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Railway equipment of the future
Jan., ~937.]
CURRENT TOPICS.
I33
meeting of the American Petroleum I n s t i t u t e from an analysis of passenger automobile registrations. R. H. O. H e a t i n g xo,ooo H e n s . - - ( I I e a l i n g , Piping and Air Con&tioning, Vol. 8, No. 12.) Ten thousand hens laying e g g s - - n o t on a c o u n t r y poultry farm but in a six-story reinforced concrete factory in Chicago's industrial district. This is the achievement of a modern business enterprise which has proved the salvation of a " w h i t e e l e p h a n t " real estate investment. T h e building was originally designed and erected as a warehouse and service building. In it each hen is provided with its private cage clean, sanitary, well lighted, properly ventilated and heated. Food is supplied in scientifically correct a m o u n t and quality and the hens respond by maintaining an egg laying rate exceeding the normal. A great a m o u n t of mechanical a p p a r a t u s is needed. T h e cages are stacked in tiers four high, in rows ten long. T h e r e are facilities for removing the manure, which becomes valuable fertilizer. T h e cage floors slope into a rack outside the cage; the egg roils into this rack to be picked at the next collection, at which time the weight of the egg will be entered on the chicken's individual chart. T h e eggs m u s t be sorted b y weight, put in cartons, and crated. Food m u s t be stored, mixed and distributed to the birds. But of all the a p p a r a t u s and equipment required, none involved greater u n c e r t a i n t y in original design than the heating and ventilating. P o u l t r y m e n know how to feed and tend laying hens, but neither the p o u l t r y m e n nor heating men know much a b o u t heating hens. T o solve this problem it was necessary to provide four different t e m p e r a t u r e s in as m a n y parts of the building, to regulate the h u m i d i t y in one part, and to remove odors from the entire building. Special attention had to be given to the control of fans and burners in order t h a t their a r r a n g e m e n t was such as to prevent their bucking each other with consequent waste of fuel. R. H . O . Railway Equipment of the F u t u r e . - - M R . W. A. NEWMAN, Chief -Mechanical Engineer of the Canadian Pacific Railway, recently stated before the T o r o n t o Railway Club t h a t the possibility of a u t o m o t i v e and air competitors surpassing the raihvays in stature seems remote. F r o m the Canadian standpoint he analyzes the airplane, passenger car, bus and truck as competitors, coming to the conclusion t h a t together they represent a formidable problem for the railroads. T h e analysis points to the conclusion that railways m u s t modernize, in some respects, similar to these corn-
I34
CURRENT TOPICS,
lJ. F. I.
petitors. Modern railway cars are too heavy, built for abuse and not use. Stronger alloy and stainless steels and aluminum are partial answers. Train speeds must increase, including freight Irains. For both freight and passenger service lighter weight and better cars means cheaper investment. Locomotion also will be given attention. Seven per cent. of the potential power in coal is all that is converted into useful work in the steam locomotive. Electric traction, m a n y forms of steam locomotives, and the Diesel engine have been projected to supplant the present steam locomotive. The latter is coming much into the limelight. Whether the light train and locomotive trend will continue to match the Diesel development is debatable If they do not, there is no reason why the steam locomotive should not change its form and performance. If steam power does change, the specification requirements will probably have to be, (I) better application of power over the entire speed range, (2) quicker acceleration, (3) reduced variation in the steam rate, (4) reduced variation in the boiler efficiency. There is no reason why all these improvements should not be secured. R. H. O.
Paper Insulation.--Engineering Foundation, with the sponsorship of American Institute of Electrical Engineers, has appropriated $5,ooo for an experimental research on the " S t a b i l i t y of Impregnated Paper Insulation." The work is to be done in the School of Engineering of T h e Johns Hopkins University under the direction of Dr. J. B. Whitehead, Professor of Electrical Engineering. It is expected t h a t the present program will be extended through a second year.
CURRENT TOPICS.
I33
meeting of the American Petroleum I n s t i t u t e from an analysis of passenger automobile registrations. R. H. O. H e a t i n g xo,ooo H e n s . - - ( I I e a l i n g , Piping and Air Con&tioning, Vol. 8, No. 12.) Ten thousand hens laying e g g s - - n o t on a c o u n t r y poultry farm but in a six-story reinforced concrete factory in Chicago's industrial district. This is the achievement of a modern business enterprise which has proved the salvation of a " w h i t e e l e p h a n t " real estate investment. T h e building was originally designed and erected as a warehouse and service building. In it each hen is provided with its private cage clean, sanitary, well lighted, properly ventilated and heated. Food is supplied in scientifically correct a m o u n t and quality and the hens respond by maintaining an egg laying rate exceeding the normal. A great a m o u n t of mechanical a p p a r a t u s is needed. T h e cages are stacked in tiers four high, in rows ten long. T h e r e are facilities for removing the manure, which becomes valuable fertilizer. T h e cage floors slope into a rack outside the cage; the egg roils into this rack to be picked at the next collection, at which time the weight of the egg will be entered on the chicken's individual chart. T h e eggs m u s t be sorted b y weight, put in cartons, and crated. Food m u s t be stored, mixed and distributed to the birds. But of all the a p p a r a t u s and equipment required, none involved greater u n c e r t a i n t y in original design than the heating and ventilating. P o u l t r y m e n know how to feed and tend laying hens, but neither the p o u l t r y m e n nor heating men know much a b o u t heating hens. T o solve this problem it was necessary to provide four different t e m p e r a t u r e s in as m a n y parts of the building, to regulate the h u m i d i t y in one part, and to remove odors from the entire building. Special attention had to be given to the control of fans and burners in order t h a t their a r r a n g e m e n t was such as to prevent their bucking each other with consequent waste of fuel. R. H . O . Railway Equipment of the F u t u r e . - - M R . W. A. NEWMAN, Chief -Mechanical Engineer of the Canadian Pacific Railway, recently stated before the T o r o n t o Railway Club t h a t the possibility of a u t o m o t i v e and air competitors surpassing the raihvays in stature seems remote. F r o m the Canadian standpoint he analyzes the airplane, passenger car, bus and truck as competitors, coming to the conclusion t h a t together they represent a formidable problem for the railroads. T h e analysis points to the conclusion that railways m u s t modernize, in some respects, similar to these corn-
I34
CURRENT TOPICS,
lJ. F. I.
petitors. Modern railway cars are too heavy, built for abuse and not use. Stronger alloy and stainless steels and aluminum are partial answers. Train speeds must increase, including freight Irains. For both freight and passenger service lighter weight and better cars means cheaper investment. Locomotion also will be given attention. Seven per cent. of the potential power in coal is all that is converted into useful work in the steam locomotive. Electric traction, m a n y forms of steam locomotives, and the Diesel engine have been projected to supplant the present steam locomotive. The latter is coming much into the limelight. Whether the light train and locomotive trend will continue to match the Diesel development is debatable If they do not, there is no reason why the steam locomotive should not change its form and performance. If steam power does change, the specification requirements will probably have to be, (I) better application of power over the entire speed range, (2) quicker acceleration, (3) reduced variation in the steam rate, (4) reduced variation in the boiler efficiency. There is no reason why all these improvements should not be secured. R. H. O.
Paper Insulation.--Engineering Foundation, with the sponsorship of American Institute of Electrical Engineers, has appropriated $5,ooo for an experimental research on the " S t a b i l i t y of Impregnated Paper Insulation." The work is to be done in the School of Engineering of T h e Johns Hopkins University under the direction of Dr. J. B. Whitehead, Professor of Electrical Engineering. It is expected t h a t the present program will be extended through a second year.