MAINE CENTRAL F EMPLOYEES' MAGAZINE A Magazine devoted exclusively to the interests of and for free distribution among the 6500 employees of the Maine Central Railroad. Published monthly at Portland, Maine, as the official magazine of the Maine Central Railroad and Portland Terminal Company. Delmont W. Bishop, Editor. Vol. VII AUGUST, 1930 No. 8 Our two new Nos. 701 and 702 Locomotives IN introducing the "Hudson" type tractive effort with locomotive booster, locomotives, it may be of interest to of 47,700 pounds and a weight of summarize briefly the Pacific type 171,500 pounds in working order. locomotives—type 4-6-2, the largest We depend entirely upon these in service prior to the locomotives for the purchase of the two support of all the new Hudsons. main line passenger Six years ago the traffic and also a part Maine Central pur• of the branch line chased their last lot passenger service. of the "Pacific" type Frequently where of locomotives, de• heavy passenger signed along the lines £\s were involved, of well established these engines were principles current at double headed or as• that time. Twenty- sisted by lighter pas• one of these locomo• senger engines. Al• tives are in service at though these locomo• the present time, five tives have rendered a of them equipped high standard of ser• with boosters, all ranging between vice and will for many more years to 32,000 and 47,700 pounds tractive come, it soon became apparent that effort with varying weights on drivers if newer power was to be acquired, having boiler pressures of 185 pounds a larger locomotive would be desirable per square inch. Engines 469 and 470, with greater availability for reserve the last group to be built, have a power and capacity to meet more 1 M. C. B. B. EMPLOYEES' MAGAZINE M. C. R. B. EMPLOYEES' MAGAZINE 5 Crew who These monster "power plants on Pullman cars weighing approximately made first trip on ~01 wheels" have roller bearings on the 1,300 tons. tender and engine trucks, a larger Four wheel trailing trucks were firebox and grate area and a larger found necessary because of the in• boiler of generous capacity. creased weight on trailing axles. Of The tenders are equipped with four the Specialties, the new engines have wheel trucks and have coal capacity standard B-K stokers, stoker engine of 14 tons and water capacity of 10,- unit mounted on a tender, front end 000 gallons. With this equipment multiple throttle valve, Franklin trail• runs of 80 to 100 miles with the ing truck booster, type E, super heaviest trains can be made without heater, roller bearings on the tender stopping for water. The engines can trucks and engine truck and several easily develop a speed of 60 miles per other appliances too numerous to hour with a train of fifteen all steel mention. Engineman A. P. Johnson, Fireman A.. S. Baker and Conductor Seward Ham satisfactorily and economically our the exacting demands of heavy pas• daily requirements and possibly elimi• senger traffic. At the present time nate double heading. The Hudson they are on service on the "Bar Har• type locomotive was, after consider• bor Express," the "Flying Yankee" able study decided upon as necessary and "The Gull." for these needs, and requiring addi• The overall length of these coal tional passenger power, two new burning locomotives, including the locomotives of the Hudson type, Nos. large tenders, is 83.3 feet and the 701 and 702 were purchased. combined weight in working order of The first to be delivered was No. engine and tender is 502.190 pounds. 701, which ran under its own steam They are the first passenger engines from the shops of the Baldwin Loco• of the road equipped with mechanical motive Works at Eddystone, Pa., to stokers. The engines are equipped the Rigby Terminal at Portland, Engine 702 leaving Portland Union Station on its first trip hauling with "boosters"—auxiliary engines arriving on June 26th. the "Flying Yankee" attached to the trailer wheels to give The Maine Central is the second added traction in starting heavy Road in New England to use the" trains. The combined, tractive power "Hudson" type locomotive, the Bos• Vacation Pictures of locomotive and booster is 53,500 ton & Albany being the other Road. Happy days are here again. The the cobwebs, releases some of the pounds compared with 47,700 pounds, These two new Hudsons are not quite call of the forests and streams and blood pressure, and renews the old the tractive power of our latest "Pa• as large as the Boston & Albany's, beaches and open roads are ringing in fight and