Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 171, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 July 1914 — Steam-Scrubbed Railway Lines. [ARTICLE]

Steam-Scrubbed Railway Lines.

Attempts to overcome the Blipping difficulty experienced with locomotives in , damp weather have been recently made in France by directing water or steam on to the rails. Sand, It has been sho*wn, generally shortens the life of rails. —By using water or steam jets the rails are cleaned. A mere wetting of the rails is shown to be useless. If. however, water Is applied under pressure, and the rails thoroughly cleaned, increased adhesion is secured. Special fittinga are suggested for the purpose of using either live or exhaust steam for feeding the water. The fittings should be carried by the axle of the wheels, and not by the framing of the engine.