A COMM[wUNICATION TO TIIE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTORS OF TTHE BY ROSS WINANS, ON THE SUBJECT OF LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES FOR THE Transportation of Freight on Rail Roads. BALTIMORE: PRINTED BY JOHN D. TOY. 3pgir COMMUNICATION. ON THE Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road the freight business has been done with two kinds of Locomotive Engines, one of which has six driving wheels and a four-wheel truck usually called the ten-wheel Engine, the other has eight wheels, all of which are driving wheels. Most of the eightwheel Engines on your Road have been built by myself and are usually called the Camel Engines. There is now and has been for the last three years on your Road seventeen of the ten-wheel Engines and one hundred and nine of my build of Camel Engines. The object of this communication is to call the attention of the Company to the result of the experience in the transporting of freight by these two kinds of Engines, as furnished by the Company's Reports, and to make a comparison of their efficiency and economy for such purpose. In the following comparison, I have taken fourteen of the seventeen ten-wheel Engines on the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road. These fourteen engines have been used mostly for the transportation of freight trains. The other three have been used during the years 1854 and 1855 for the running of passenger trains exclusively. The repairs of which three Engines, per mile run, has been 42 per cent. less, and the distance run per year, 46 per cent. more than has been the case with the same description of Engines employed in running Freight Trains. The Passenger Trains being lighter than the Freight Trains, puts less stress on the Engine, and hence, the less repairs in proportion to miles run, and the less repairs detains the Engines a less time in the shops, hence, the greater distance run by Engines of the same description, when employed in running light instead of heavy trains, as is shewn in this case, and by the general experience on Rail Roads. For the above reasons and from the fact that the Engines on your Road, and of my building (known. by:,the name of the Camel Engines) have, with -slight exceptionis, been used for running Freight Trains exclusively, it would be unfair to bring the three above mentioned Engines into this comparison. I shall therefore leave them out, and hereafter in speaking of the ten-wheel Engines, have reference to the -before mentioned fourteen Engines. The cost of repairs, herein given for the different Engines-, embrace those occasioned by accidents and casualties of all kinds; and for rebuilding, renewal, &c. 109 CAMEL ENGINES. Whole distance run by all of the- Camel Engines on the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road, (109 in number,) from their first introduction on the Road, to October 1st, 1855, to the date of the Company's last. Report, - - - — 5.402.899 miles Cost of Repairs for the above number of miles run by the 109 Camel Engines, - - - $503,3531,-64 Average distance run per Engine, per year, by the 109 Camel Engines; - - - 17.074 miles. Average cost of Repairs, per mile, run by the 109'Camel Engines, - - 951- cents. 14 TEN-WHEEL ENGINES. Entire distance run with Freight and Passenger Cars, by the 14.before mentioned ten-zwheel Engines on the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road, since their first introduction on the Road in 1853, to the 1st October, 1855, to the date of the Company's last Report. Miles run with Freight Trains, - - 406.553 miles. Miles run with Passenger Trains, - - 63.251 miles. Total number of Miles run, - - - - - 469.804 miles. Cost of Repairs for the above number of Miles run with the ten-wlheel -Engines; - $44,514584 Average distance run, per Engine, per year, by the ten-uwheel Engines, - - - - - 15.701 miles. Average cost of Repairs, per mile, run by the above ten-wheel Engines, - - - - 9-4f cents. 53 CAMEL ENGINES. Fifty-three Camel Engines, which are of the same age as the before mentioned ten-wheel Engines, having been put on the road at the same time, to wit: in 1843, and beginning of 1844. Distance run by the said 53 Camel Engines, from the time they were put on the Road up to October lst, 1855, the date of the Company's last Report, - 1.907.197 miles'Cost of Repairs for the above miles run by CAMEL Engines,...- - - $.61,037.-%5 6 Average distance run, per Engine, per year, by the said 53 CAMEL Engines, - - - 17.281 miles. Cost of Repairs per imile run by the 53 CAMEL Engines, 8AT cents. Average distance run, per Engine per year, by the ten-wheel Engines, - - - - - 15.701 miles. Cost of Repairs per mile, run by ten-whzeel Engines, - 9140 cents. In comparing the cost of the repairs and useful effect of the Canmel Engines with that of the ten-wheel Engines, the only true practical result is had by taking into account the distance ran and the load taken by the respective Engines. It is therefore important in this comparison to bear in mind that the Camel Engines have one-third more in number of propelling wheels, one-third more weight on the propelling wheels, one-third more steam generating power, and consequently one-third more tractive force than the ten-wheel Engines. Consequently the comparative amount of load which can be drawn by the respective Engines, as an extreme effort on a single occasion, is in the proportion of three to four. Upon this it might at first view be inferred that the practical average every-day loads of these different Engines might, and consequently had been in that proportion to each other, say eighteen Cars for the ten-wheel Engines, to twenty-four Cars for the Camel Engines, and that with this difference in the loads, the distance travelled per year by each description of Engine should be the same, and therefore that the ten-wheel Engines had, on an average, done three-fourths as much work in a year as the Camel Engines. This however, agreeably to the Company's Reports, and the information I have received in relation to the size of trains taken by the differant Engines is very far from being the fact. The ten-wheel Engines being deficient not only in the size of the trains taken, but also in the distance ran per year by them, and this is not the case for one year only, but 7 for each and every year they have been on the Road. Now this uniformity of experience, year after year, is not the result of accident, but results from good and sufficient causes, among which causes are the following. The Camel Engines, notwithstanding they have one-third more propeling wheels, are decidedly less complicated, in their general plan and in their details of construction, and have a less number of joints, journals and working parts liable to wear, derangement and breakage than the ten-wheel Engines. The lesser number of the working parts of the eight-wheel Engine and its general simplicity and straightforwardness of construction enables all the parts to be made more substantial and durable, than the parts of the tenwheel Engine, while the entire weight of the two kinds of Engines are the same. These are among the means by which the Camel Engines have been enabled to do a much greater quantity of work per year than the ten-wheel Engines, and at the very much less cost of repairs in proportion to the work done, as here shown. It may be asked why the number of miles run by the ten-wheel Engines per year should be materially less than that of the Camel Engines, as is shewn to be the case by the Company's Reports. The reason is obvious. The greater liability of the tenwheel Engines to derangement kept them in the shops more of the time for repairs and adjustment. Again, it may be asked, why the trains of the two different kinds of Engines should