LOCOMOTIVE REGISTERS.

420. American railroad reports are, as a general thing, quite destitute of detailed accounts of the performance of the power. Some of the large roads, indeed, are of late improving in this respect.

That fares and tolls may be properly applied to the different articles of transport, the cost of moving each article should be known.

Such items as the salaries of employees, and repairs of machinery, are easily distributed to the proper heads; but the correct amount of fuel, oil, and waste, to be charged to any department, is not so evident. What we require is, the exact amount of fuel, oil, and waste used, and work done by each engine; to obtain which, some system of registering these quantities must be adopted.

The following five blanks being filled, we have all that is required:—

Number 1 is the engineer’s weekly return to the master of machinery, and gives, as seen, the times of arriving at, and departing from, each station. The fuel should always be ready at each station for delivery, in cords and half cords, or in tons and fractions, when coal or coke. It may be delivered either from a small car placed on a pair of rails at right angles to the track, or from a box hung upon a crane, which may be at once swung over and lowered into the tender; the box which is already in, being first removed. The latter method gives the most correct results, as whatever fuel is left at the station may be credited to the engine. The whole operation of wooding would not take longer than it does to describe it, and would lead to a systematic and economical method of working.

The tanks and pumps being charged to construction, we may, without material error, charge the cost of the water supply to the trains according to their mileage.

Number 2 is the wood register, showing the amount of fuel delivered to the several engines from the different stations, and should be weekly signed and returned by the station wood master to the fuel agent. The engineer’s fuel receipts (No. 1) check these reports.

Number 3 is the conductor’s mileage account, giving the exact weight left at, and taken from, each station; and, consequently, the load carried between stations, which is checked by the station master’s return.

Number 4 is the monthly account of the performance of engines, compiled from the weekly return by the superintendent of machinery, and reported to the superintendent.

Number 5 gives the annual performance of each and all of the engines upon the road, and is obtained from the monthly reports, and from those of the repair and transportation departments.

The work done by different classes of cars should be registered in like manner.

Knowing the amount of material used, and also the work done, it is easy to find the cost per mile of moving any article of transport, regard of course being had to the character of the parts of the road traversed by the several engines. An engine working a sixty feet grade should be allowed more fuel than one which works a level only.

Number 1.

A. and B. Railroad. Report of amount of material consumed, and of work done by Engine No. 50, during the week ending July 4, 1856.

————————, Engineer.

MONDAY.	Name of train.
	Name of station.
	Time of arriving.
	Time of departing.
	Fuel taken.
		Whole cost fuel consumed
		Whole time under steam
		Whole time running

And the same for each day of the week.


WEEKLY MEMORANDA.

Cords of wood used
Gallons oil used
Pounds tallow used
Pounds waste used
Miles run
Whole time running
Whole time under steam
Time under repairs
Cost of repairs
————, Master of Machinery.

—— RAILROAD. AMOUNT OF FUEL DELIVERED TO ENGINES FROM —— STATION DURING WEEK ENDING ——.


Number 2.

Name of Engine.		A.	B.	C.	D.	E.	F.	G.	H.	K.	Total.
Monday.	Morning.
Monday.	Afternoon.
Tuesday.	Morning.
Tuesday.	Afternoon.
Wednesday.	Morning.
Wednesday.	Afternoon.
Thursday.	Morning.
Thursday.	Afternoon.
Friday.	Morning.
Friday.	Afternoon.
Saturday.	Morning.
Saturday.	Afternoon.
Total to each engine.						Wood Station Master ——.

Number 3.

A. and B. Railroad. Conductor’s mileage return, for week ending July 4, 1856, showing work done by Engine No. 54.

MONDAY.

Train.

Station.

Cars taken.

Cars left.

Cars in train.

Weight of train.

Eq’d distance.

Eq’d mileage.

Total equated mileage

And the same for each day of the week.

Number 4.

