the axle-bearings are filled; and the pins, links, &c., of the springs right and sound. The draw-bar connecting the Engine and Tender must be secure, and the safety-chains attached.
The Tender must be replenished with coke and water. An Engine-man should never run with an Engine without knowing what stock of both the Tender will carry. It is impossible to lay down any general rule for the quantity of water evaporated and the coke consumed per mile with the same Engine, as the amount depends entirely on the extent of duty performed. The stock of coke is usually nearly twice as much as that of water,--the water which most Tenders contain is ordinarily sufficient for running 30 miles with certainty; but when the gradients are steep, the load heavy, and stoppages frequent, additional water may be oftener required; and on the other hand, with light duty, an Engine may sometimes run further without any stoppage. The inconvenience attached to the necessity of frequent stoppages, and the expense of maintaining a large number of coke and water stations, have lately induced the manufacture of a larger class of Tender on six wheels, which, from superior capacity, will admit of a much longer run.
After a little practice, the examination described above occupies a very short time: it ought to be completed, and the Engine in its position at the head of the train, at least five minutes before the hour of starting, when oil must be copiously supplied by the small oiling-can, to the oil-cups of the guides, connecting-rods, &c., and to all rubbing parts not fed by the oiling-pipes; the cocks of the large oil-vessels must be opened, and the safety-valve screwed down to the working pressure, say 45 lbs. per square inch.
It would ensure a careful inspection, if, before any train starts, the Engine-man were required to deliver to the Superintendent of the Station a certificate that he has examined his Engine, and finds it in good working order.
Several articles should be constantly carried on the Tender, as either being frequently required in the working of the Engine, or occasionally in cases of derangement or accident. The following may be taken as a list:
One large can of oil, and one or two small oiling-cans and an oiling-tube, a box of Russian tallow, a quantity of cotton waste, hemp, and gasken, a hand-brush, keys fitted to all the principal bolts, one large and one small monkey-wrench, rods for clearing the tubes and fire, an arrow-headed poker, a shovel, and a rake.
A number of iron or wooden plugs, an iron plug-holder, and a 7 lb. maul, two cold chisels, a hammer and a file, spare washers, and duplicates of the principal bolts, nuts, pins, cotters, &c., a quantity of thick and thin cord, and some tarred line, a fire-bucket, two long crow-bars, a spare coupling-chain, with shackle and hook complete, several wooden wedges, about 2 feet long, 4 or 5 inches wide and 3 inches thick, and, if running long journeys, two spare