not in practice have been in the proportion to the proportionate weight on the driving wheels of the respective Engines. That is to say, eighteen Cars for the ten-wheeled Engine to twenty-four Cars of the Camel Engine-here the reason again is plain. If the tenwheel Engine with Trains of but little over half the size as appears to be the case of those taken by the Camel Engines, have cost more for repairs per mile run than the Camel Engines, it (and the fact of their having one-fourth less adhesive and tractive force) shews them ill fitted for doing the coal or other heavy freight business of the Road, consequently they have been kept at lighter work without relieving them, however, from greater cost of repairs. I am informed by the men who run, and the Conductors of the Trains of the ten-wheel Engines, that the Way Trains on which these Engines are mostly worked, average about ten Cars throughout the trip, the stock and other Trains on which the ten-wheeled Engines are worked, in part, are larger than ten Cars, and from the best information I have on the subject, varies from fourteen to eighteen Cars and may average sixteen Cars-the distance ran with Passenger Trains by the said fourteen ten-wheel Engines is about oneseventh of the whole distance run by themi-these Trains consists of not more, if as much, as seven Cars. If the whole distance run by the ten-wheel Engines be divided as follows: one-seventh with Passenger, four-sevenths with Way Freight, and two-sevenths with stock or other through Freight Trains, and the average number of Cars in the Trains be, Passenger seven, Way Freight twelve, and stock or through Freight eighteen, the general average, embracing all the trains, will be thirteen Cars per Train. This is, I am persuaded, a larger number than is warranted by the facts of the case, but I shall, in the absence of positive information in relation to it, take thirteen Cars as the average size of the Trains of the ten-wheel Engines. I also understand that the Camel Engines are worked almost exclusively on the coal and other heavy through Freight Trains, and that it is the common practice for six or eight of these trains to leave 1\artinsburg for Baltimore, with about twenty-one Cars attached to each Engine, that on the trains arriving at Mount Airy, which is about half the distance to Baltimore, two of the six, or three of the eight Engines go back to Martinsburg, leaving the balance of the Engines to bring to Baltimore, in additionto their own trains, the trains of the Engines which return to M3artinsburg. This in the case of six Engines leaving 3Martinsburg, would give an average of thirty-one and half Cars per Engine from the Ridge to Baltimore, and an average of twentya;4+ Cars between Martinsburg and Baltimore, or say twenty-four Cars as a general average. A similar practice of doubling the trains (as it is called) prevails on portions of other sections of the Road, with the heavy through trains, and I presume with similar results as regards the average of the loads taken by the Camel Engines. 9 If I am rightly informed on this subject, and I think no material error exists, it follows, that the loads of the Camel Engines have, in practice, been nearly double that of the ten-wheel Engines. Therefore, as before mentioned, the true comparative cost of repairs and of the useful effect of the different Engines can only be arrived at, when the difference in their loads is taken into account, as well as the difference in the distance travelled per year by them respectively. In the Company's Reports this has not been done, nor has it been done in the results derived from the Reports heretofore given by me, and I now propose to take this difference of load and difference in distance travelled, into account, basing the calculation on the difference in the loads of the Engines here before mentioned, to wit: Thirteen Cars for the ten-wheel Engine, and twenty-four for the Camel Engines, and upon the cost of repairs and number of miles run, shown in the Company's Reports. Average useful effect produced per Engine per year, equal to the following number of long Cars hauled one mile. By the 14 ten-wheel Engines, - - - - 204.113 By the 53 Camel Engines, -414.744 This is in the proportion of 1 to 2 or 100 per cent. in favor of the Camel Engines, or in other words, I Camel Engine has done as much work per year, as 2 tenwheel Engines. Average cost of repairs due to the hauling each long Car 100 miles by each kind of Engine. By the 14 ten-wheel Engines, 72-?e cents. By the 53 Camel Engines, - — 35r' - cents. This is in the proportion of 1 to 2, or 100 per cent. in favor of the Camel Engine. 2 10 Since examining the Reports of the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road Company in relation to the running and repairs of Engines, I have examined the two last Reports of the Northern Central Railway Company, formerly the Baltimore and Susquehanna Rail Road Company. The following is the result of this examination: 9 CAMEL ENGINES. On this Road there is 9 Camel Engines of my building. Agreeable to the two last Reports of these Companies, these nine Engines have run during the years 1854 and 1855, 335,345 miles. And cost for repairs for the above number of miles ran,- - - - - - - - $22,668 Average distance run per Engine per year by CAMEL Engine, 18,630 miles. Average cost of repairs per mile run by CAMEL Engines, - - - - 6N%5 cents. Mr. John C. Davis, Master of Machinery of the Northern Central Railway, in a letter to me of the 26th September, 1856, says, "these Engines have been employed on their road, in the freight business, entirely doing the through and way business of the Road-he says, in making up our trains, we give each of these Engines thirty long Cars, which is considered a load for one of these Engines, but they frequently haul from thirty-five to forty long Cars, and sometimes as many as forty-five Cars. I think the average number of Cars hauled each trip by these Engines the year round, may be put down at twenty-eight long Cars per trip. The Cars on our Road weigh from fifteen to seventeen thousand pounds each, the capacity of each Car is sixteen thousand pounds. According to this, a comparison of the Camel Engines, on the Northern Central Railway with the ten-wheel Engines on the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road in relation to repairs and work done, results as follows. The average load of the ten-wheel Engines, being taken at thirteen Long Cars before mentioned. Useful efect produced per Engine per year equal to the following number of long Cars hauled one mile. By the ten-wheel Engines on the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road, - 204.113 By the Camel Engines on the Northern Central Railway, -521.640 This is in the proportion of 1 to 21 or 150 per cent. in favor of the Camel Engines. In other words, 2 Camel Engines on the Northern Central Railway has done as much work, as 5 ten-wheel Engines on the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road. Average cost of repairs due to the hauling of each long Car 100 miles, by each kind of Engine. By the ten-wheel Engines on Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road, - 72r cents. By the Camel Engines on Northern Central Railway, - 24'Iy cents. This is in the proportion of 1 to 3 or 200 per cent. in favor of the Camel Engines. The one hundred and nine Camel Engines now on your Road, are running about two million of miles per year with Freight Trains, at a cost of repairs of about $170,000 per year. I Agreeable to present experience, if the work which is now being done by the Camel Engines, was done by the tenwheel Engines, it would take double the number of Engines 12,and -double the cost of repairs in proportion to the work done. If it shall be said that