A. AND B. RAILROAD. PERFORMANCE OF LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES FOR MONTH ENDING ——.
Number.	Use.	Miles run.	Time.			Wages.		Fuel.		Oil, waste, and tallow.						Repairs.		Totals.		Work done.				Comp, work done.
			Working.	At rest.	Under repairs.	Cost.	Cost per mile.	Cords.	Miles per cord.	Gallons oil used.	Miles per pint.	Pounds of waste.	Pounds of tallow.	Cost of oil, waste, and tallow.	Cost per mile of oil, waste, and tallow.	Cost.	Cost per mile.	Cost.	Cost per mile.	Freight.		Passenger.
			Working.	At rest.	Under repairs.	Cost.	Cost per mile.	Cords.	Miles per cord.	Gallons oil used.	Miles per pint.	Pounds of waste.	Pounds of tallow.	Cost of oil, waste, and tallow.	Cost per mile of oil, waste, and tallow.	Cost.	Cost per mile.	Cost.	Cost per mile.	Equated freight mileage.	Cost per ton per equated mile.	Equated passenger mileage.	Cost per ton per equated mile.

——, General Superintendent.

Number 5.

A. AND B. RAILROAD. ANNUAL REPORT OF COST OF MAINTENANCE OF, AND WORK DONE BY THE LOCOMOTIVE POWER, ALSO THE COST PER TON AND PASSENGER PER MILE, TOGETHER WITH THE NATURE AND AMOUNT OF REPAIRS, THE DIMENSIONS, & THE PRESENT STATE OF THE STOCK, 1856.
Name or Number of the engine.	Name of the builder or manufactory from whence bought.	Use to which it is applied.	Date of commc’g work upon the road.	GENERAL CHARACTER AND PRINCIPAL DIMENSIONS OF THE ENGINES.													Number of miles run	WHOLE EXPENSE OF WORKING AND OF MAINTAINING THE LOCOMOTIVES, AND EXPENSE PER MILE.														TIME OF SERVICE.			RECEIPTS, OR AMOUNT OF WORK DONE BY LOCOMOTIVES.								Total equated mileage of engines.	Comparative effect of engines.	Nature of repairs.	Present condition of machinery.
				Weights.			Capacity of tender in gallons.	Cylind’rs.		Mode of connection.	Driv’g wheels.		Relative power, or traction at a mean cylinder pressure of 75 lbs.	Boiler				Cost of enginemen and firemen.	Cost of oil, waste, and tallow.						Cost of fuel.			Repairs.		Total.		Time, in days, of active s'vice.	Time, in days, at rest.	Time while under repair.	Passenger.		Merchandise.				Mixed trains.
				Whole weight of engine with fuel and water.	Weight upon the driving wheels.	Weight of the tender with feed.	Capacity of tender in gallons.	Diameter of bore.	Stroke.	Mode of connection.	Number.	Diameter.		Grate area.	Whole heating surface.	Area of blast orifice.		Cost of enginemen and firemen.	Gallons of oil used.	Miles run to one pint of oil.	Pounds of waste used.	Pounds of tallow used	Cost for oil waste, and tallow.	Cost per mile run for oil, waste, and tallow.	Cords of fuel used.	Cost of fuel.	Cost per mile run for fuel.	Cost of repairs of engine.	Cost per mile run for repairs of engine	Total cost.	Total cost per mile run.	Time, in days, of active s'vice.	Time, in days, at rest.	Time while under repair.	Cars carried one mile.	Cost per car per mile.	Freight cars carried one mile.	Cost per mile for freight cars.	Tons of freight carried one mile	Cost per ton per mile for freight.	Mileage of mixed trains.	Cost per ton (gross) per mile for mixed trains.

Recapitulation, No. 1.								Recapitulation, No. 2.									Recapitulation, No. 3.								Recapitulation, No. 4.									Recapitulation, No. 5.
Cost per equated mile, per ton, of working freight engines.								Cost per equated mile, per passenger, of working engines.									Of —— freight engines —— are in working order, or —— per cent. of the whole. Average work of an engine is —— days per annum, and for each day at work —— days repairing and —— at rest.								Same as 3; for passenger, in place of freight engines.									Relative cost per equated mile of gross to net tons of freight carried. Relative cost per equated mile of gross to net tons of passengers carried.								______________________________________________
Engineer and fireman. Fuel. Oil, tallow, and waste. Repairs.							Total.	Engineer and fireman. Fuel. Oil, tallow, and waste. Repairs.								Total.									Same as 3; for passenger, in place of freight engines.																	Gen’l Superintendent.