INTEREST IN THE VALVE-MOTION AMONG ENGINEERS.
Whenever locomotive engineers congregate in the round-house, in the lodge or division room, a fruitful theme of conversation and discussion is the valve-motion. Curious opinions are often heard expressed upon this complex subject. There are comparatively few men who understand it properly: but it has a fascination which attracts all alike, the wise and the ignorant; and the man who is altogether uncertain about the true meaning of lap and lead, expansion and compression, is generally more loquacious on valve-motion than the engineer who has made the subject an industrious study.