the ten-wheel Engines may take heavier loads than has heretofore been the case, this would involve a greater amount of repairs in proportion to miles run, and diminish the miles run per year, from the greater time required for repairs-this is manifest from the fact, that the three ten-wheel Engines which have run with lighter loads have cost nearly fifty per cent. less for repairs per mile, and ran nearly fifty per cent. more miles in a year than the ten-wheel Engines which have run with heavier loads. In this comparison it is important to bear in mind the fact of the use of a number of the Camel Engines for many months in carrying the materials for the Road when it was being constructed over the Kingwood and the other tunneled mountain, and the carrying of the entire trade of the Road for some four or five months over the Kingwood mountain after the Road was open for business, and before the Tunnel was finished by the use of the Camel Engines, a large number of them being employed, bringing into constant use their very great tractive force, the effect of which was as compared with the ordinary use of Engines, to materially increase the repairs of the Engines in proportion to the miles run and to diminish the average number of miles run per Engine per year, and to entitle the Camel Engines to a credit for a much greater amount of useful effect. than appears in the Company's Reports, by merely giving them credit for the number of miles run without reference to the character of their work, which when taken into account will go far towards making the average work of the Camel Engines equal to twenty-four Cars per train over the Road as ordinarily worked. If however it shall be contended, that in the foregoing comparison the average size of the trains assigned to the ten-wheel Engines is smaller, and that those assigned to the Camel Engines is larger than has in fact been the case, I will, for the purpose of shewing the superiority of the Camel Engines, when no such objection can possibly be made, suppose the average size of the trains of the Camel to have 1]3 been twenty Cars and that of the ten-wheel Engines to have been fifteen Cars. Under this supposition the comparison would be as follows: Useful effect produced per Engine per year equal to the following number of Cars hauled one mile. By the ten-wheel Engines, - 235.515 By the Camel Engines, 345.620 This is in the proportion of 1 to 1~~ or 47 per cent. in favor of the Camel Engine, or two Camel Engines would do as much work as three ten-wheel Engines. Average cost of repairs due to the hauling of each long Car one hundred miles by each kind of Engine. By the ten-wheel Engine, - 63f'f By the Camel Engine, - 42j-w, This is in the proportion of 1 to 1,4:9 or 49 per cent. in favor of the Camel Engines. To make the average of the trains of the ten-wheel Engines to be equal to fifteen Cars, it would require, for the reasons before stated, that the passenger trains should consist of seven Cars, the way trains of fourteen Cars, and the stock trains of twenty-one Cars, upon an average. I am quite sure it will not be contended that the average has been as large as this, and any one, who has been much about the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road, must be satisfied that the average trains of the Camel Engines is more than twenty Cars. It is a rare instance that they are seen with so small a train, and a common one, to see them with doubled trains, as before explained, numbering from thirty to forty long Cars. In connection with this subject, the following is deemed worthy of consideration. It is notorious, that in the work 14 ing of the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road there has been remarkably few accidents, causing injury to persons and property, as compared with the other great roads of the country. A fruitful source of accident, especially on single track Rail Roads, is derangement in the time of trains arriving at the points specified in the time tables. The greater the amount of business done on a Road, the greater the liability of such derangement, and the more mischievous its effects. A single train getting out of time is liable to derange many others, and the evil increases rapidly. And since your Road has been freer from accidents than other Roads similar circumstanced, it may be proper to enquire as to the causes, since there always is a cause for all such long continued good luck, as some would call it. Among the causes which enables trains to conform most nearly to the time tables on Roads, the following stand prominent. First, a large surplus of steam generating power in the Engines, to be always in readiness to gain any time lost by unforeseen occurrences, and to guard against the losing of time from bad fuel, unusually heavy pulling trains, leakage of piston tubes, or other steam or water joints, for such leakage will occasionally occur on long routes with heavy trains, with the best construction and management of Engines. Second, the presence of the greatest practicable amount of adhesion of the driving wheels (consistent with a due regard for the preservation of the Road) so as to guard to the fullest practical extent against the loss of time from the slipping of wheels, during a bad state of rails, or from the unusual resistance of the train caused by unusually large trains, bad state of repair of the Cars, or hard points in the Road, stiff oil from cold, &c. Third, a large surplus cylinder power so as to enable the use of the surplus adhesive and surplus steam generating power, before mentioned, in the most effectual way and without putting a dangerous pressure upon the boiler. Fourth, the greatest practical freedom from such derangement of the machinery, or other parts of the Engine, as to cause delay or stoppage on the Road. Now, I confidently assert that the Camel Engines, by which very much the largest portion of your freight 15 business is, and has been done, combine the before mentioned properties to an extent and in harmony with each other and with the whole economy of freight transportation on Rail Roads, far in advance of any other description of Engine that has been built in this or any other country. To enable this the better to be seen, I will call attention to the following facts: The weight of the Engines is twenty-six tons, bearing entirely on eight propelling wheels and distributed almost exactly equal between them, which is three and a quarter tons on a wheel, this furnishes a very large practicable amount of adhesion together with clue regard to the preservation of the Road. The weight on each driving wheel is less than is the case with most of the Engines now in use even those of very inferior power and efficiency. The cylinders of these Engines are nineteen inches in diameter and twenty-two inches stroke of piston, operating on driving wheels of forty-three inches diameter-this size of cylinder when taken in connection with the unusually small size of the driving wheels employed on these Engines gives a larger amount of cylinder power in proportion to weight of Engine than can be found on any Locomotive Engine in this country, except the same description of Engines of my make on other Roads, and this is true, while the cylinders are comparatively light, growing partly out of their simple construction and mode of being secured in place, and partly out of the greater effective capacity given to them by the small size of the propelling wheels. Here is economy of weight without sacrifice of durability, which I have turned to account in a way to be presently explained. The frame of these Engines instead of passing alongside of the fire-place, and so far back of the fire-place as to admit of a foot-board for the fireman, as is usual with Engines, stops at the front end of the fire-box which facilitates the increasing of the size of the fire-box and enables the frame to be much lighter, while the proper strength is secured, than would otherwise be the case-thus producing economy of weight without diminished durability. 