Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 November 1895 — LARGEST LOCOMOTIVES. [ARTICLE]

LARGEST LOCOMOTIVES.

Ponderous Engines that Drag Timber Down Mountain Sides. In the vicinity of the town of Verdi, Cal., the highways have been completely ruined for carriage purposes by ponderous road engines which are used by the lumbermen. They are larger and heavier than the largest railroad locomotives. They pro el themselves and draw from eight to a dozen great cars laden with timber from nearby forests for the sawmills in Verdi. The wheels of both engines and cars have 2-inch flanges running diagonally across their surface, which have the same effect upon a roadbed as a millstone on wheat, says a correspondent of the Chicago Times-Herald. As the lumber business is the mainstay of Verdi, the citizens forego their carriage drives without grumbling, and have never thought of restricting the liberties of the road engines. Without the flanges the wheels would slip, as the engines go up and down the steep grades—so steep that it would not pay to cart the timber with either horses or oxen. The engines cost great sums of money, and are only practicable because there are millions of dollars’ worth of timber upon the hillsides. So they were created for a special purpose and are altogether too ponderous and expensive to serve any other purpose. They are supported and propelled by three wheels, all driving wheels connected with the same cylinders (two in number) and guided by the single wheel placed directly in front of the boiler head. In order that this wheel may be used as a steering wheel a series of ingenious ball joints, permitting a swivel in any direction, connect the cranks with the driving rods. A cab containing the steering gear, a horizontally placed wheel similar to those used upon hook and ladder trucks, is placed directly over the boiler head. The pilot is also engineer. The throttle, reversing lever, whistle and guages are ranged about this cab in convenient form. At the rear is another cab, used by the fireman, also set up with gauges and valves. Wood is the fuel used and wood stations and tanks located every mile or two along the road do away with the necessity of towing a large tender, and the only incumbrance to the machine, aside from its load, is a small tank strapped upon the boiler, resembling the camel-back engines used in railroad yards for shifting. The connection between engine and train is made with chain, the tongue of each wagon fitting in a traveler upon the rear axle of the preceding wagon.