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SFÄREN
THE M. & L. BOOSTER
The railroads of the United States have had
to face a serious economic problem in the
period of re-adjustment following the war.
Aside from the involved phases of finances and
labor, the question of operating efficiency has
received intensive consideration as a direct means
of improving the situation.
Operating efficiency is dependent on the
mechanical characteristics of motive power and
equipment together with the proper utilization of
this, by the transportation department. Our
particular interest is with the practical problems
of design rather than those of traffic control,
although there is an intimate relation between
the two.
As a fundamental principle the succinct
statement of J. J. Hill should be borne in mind —
»Operating income is by the ton and passenger
mile, expense by the train mile». This indicates
at once the advantages of increased train load and
the use of larger and more powerful types of
locomotives.
Such has been the trend of railroad
development throughout its history in the United States.
At the present time it appears that the practical
limit of weight and rigid wheel base has been
reached in locomotive design. In this respect
development of the roadway has not kept pace
with that of the motive power, and many of the
shorter lines cannot operate locomotives of the
heaviest types.
It is apparent that as an expedient for
obtaining the advantages of greater train loads, the cost
of rebuilding the roadway would in general be
prohibitive. This would involve not only heavier
track construction but modification of such
permanent structures as bridges and tunnels. It is
evident then, that the problem is one of
refinement in the present design of locomotives so as
to provide a more efficient motive power within
the present limitations. Broadly speaking, this
refinement must look to an increased tractive
effort per ton of locomotive and tender weight,
increased horsepower per pound of fuel fired,
and no disproportionate increase in the cost of
maintenance for locomotive and equipment.
Fundamentally the hauling capacity of a given
locomotive is determined by the relation of its
tractive effort to the train resistance, throughout
the range of operating speeds determined for a
given division profile. On the one hand, the
tractive effort of a locomotive remains a maximum
up to piston speeds governed by the steaming
capacity of the boiler, and thence decreases with
Tender with Booster
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