16 Again, these Engines have no foot-board for the fireman, the fireman's position being on the tender, consequently the Engine is relieved fromn the weight of a foot-board, as well as from the weight of the elongated frame for its support. Here again unnecessary weight is saved. The side rods which connect the propelling wheels with each other are of a peculiar construction, from which results unusual lightness and security against derangement while in action, and are proof against having their length changed so as to be dangerous-ordinary side rods being very liable to have their length changed to such extent as to cause great stress, derangement and breakage to crank pins and other parts of the Engine. The springs are four in number, and serve the double purpose of springs and levers for distributing the weight equally upon the wheels, and are new in their construction and in their mode of being secured in place and are at once simple, light, and efficient as compared with the springs of the ten-wheel Engines, which are six or eight in number, much more complicated in their make and mode of securing in place and much heavier and have much of their action taken away by bands around their middle. With a view to avoiding each pound of unnecessary weight, the boxes resting on the journals of the driving wheel axles are made in one piece and entirely of brass instead of being made of two pieces, one of iron, and one of brass, as is usual. Each one of the wheels of the Camel Engines answer the double purpose of bearing the weight of the Engine and of driving-wheels, by this a greater tractive force is secured, in proportion to the whole weight of the wheels, axles, and pedestal boxes of the Engine, than is the case when the bearing wheels are not all drivers-here again, is a saving of weight in proportion to one of the important elements of power-to wit: adhesion. The small size of the wheels of the Camel Engines, makes them as propelling wheels, comparatively light, being not more than two-thirds the weight of ordinary size driving-wheels, when of equal strength and durability. Again, these smaller whcels involves less strength of axles, all of which produces a saving in weight. Again, 17 the small size of the driving-wheels, forty-three inches in diameter, worked in connection with a twenty-two inch stroke of piston, which, in their proportion to each other, is unusual, materially diminishes the stress put upon all the working parts, fulcrums and abutments, through, and by means of which, the steam power is exerted to propel the train, consequently all these parts do not require to be so massive and heavy, to meet and withstand the stress which they can be subjected to, as would be the case with larger propelling wheels, and equal tractive force. The truck of the ten-wheel Engine with its frame, wheels, axles, boxes and bolster, is a worse than useless appendage to a freight Engine, inasmuch as it takes away from the power of the Engine, as compared with one of equal weight, all the wheels being drivers, and adds weight to the Engine without corresponding benefit; as is proved by the accurate tests made by Messrs. Trimble, Steele, Latrobe and Parker, as before mentioned, showing that the Camel Engines deranged the Road less than the ten-wheel Engines. It will be apparent, that the several features in the plan of construction of the Camel Engines here noticed, all tend to the saving of weight in the machine taken as a whole, and yet the whole weight of the Camel Engines is as great as the ten-wheel Engines on the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road, and most other Freight Engines in the country. This brings us to a most important fact, that the Camel Engines have a more powerful boiler than any Locomotive Engines before built, in proportion to the entire weight of Engine. This is dependent partly on the fact, that the general plan, arrangement and construction of the machine as a whole, and of each of its separate parts, is such as to admit of a much larger portion of the entire weight of the machine being put in the boiler, and partly growing out of the construction of the boiler, and the arrangements connected therewith for the making of steam, being such as to furnish unusual steam generating power, in proportion to the weight of the boiler itself, the fire-place has twenty-four square feet of grate surface, and a correspondingly large space for fuel-this is much larger than common, and is most important to the rapid generation of steam. The fire-place is made upon a plan much lighter than on ordinary Locoinotive boilers. The inner roof of the fire-place is the same distance from the outer roof, that the inner sides are front the outer sides of the fire-place, and the roofs are stayed and bolted together in the same manner that the sides are staybolted, giving remarkable lightness and safety. The external dimensions of the fire-place in its cross section is much smaller than usual, being just sufficient to allow of the proper space for fuel and blaze of fire, and the proper water space between the inner and outer shell of the fire-place —this, together with the peculiar staying of the roof of the fire-place, with a short (instead of long staybolts, or with heavy bars across it in the usual way,) economizes weight both in the material of boiler, and in the water contained in it so as to enable, with the forward position of the dome and house on top of the boiler, a very material increase of fire grate, while an equal distribution of weight on the wheels is had. This large fire grate is of the utmost importance to the successful and economical burning of Coal. To add to the steam generating power of the boiler, peculiar facility is given to the fireman, by means of rocking grates, and his position on a low foot-board, to keep thefire grates and ash-pan free from cinder and ashes. Again, the Engine-man by means of the variable exhaust (which is peculiar to my build of Engines,) increases or diminishes the intensity of the fire at his pleasure, and is thus enabled to generate more or less steam as he may require it. Since important advantages results from the introduction of small wheels, in the plan and arrangement of the Camel Engines, it may be asked, is there any counteracting disadvantages resulting from their use in the said Engines. As a Freight Engine, there is certainly no want of speed. There has been a tendency, on all Roads where these Engines have been used, to make more speed with them than was allowable for Freight Trains. The redundancy of steam always at command, constantly tempted the enginemen to run ahead of time, even with the largest loads assigned to the Engines. So much so has this-been the case, that it has been proposed 19 to curtail the steam generating power of these Engines,; by making their fire-places smaller. This is the first proposition to diminish the steam generating power in Lomotive Engines, that has come to my notice, the strife now being, throughout the country, to get sufficient power in coal burning Engines, and resort had to various complicated and unusual construction of boilers, to accomplish the purpose which, as yet, has only been done with partialsuccess, while I have, with the ordinary and well tested plan of boiler, by means of unusual quantity instead of complication, succeeded to an extent second to no Engine using whatever kind of fuel. This is due, in an important degree, to the before mentioned general plan of the Engine, and the plan and construction of its