enthusiasm for the game of cific" type locomotives in use on the but are very similar in general design. our ears again, and soon that long life. Maine Central. This is an increase of In appearance "701 and 702" are an anticipated vacation, with its change When you pack up the family bus about ten per cent over the present improvement over their predecessors of scenery and much needed rest, will with all the necessary vacation para- and are expected to meet satisfactorily type of locomotive. be a realization. A vacation clears out See page 17 M. C. B. B. EMPLOYEES' MAGAZINE 7 6 M. C. R. R. EMPLOYEES' MAGAZINE Oil Sprinkler lays the Roadbed Dustiess tally on opposite sides of the car at The oil used is of such consistency the center where they extend over the that it forms virtually an unbroken shoulders of the road-bed, also a hori• blanket over the road-bed. The ap• zontal pipe which oils between the paratus used in oiling the roadbed on rails. These wing pipes are fed from the Maine Central is an improvised the main feed line through short affair constructed in the Road's shops lengths of rubber hose. By this and is mounted on a standard 40 foot arrangement the wing distribution steel underframe flat car. In utilizing pipes can be operated through a com• the flat car for applying the oil all of plete half circle thereby moving it in the piping is placed under the floor or out to prevent striking structures and between the trucks. The only or obstacles along the right of way. parts of the equipment above the Sheet metal protecting shoes are hung on the horizontal pipe over the rails Operating the Levers to prevent the oil in windy weather tribution pipes in threadlike streams. from going on the rails. The hori• When it first reaches the surface of zontal and wing pipes are perforated the ballast it runs out in fine strings, with \ diameter holes spaced f" but within a few hours, depending One of the Wings in Operation apart through which the oil is dis• upon the temperature of the oil and charged. Control of the oil, which is the atmosphere, the oil spreads out a specially prepared road-bed oil with D URING the past month 437 miles to form a uniform coating over the approximately 65% asphalt, to the of road-bed have been oiled, marking ballast. distribution pipes is effected by means another step in the Company's pro• Heating of the oil is accomplished of three lever stands grouped together gram for improving its service and by means of steam from the loco• in the center of car where they can offering comfort to passengers. motive on the oil train which passes be operated readily by one man. The Rockland Branch was the first through the coils provided in the tank to receive the oil blanket and this The oil is delivered hot to the road• cars in which the oil is received. De• was followed by the main line on both bed under the force of gravity alone pending somewhat upon the weather, the lower and the upper roads be• and falls from the orifices in the dis- the oil in the cars can be made viscous tween Portland and Bangor. enough for oiling operations by the The oiling of the road-bed is work• application of steam for from two to ing out very satisfactorily and is very six hours. Ordinarily it is the practice much appreciated by travellers. There to hook up the steam connection to is practically no dust raised by high the tank cars in the oil train as soon speed trains and the policy of oiling as the locomotive arrives, applying will no doubt continue during the A typical stretch of Oiled Track the steam at a pressure of about 40 summer months as long as there is floor include tool box and three oil pounds. Following this practice, the gravel ballast over the major part of valve operating levers, two pipes of oil is usually heated enough to begin the road. As a result, unusually clean the sprinkler distribution system operations as soon as the equipment gets out to the point where oiling is transportation is provided. about 10 feet long are hung horizon- The Oil Train s M. C. R. R. EMPLOYEES' MAGAZINE M. C. R. R. EMPLOYEES' MAGAZINE 0 to begin and relatively little difficulty four men. Two of the men operate is encountered with the clogging of the wing sprinklers and the third the holes in the distribution pipes. operates the valves under the direction When using the oil continually no of the Foreman who is in direct charge Shoe Pegs T)o you know trouble is experienced. In this regard, and who indicates the places to be that your youngsters the tendency to clog occurs only when oiled.