AIR-PUMP DISORDERS.
An engineer who does not understand the principles of a locomotive’s action, is not likely to prove a valuable runner. The men who are most successful in getting trains over the road with solar regularity; the men who make the best records on the mileage sheets for economy in fuel and in lubricants; who are lightest in repairs, yet keep their engine going longest,—are those who comprehend the functions of every portion of the engine, and what relation the various parts bear to each other. With this knowledge clearly established in the mind of the runner, his power to detect any thing wrong with his engine becomes instinctive. Trifling defects, which neglect would develop into serious disabilities, are rectified in time, and the whole engine is maintained in smooth working-order by the harmony of its individual sections. The mere stopper and starter is losing his hold on the locomotive service. When he drops off entirely, our mileage for each dollar expended will be decidedly increased.
The principles which apply to the running of a locomotive are equally applicable to the management of an air-brake, with all its perfected connections. This apparatus can not be properly managed unless the man who works it knows something about its action.