several parts, by means of which a systematic economy of weight, throughout the entire machine, is had, thereby allowing of the more powerful boiler in proportion to weight of Engine. If one of the reasons for proposing to diminish the fireplace of the Camel Engines now on your Road, shall be that some of the first ones put upon the Road, have smaller fireplaces than those since furnished, and that the smaller fireplaces, endure better, and require less repairs than the large ones, and that therefore the proposed diminution, is to save expense in repairs-just the reverse of this should be the fact, all things, other than difference of size in fire-place, being equal. To generate equal quantities of steam, in equal time, in small as in large fire-place boilers, involves a higher temperature of fire in the small fire-place than in the large. This more concentrated and greater intensity of heat, is unquestionably more destructive to the surrounding material of the fire-place, than would be the milder temperature in the larger fire-place. The fifty-three Camel Engines, herebefore mentioned, are the last lot put upon the Road; these have large fire-places, and have more adhesion, more cylinder, more steam generating power, and have run more miles per year; and since their power is greater, it is fair to infer, with heavier trains; yet, with all this, the expense of repairs, including that of fire-place, is less per mile run than that of the first lot here mentioned, which embrace the small fire-place Engines. This is shown by the Company's Reports. 20 Ten per cent. enlargement of the fire-place of these Engines, adds more than ten per cent. to their generating power and capacity to burn coal; therefore, if this power and capacity be abused by profuse and wasteful blowing off of steam, or by the allowing of excessive leakage between the pistons and cylinders, or in any other way, the large fire-place permits abuse to be carried to a greater extent, and consequently more injury to be done than is the case with the small fireplaces-this was proved by the much greater leakage in the tubes in the large fire-place boilers. This greater leakage was remedied, at mvasuggestion, by the Company's taking measures to stop the unnecessary blowing off of steam at the safety-valve of these Engines, and not by making the fi-replaces smaller. And the object which has been assigned for shortening the fire-place of these Engines, (if it has any really serious foundation,) can be accomplished without the necessity of seriously and permanently injuring the machines, as would be the case by shortening the fire-box. In fact, the object has been accomplished by one of my recent improvements in these Engines, which the better guards against the abuse or misuse of their large fire-place and redundant steam generating power. The fact of the abundance of steam always at command, has enabled these Engines to make time and be used successfully when their pistons were very leaky, and consequently has led to the practice of so using them even at the expense of increased deterioration of fire-place and expenditure of fuel. The improvement above alluded to, is to give unusual facility for keeping the pistons tight and such facility as it is confidently believed will induce their being kept tight, and thus accomplish the end aimed at without shortening the fire-place. If it is contended that all the first class Freight Engines on your Road, should have the ability to run Passenger Trains at thirty miles per hour, because accidents may occur to Passenger Engines so as to call into requisition any Freight Engine that might be at hand to complete the trip. 21 The Camel Engines have been so used, and, as I understand, with perfect efficiency and safety, and the speed may have been thirty miles per hour, since they can make that speed when desirable; which, however, is unimportant for a Train already out of time. And, I insist that it would be injudicious to injure the efficiency of Freight Engines for the foregoing object, which, if it is to be accomplished by the introduction of a truck and additional size of wheels, will most unquestionably be the case. The speed that may be required on emergencies like the foregoing, the Camel Engines are able to make by the means of peculiar features and properties possessed by them; which, while of the first importance to high speed, are not only perfectly consistent with, but materially assist in the best adaptation of the Engines to Freight purposes. No Engines ever built, possess and combine the qualities requisite for high speed, to a greater extent than the Camel Engines, with the bare exception that their propelling wheels are smaller than is usual for this purpose, and this want of greater size in the propelling wheels is cured to a very considerable extent by the following features of the Engine. The large fire-place of these Engines enables abundance of steam to be generated with a much more open or large exhaust orifice than is usual. The variable exhaust enables full advantage to be taken of this fact. All the steam and the exhaust pipes are unusually large, (five inches internal diameter.) The valve face openings are large equal to fifteen square inches. And the valve movements is such as to give these large openings their full effect and benefit, even when the steam is being cut off at such portion of the stroke as to expand one hundred per cent. or to twice its original bulk, and are such as to keep the exhaust-end of the cylinder open until the piston has arrived at two inches from the end of a twenty-two inch stroke, when the steam is being expanded in the cylinder to the extent above mentioned. These things combined, gives the steam free and rapid action through the steam passages, valve openings, and 22 exhaust, and with but slight holding bacl by the compressed steam on the reverse side of the piston. With these advantages the Camel Engines readily make thirty miles per hour, notwithstanding that the speed of the pistons is more rapid than usual for such speed of Engine. The reciprocating parts which, when unbalanced, cause unsteadiness of motion in all Engines, is as perfectly balanced in. the Camel Engines, as in any others in the country, and make them steady at speeds from twenty to thirty miles an hour. The horizontal position of the cylinders of the Camel Engines is important, the steam power is exerted nearer in a line with the frame of the Engine and the draft of the train, and nearer at right angle with the pedestal faces, thereby avoiding much of the cross strains and injurious effect upon various parts of the Engine, which would otherwise take place and is favorable to steadiness of movement, particularly at high speed. In addition to the foregoing, the horizontal position of the cylinders is important especially to first class Freight Engines, having the adhesion due to all or nearly all the weight of the Engine. The comparatively strong thrust of the piston (required to make fully available such large amount of adhesion) forces the main driving wheels down upon the rails, by the unavoidable angle of the connecting rod, even when the cylinders are horizontal with such fearful violence, as to have induced a partial remedy to have been applied to the Camel Engines for this evil. The main pair of driving wheels with their eccentrics, portion of main connecting rods, larger axles, crank pins, counterbalances, journal boxes, &c. weigh considerably more than the other pairs of driving wheels and their appendages in all Engines. With a view of affording the greatest practical relief to the Road, consistent with a twenty-six ton Engine, this greater weight of the main driving-wheels, &c. has been taken into account, as well as the forcing down of the main drivers upon the rails before mentioned, and the whole weight of the Engine so distributed among the several driving-wheels, by means of a peculiar arrangement of 23 springs, as that the main driving-wheels bears less heavily upon the rails when the Engine is not in action, than the other driving-wheels, thus compensating to a considerable extent, and as fully as practicable, for the weight put upon them by the angle of the connecting-rod, when in action as before mentioned. This, so far as I am aware, has not been done in any other Engines. Instead of any thing having been done to diminish the evil here mentioned, it has, in most Engines now in use, been materially increased by the cylinders being placed in an inclined instead of a horizontal position, which inclination of the cylinders, acts in conjunction with the angle of the connecting-rod, and with the greater weight of the main driving-wheels, &c.