Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 208, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 September 1914 — HOME IN THE ENGINE CAE [ARTICLE]

HOME IN THE ENGINE CAE

“Messenger*” In Charge of Ney/ Locomotive* Have a Lonely Life for a Few Week*. Long before the engine driver take* charge of a hew locoinotive and start* it on its first run, another man occupies the cab and makes it his -home, often for weeks at a time. This man is the “messenger” sent out by the manufacturer to look after the locomotive and see that it is delivered in good condition to the purchasing railroad at the point specified in the contract After a locomotive is finished it is first given a trial run by the maker, and if this proves satisfactory the machine is “stripped,” which means simply that'the driving reals and some of the other moving pMrt* are removed and. stored In the tended and the engine is then ready for *Mpment Often It has to be hauled for hundreds of miles over other roMs before it reaches the purchasing road, and on this, Its first trip, it goes a* freight in a slow freight train, on its own wheelfj but not under Its own power. With the bearings all new, there is constant danger that they will “run hot” and It is the principal duty of the messenger to watch out for this danger and prevent it, but there are many other troubles that may develop and the messenger must be on watch every minute his charge is moving. The cab is boarded up; provided with a door, and is equipped with a small cook stove, table and bunk. Here the messenger cooks and eats his meals, and sleeps when he has a chance. Provisions are carried in the tender. It takes a nqw locomotive about eighteen days to get from Philadelphia to Kansas City and 45 days to get to California, much of this time being taken up by delays at division points where the locomotive must be taken from one train and placed in another. One messenger usually looks after two locomotives wjign more than one are shipped in same train. —Popular Mechanics.