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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 8, Issue 9 (January 1, 1934)

Modern Locomotive Efficiency

Modern Locomotive Efficiency.

Locomotive efficiency may be measured in many ways. A pretty good index is afforded by the mileage accomplished between successive heavy repairs and in this respect marked improvements have been recorded in Britain during the past few years. The mileage between heavy repairs varies in England from 30,000 to 90,000 for the different railway groups and different classes of locomotives. Most heavy repairs are found to be occasioned by boiler defects, and work in making these good often occupies a great deal of valuable time. Expedition of this class of job is now secured by keeping in stock a number of repaired boilers of standard type from which replacements can promptly be met.

Great care is now taken to secure suitable supplies of water for locomotive boilers, while the setting-up of water-softening plants has also tended to secure greater mileage between repairs. Mechanical lubrication and superheating are other helpful factors. Especially useful page 18 is the “caboose” system, under which several crews operate one locomotive on a through run. This cuts out the frequent cooling-down and heating-up to which many locomotive boilers were subjected, and thereby adds enormously to boiler life. On one American line—the Baltimore and Ohio—a record of 200,000 miles between heavy repairs has been established. This remarkable figure will probably never be achieved in Britain, where conditions are so different, but in the years that lie ahead it is certain the 100,000 mile mark between heavy repairs will become an accomplished fact.

New Express “Pacific” Locomotive, L.M. and S. Railway.

New Express “Pacific” Locomotive, L.M. and S. Railway.