-the combined effect of which is, say with the ten-wheel Freight Engines on your road, when using 100 lbs. pressure of steam, to cause the main driving-wheels to be jammed down upon the Road each revolution, with a force equal t9 6,800 lbs. weight, this gives for the force with which each of the main driving-wheels of these Engines press upon the rail at one period, during each revolution, equal to 14,200 lbs. weight, which is about double the weight borne upon the Road by any one of the other driving-wheels of these Engines. Small driving-wheels tends to the diminution of the above evil, because, the larger the wheels, the stronger must be the thrust of the piston to draw an equal train with equal stroke of piston, and consequently, the injury to the Road will be greater in proportion, as the wheels are larger. By the foregoing, it will be seen that unusual provisions has been made in the Ca-mel Engines, for the preservation of the Road, by means of their unusually small wheels, all their wheels being drivers, horizontal position of the cylinders, better distribution of their weight on their several wheels, and remedy as far as practicable, for the evil originating in the angle of the connecting-rod. This provision exhibits a care for, and guards against unnecessary injury to the Road more fully than is the case with any other description of First Class Freight Engines. Important as this is to the interests of Rail Roads, it might very readily escape notice, unless attention was directed to it. 24 It has been proposed to put what is usually called the link motion, to operate the valves of the five First Class Freight Engines about to be procured by the Company. I have before spoken of the advantage possessed by the Camel Engines, in relation to large valve face openings, (fifteen square inches,) while the steam was cut off at such portion of the stroke, as to get the benefit of one hundred per cent. of expansion, and while at the same time, the exhaust was kept open until the piston had arrived within two inches of the end of a twenty-two inch stroke. To enable these properties of the Camel Engines to be fully appreciated, I will compare them with what takes place with the best constructed link motion movement of the valves. When I say the best, I have reference to link motion on the Passenger Engines, built by Rodgers, Catchum & Grosvener, at Patterson, New Jersey, which are supposed to be among the best. The following dimensions and action, is taken from one of these Engines: Diameter of cylinder, sixteen inches-stroke of piston, twenty-two inches steam opening in valve face, equal 16Nw inches. When the steam is cut off at such portions of the stroke, as to get the advantage of the steam expanding 100 per cent., or to double its original bulk before being exhausted from the cylinder, the greatest area of the effective opening through the valve face into the cylinder, is equal to 5 —43- square inches, or less than one-third of the entire area of the effective opening when the Engine is being worked at full stroke, and slightly over one-third; the effective valve openings into the cylinder of the Camel Engines, when the steam is so cut off by them as to give the benefit of 100 per cent. expansion. Again, the link motion movement, when the steam is being cut off, so as to allow of 100 per cent. expansion, closes the exhaust opening when the steam piston lacks 71 inches of being at the end of the stroke; this gives threefold more back pressure, or retarding force on the reverse side of the piston, than that which takes place in the Camel Engines when steam is being expanded —100 per cent. by each kind of valve gear. The above properties of the link motion, render it a very imperfect cut off when the steam is to be expanded to any 25 considerable extent, more especially when applied to Freight Engines, the cut off being most needed when the draught is the hardest; at which time, any curtailment of the cylinder power, in Freight engines, beyond that which is necessary to the using of the steam expansively, is decidedly objectionable. What I mean by the curtailment of the cylinder power, will be better understood by the following explanation; the advantage of 100 per cent. expansion of steam, is enabled to be availed of in the Camel Engines when the steam is cut off at 10 inches of the stroke of the piston, and the exhaust commences when the piston has arrived at 11 inches of the end of the stroke, and the exhaust opening of the other end is closed when the piston has arrived at 2 inches from the end of the stroke. With the link motion, and 22 inch stroke of piston to avail of 100 per cent. expansion, the steam is cut off when the piston has traversed 91 inches of its stroke, and the steam has commenced to exhaust when the piston has arrived at 31 inches from the end of the stroke, and the exhaust opening, at the other end of the cylinder, closes when the piston is 71 inches from the end of the stroke. The exhausting of the steam, in the link motion Engines, 21 inches earlier in the stroke, curtails the power of the cylinders eleven per cent., as compared with the Camel Engine arrangement and cut off. In addition-to the foregoing, the very great compression of steam, on the reverse side of the piston, resulting from the link motion cut off, causes a still further curtailment of the cylinder power, and involves a greater positive loss of steam power, from the compressed steam not giving back all the power which was taken to compress it, as compared with the Camel Engines, amounting, in all, to probably 20 per cent. more curtailment of cylinder power, by the use of the link motion, to cut off steam as early as before mentioned, than is the case with the valve gear used on the Camel Engines. In the foregoing comparison, I have taken the cut off at that part of the stroke which gives the benefit of 100 per cent. expansion of steam in both kinds of valve movements. I have done this because I have found, from long 4 26 experience, that it is important to cut off steam as early as this, in a first-class coal burning Freight Engine. First-Because the steam generated is used more economically. Second-Because less fine coal is drawn through the tubes and thrown out of the smoke stack-and Third-Because the boiler is subjected to a less intense heat, and is less deteriorated than would be the case if the steam was cut off later in the stroke. The result of all this is, that the link motion is poorly adapted to a first-class coal burning Freight Engine. Over the hard parts of the road, with heavy trains, is the time when the 100 per cent. expansion of steam is most useful and is most needed, and when the large steam passages, to permit free passage of the steam into and out of the cylinders, is most important; and the time when any unnecessary curtailment in the cylinder power can be least afforded. An early cut