The Traveling Engineers' Association to Improve the Locomotive Engine Service of American Railroads Part 21

A. He should use such precaution as in his judgment would protect from injury all persons who are on or around the locomotive.

8. Q. What is the duty of the engineer in event of his discovering a safety appliance which is in an unsafe condition when taking an engine from roundhouse territory?

A. He should report at once to the person in authority so that necessary repairs may be made before engine goes into service.

=PYLE-NATIONAL ELECTRIC HEADLIGHT=

1. Q. Why are electric headlights applied to locomotives?

A. Electric headlights are applied to locomotives so that the engineer may have a clear view of the track for enough ahead of the train to enable him to protect the company's property in his charge.

2. Q. How far ahead of the engine should the arc headlight illuminate the track?

A. Not less than from fifteen to twenty telegraph poles.

3. Q. State how you would focus the lamp.

A. First, would adjust back of the reflector so front edge of reflector will be parallel with front edge of case. Second, adjust the lamp to have point of copper electrode as near the center of reflector as possible with carbons as near the center of the chimney holes as you can set them. Third, have the locomotive on straight track. Now move the base of the lamp around until you get a parallel beam of white light straight down the center of the track, then tighten the lamp down.

4. Q. If the light throws shadows upon the track, is it properly focused?

A. No.

5. Q. If the light is properly focused, that is, if the rays are leaving the reflector in parallel lines, but the light does not strike the center of the track, what should be done?

A. When the light rays are thrown out in parallel lines and they do not strike the center of the track, it denotes that the headlight case is not set straight with the engine, and the entire case on base board must be s.h.i.+fted until the shaft of light strikes the track as desired.

6. Q. What can you do to insure a good and unfailing light for the entire trip?

A. By carefully inspecting the entire equipment before departing on each trip, and know that there are no wires with insulation charred or worn off, that all screws and connections are tight, commutator clean and brushes set in brush holder in proper manner. Carbon in lamp of sufficient length to complete trip, and that the carbon will feed through the clutch freely and rests central over the copper electrode.

Copper electrode cleaned off, oil in both bearings and see that steam does not blow at stuffing box gland.

7. Q. What kind of oil and how much would you use in the bearings of the electric headlight equipment?

A. Would use the best grade of black or engine oil furnished for both bearings and only enough oil in oil cellar that the revolving loose oil ring may trail through the oil. When bearings are supplied with oil cups, use a heavy oil such as good engine or valve oil.

8. Q. Why should you not use valve oil in these bearings?

A. Valve oil cannot be used successfully in the main bearing because of its heavy body. Valve oil could not be carried up to shaft by the oil ring in cold weather, as the ring will not revolve.

9. Q. What is the most vital part of the dynamo?

A. The commutator.

10. Q. What care or attention should be given the commutator?

A. The commutator must be kept clean, free from dirt, and the mica must be kept filed a trifle below the surface of the copper bars.

11. Q. What kind of a bearing should the brush have on the commutator?

A. Brushes should be fitted to have a bearing with the same contour as the commutator.

12. Q. How are the brushes fitted?

A. Brushes are fitted by cutting a strip of No. 0 sandpaper about the width of the commutator surface (have the dynamo idle), place the strips of sandpaper under the brush, then pull the sandpaper from left to right; continue this process until the brush has been fitted to a true smooth bearing. Then trim about one-eighth inch off of the front edge of the brush.

13. Q. Is it advisable to ever try to fit a brush with a file or knife?

A. Most emphatically no. You could not get a bearing across the brush no matter how hard you might try with either a file or a knife.

14. Q. Why is it important to clean the scale off of the point of the copper electrode each trip?

A. The scale on the copper electrode after it has cooled off is a non-conductor of current, and acts as a blind gasket between the carbon and the copper electrode. Unless this scale is removed, the current cannot pa.s.s between the points of carbon and electrode and you cannot, therefore, have a light. When the dynamo fields are compound wound, it is unnecessary to clean scale from copper electrode oftener than once a week, at which time copper electrode should be removed from holder and all scale cleaned off. (With compound wound dynamo fields the cab lamps will continue to burn when head-lamp is extinguished by lifting carbon by hand.)

15. Q. How should the copper electrode be trimmed at the point?

A. The copper electrode should have about one-eighth inch surface on the contact point.

16. Q. How far should the copper electrode project over the holder?

A. About one inch.

17. Q. Should the electrode be raised up to one and one-half inches, what might happen?

A. If the copper electrode was run at a point so near the clutch, the intense heat of the arc might do damage to the top carbon holder and clutch.

18. Q. What regulation should be given to the tension spring No. 93 of the lamp, and why?

A. This tension spring, No. 93, should be regulated when the current is off the lamp and should be adjusted only tight enough to pull the magnet yoke up against the top stop lug on the side of lamp column.

19. Q. If this tension spring was tightened too tightly, what might happen?

A. At usual speed between stations, the movement of the engine would impart an added resistance against the pull of the solenoid by the tension spring, which would shorten up the arc and dim down the light.

20. Q. Is there anything else that could cause the light to dim down when the engine is running fast?

A. Yes; if the spring No. 92-A that hold the heel of the clutch should be too weak, the heel of the clutch would be forced up by the motion of the locomotive; this would release the carbon which would fall to the point of the copper electrode, causing the light to dim down, or, if the clutch should be used until the sharp edge that grips the carbon should have become worn smooth or round, the same would occur.

21. Q. If the light burns satisfactorily while the engine is in motion, but goes out when engine is stopped, where would you find the trouble?

A. This trouble is most always found to be caused by the tension spring No. 93 being too weak, though if the dash-pot plunger has become corroded until it sticks in the dash-pot, the light will act the same as if the tension spring were too weak.

22. Q. If the dash-pot should be found stuck, would you put oil in it?

A. Coal oil could be used to clean and cut the dirt out of the pot and from off the plunger, but after the dash-pot and plunger have been cleaned, all oil must be wiped off, for oil would cause the plunger to stick as well as collect dirt.