FINISHED!—THIS ENGINE WAS BUILT IN 16 HOURS 50 MINUTES.
Although in this instance the engine was a little more complicated than that erected at Crewe, owing to the bogie-wheel provision in the fore part of the engine, it cannot be said, on the whole, to have been such a brilliant performance as that accomplished at Crewe; for whereas in the London and North-Western sheds, when the commencement was made, the frame plates were simply lying on the trestles without any attachments of any description whatever, at the Altoona works, when operations were commenced at 7 a.m. on Monday, June 18th, 1888, not only were the frame plates in position, duly riveted or bolted, and complete with cross bars, but the cylinders were also accurately placed.
GREAT EASTERN RAILWAY ENGINE AFTER 3 HOURS 52 MINUTES' WORK.
Now, considering that in the effort at Crewe these operations alone occupied over six hours, it is absolutely impossible to place the Altoona experiment on all fours with the London and North-Western performance of 1878.
In the case of the American engine the foundations were practically completed before it entered the erecting shed.
Under these circumstances the first thing that the workmen had to do was to place the boiler in position upon the prepared frame, which had the majority of the tubes and fittings in position before it was placed in the hands of the engine-erectors. At twelve o'clock noon, however, after five hours' work, it was safely fixed, and the hardest part of the undertaking was thus successfully accomplished. Up to this stage, as will be seen from the illustrations, the whole of the engine so far erected was resting upon those little unpretentious, though indispensable, mechanical contrivances—jacks. These had now to be removed to make way for the wheels which were ready waiting to be inserted. Part of the motion was also installed, as well as the cow-catcher and cab.
GREAT EASTERN RAILWAY ENGINE BUILT IN 8 HOURS 22 MINUTES.