off, full steam openings, and full power of cylinder, should be had acting together. In the Camel Engines such is the case-in the link motion Engines, very far from it. That which has had most to do with bringing into use, and keeping into use, the link motion on Locomotive Engines, is the facility which it affords of reversing an Engine, when running at great speed, without liability of failure. The importance of this, for passenger Engines, has induced the use of the link motion on them, notwithstanding the very inefficient cut off afforded by it. To Freight Engines, and especially to those intended for burning coal, the importance of a good and early cut off, acting in conjunction with open and free steam passages, and uncurtailed cylinder power, is of so much more consequence than the certainty of reverse furnished by the link motion, as to make the link motion wholly out of place on coal burning Freight Engines. It should be borne in mind that the slow speed of the Freight Engines, relieves the want of any more certainty of reverse for them than is furnished by the valve gear connected with the best description of cut off for Freight purposes, which best description of cut off movement, has the further advantage of being less expensive and difficult to keep in repair and adjustment, than the link motion cut off. 27 In the transportation of coal and other heavy freight on your Road, every thing should be availed of to the fullest practical extent, to economize and reduce expense, even to the last farthing-this is due to every interest and party concerned. The lower the price at which the coal of our State can be afforded to all consumers in or out of the State, the greater will be the wealth that will be realized by your Company, by the City, by the State and by those who furnish the coal. Among the things which may be availed of, for the purpose of economizing or cheapening transportation on Rail Roads, the following are important. First, a moderate rate of speed, say not over ten or twelve miles per hour, from this very great economy results, (as compared with materially higher rates of speed.) In the costs of repairs of Engines, Cars, Roads, Bridges, &c. Second, system and regularity in the running of Trains over the Road, uniformity of speed and conformity to time tables, should be had to the greatest practical extent. By these means destruction of property by accidents and cost of repairs will be diminished, and the amount of business that can be done in proportion to means employed will be increased-these several means of economizing in the cost of transportation, can be better and more fully carried out, and with more advantage on your Road when the Trains are as large as the average of the coal Trains now running on your Road, than would be the case with Trains of half or threefourths the size of the said coal Trains, provided, that the Engines employed to run such Trains, have abundance of adhesion of cylinder power and of steam generating power, in proportion to the size of the Trains and the speed to be made by them, and provided such power of Engine does not involve injudicious stress to the Road. With these larger Trains, the required number of men is less in proportion to the business done, and all other things being equal, the cost of fiel is less in proportion to the number of tons transported. Again, the larger Trains are more in harmony with the moderate speed so essential to economy. The larger Trains, by their being fewer in number, the better guards against confusion in the run 28 ning and passing, and keeping Trains out of each other's way, and enables the requirements of the time tables to be the better conformed to, and accidents, collisions and the destruction of property better avoided. It is also important to the economy of Freight transportation, that (while the advantage of taking large Trains, with power to spare in the Engines, is had) the maximum weight on any one wheel of the Engines, should be comparatively small, in fact the least practicable. The truth of the foregoing proposition will, I think, be evident to all persons acquainted with the subject. From which evident truths and from the experience of the transportation of Freight on your Road as shown by the Company's Reports and otherwise, it will, I think, be clearly seen, that Engines having eight driving wheels (instead of a less number) and with steam and cylinder power in proportion, by means of which, the larger loads can be taken, while the weight on each driving wheel is comparatively small, say three and one quarter tons, is among the important means of economizing in the transportation of Freight on Rail Roads. Finally, I submit the question, whether it is not clear that the Camel Engine combines the several elements of power, and the different features which constitute excellence in a Freight Engine, to an extent not to be found in any other plan of Freight Engine now in use, and that these properties of the Engines so extensively employed in your Freight business, has had much to do with the comparative freedom from accident on your Road, growing out of the superior ability of these Engines to take large trains, and to be on time with them. I have taken great pains to be accurate in thus condensing and arranging, for the purpose of more ready inspection, the information and facts contained in the Company's Reports on this subject; and, I feel quite sure, that the results here exhibited are free from material error. I have been very desirous of adding to the foregoing, the information gained by the experience on this subject on your Road during the last year, and been at considerable pains for that purpose, and at one time felt almost sure of 29 being able to do so, but have been disappointed in relation to it. Since writing the foregoing, I have procured the Company's Report, dated October 1st, 1856. This furnishes another year's experience in the working of the different kinds of Engines here being compared. The result of which further experience, I propose to add to that of the experience here before given in relation to the working of these Engines. 109 CAMEL ENGINES. Whole distance run by all of the Camel Engines on the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road, (109 in number,) from their first introduction on the Road, to October Ist, 1856, the date of the Company's last Report, - - - 7.437.896 miles Cost of repairs for the above number of miles run by the Camel Engines, - - - $738,962-r$$ Average distance run per Engine per year by the 109 Camel Engines, 17.483 miles. Average cost of repairs per mile run by the 109 Camel Engines, - - - - - - - 9 cents. 17 TEN-WHEEL ENGINES. Whole distance run with Freight and Passenger Cars by all the ten-wheel Engines on the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road, (17 in number,) from their first introduction on the Road, to the 1st October, 1856. Miles run with Freight trains, - - - - 616.826 miles. Miles run with Passenger trains, - - - 259.011 miles. Total number of miles run with Freight and Passenger trains,. by the 17 ten-wheel Engines, 875.837 miles. 30 Cost of repairs for the above number of miles run with the ten-wheel Engines, - $90,272 %2 Average distance run per Engine per year by the 17 ten-wheel Engines, - - - - 16,937 miles. Average cost of repairs per mile run by the above ten-wheel Engines, - - - - -.10' cents. When experience is availed of in answering a question, the more extended the experience, the more reliable is the answer based upon it. This consideration has induced me (in the comparison just above made) to take the entire experience had on your Road with the two kinds of Engines, notwithstanding, that in so doing, full justice is not done to the Camel Engines. First, because the average age of the Camel Engines is considerably greater than that of the ten-wheel Engines. Second, because more than two-sevenths of the whole distance run by the ten-wheel Engines has been with passenger trains, and the remaining five-sevenths with trains, the average size of which has been not more than two-thirds as large as the average trains taken by the Camel Engines. But even with these advantages in favor of the ten-wheel Engine, the entire experience on your Road shows that the Camel Engines have run a greater average distance per Engine per year and at a less average cost per mile run, than the ten-wheel Engine. In before comparing the relative efficiency and economy of repairs of the two kinds of Engines, I have in some of the comparisons taken into account the difference in the size of the trains drawn as well as the difference in the distance travelled per year, and the difference in the cost of repairs per mile ran by the respective Engines and I have stated my reasons, therefore, I now proceed to make a similar comparison, under the more extended experience now at command, and shall, as before, take twenty-four long Cars as the average train of the Camel Engines, and thirteen Cars as the average train of the ten-wheel Engines, notwithstanding that, in this instance, the distance ran with 31 the passenger trains, by the ten-wheel Engines, is nearly one-third of the whole distance run by them, instead of one-seventh, as in the former comparison. The passenger trains averaging only six or seven Cars. Average useful effect produced, per Engine per year, equal to the following number of long cars hauled one mile: By the 17 ten-wheel Engines, 220.181 By the 109 Camel Engines, - - - 419.592 This is nearly in the proportion of 1 to 2, or 100 per cent. in favor of the Camel Engines, or 1 Camel Engine has done nearly as much work, per year, as two ten-wheel Engines. Average cost of repairs due to the hauling of each long car 100 miles, by each kind of Engine. By the 17 ten-wheel Engines, - - - 79T3 cents. By the 109 Camel Engines, - - - - - 41 cents. This is nearly in proportion of one to two, or 100 per cent. in favor of the Camel Engine. In making the comparisons heretofore, under a more limited experience than is the case with these now being made, I stated my authority for taking the trains of the Camel Engines at twenty-four cars, and the ten-wheel Engines at thirteen cars. And I fully believe, that in doing this, full justice has been done to the ten-wheel Engines. If, however, it shall be contended that the average size of the trains assigned to the ten-wheel Engines, is small, and that those assigned to the Camel Engines is larger than has in fact been the case, I will, for the purpose of showing (under the entire experience with the two kinds of Engines,) the superiority of the Camel Engines, when no such objection 32 can possibly be made. Suppose the average size of the trains of the Camel Engines to have been twenty cars, and that of the ten-wheel Engines to have been fifteen cars. Under this supposition, the comparison would be as follows: Useful effect produced, per Engine per year, equal to the following number of long cars hauled one mile: By the 17 ten-wheel Engines, - - - 254.055 By the 109 Camel Engines, - - - - - 349.660 This is in the proportion of 1 to 1TW,- or 38 per cent. in favor of the Camel Engine; or three Camel Engines would do more work than 4 ten-wheel Engines. Average cost of repairs due to the hauling of each long car 100 miles. By the 17 ten-wheel Engines, - - - 68A-? cents. By the 109 Camel Engines, - - - - - 49Nf cents. This is in the proportion of 1 to 1 Ar~8, or 38 per cent. in favor of the Camel Engines. The Camel Engines have ran on the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road, in all, about seven and a half millions of miles, averaging per Engine per year for the entire distance, 17,483 miles. Within the last year, these Engines have ran over two millions of miles, averaging per Engine per year, 18,670 miles. The greatest distance ran by any one Engine during the year, being 27,400 miles. This large distance ran per Engine per year, on any one Road, by so large a number of Engines, (109) all of one kind, that is the working parts are all alike, and duplicates of each other, the newest of which Engines is over two and two-third years old, is believed to be unprecedented, and the increased distance ran by these Engines during the last year shows the effect of their simplicity of plan, and construction, and substantial 33 build. In writing the fore part of this communication and before I had seen the Company's Report of October, 1856, I called attention to the remarkable comparative freedom from collision, accident, and destruction of life and property, on the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road, and expressed the belief that the superior steam generating power and other peculiar properties of the Camel Engines, so extensively used on your Road, had much to do with this comparative exemption from accident, and damage, that this belief was well founded, is proved, it appears to me, beyond a doubt, by the experience given in the Company's Report of 1856. It is there shewn that the collisions and accidents of all kinds to the Camel Engines, during the year, are in number only one-seventh those occuring to the ten-wheel Engines, in proportion to the whole number of miles run by the respective Engines, and the damage or cost of repairs occasioned by these accidents to the Camel Engines, is only one twenty-second part of the amount of the damage or cost of repairs occasioned by accidents to the ten-wheel Engines, in proportion to the whole number of miles run by the respective kinds of Engines. In running two millions and thirty-five thousand miles by the Camel Engines, during the year ending October, 1856, three accidents only occurred to said Engines, and the cost of repairs occasioned by accidents to all the Camel Engines, during the year, was $2,550 which is at the average rate of twelve and a half cents per one hundred miles run. Now, it must be evident to all that this very remarkable, and almost total exemption from accident or damage to the Camel Engines, during the running of over two millions of miles, is not accidental, but the extent of the experience shows it to be uniform, and is unquestionably the result of the peculiar properties of the Engines; their superior ability to conform to the requirements of the time table, to keep out of each other's way and keep out of the way of other Engines that are on time, and even to use their surplus power to assist Engines that are out of time, this proves conclusively the truth of much that I have been contending for, and have set forth in the fore part of this communication, and also proves that the steam generating 34 power of these Engines should not be diminished as has been proposed. Again, it is proposed to make alterations in the springs and connecting rods of the Camel Engines, which will as far as it goes, deprive the Engines of that simplicity and permanency of construction which has so materially contributed to make them, what I conceive them to be, the most efficient, economical and reliable freight Engines extant. I do not pretend that the Camel Engines may not be improved. I am constantly engaged with a view to their improvement and have recently made important improvements in them, but the proposed alterations before mentioned, would if made, be decidedly injurious instead of beneficial to them. It is perhaps not improper that I should mention, before closing this paper, that the general plan and combination as well as most of the detail peculiarities of the Camel Engines has been devised by myself and patented. Respectfully yours, &c. ROSS WINANS.