Steam Engines; Letter from the Secretary of the Treasury, Transmitting, in Obedience to a Resolution of the House, of the 29th of June Last, Information in Relation to Steam Engines, &C (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1838 Excerpt: ...or propelling wheels under the hindmost end of the engine, and two pairs of guide wheels under the forward end of it. This combination of four driving wheels and four guide wheels produces the following new and beneficial results:, 1st. Where increased power is required, the weight and size of the boiler and machine can be increased in a ratio of 8 to 6 over ordinary engines, and the adhesion is increased upon the rails by having two pairs of driving or propelling wheels under the hindmost end, instead of one pair as in the usual way. 2d. The shock produced by the engine passing over rough parts of the road is greatly relieved by having two bearings ox pairs of wheels under each end, instead of one as heretofore. 3d. The safety, both as regards road and engine, is greatly increased by the increased strength and compactness of the machine, and by having two axles under each end of the engine, instead of one as usual. 4th. When this improvement is applied to an engine of ordinary weight, it is evident that the weight upon each wheel would be reduced, and that the adhesion and power of the engine would be retained. The shocks upon the road in passing rough or undulating points would be greatly reduced, as in the first proposition. You will find in the Railroad Journal, herewith enclosed, a letter written to me by William J. Lewis, Esq., a distinguished civil engineer, setting forth the comparative advantages of my engine over that of Mr. Baldwin's, which has heretofore been considered the best in this country. Mr. Lewis has given a convenient table in which the power of the engine upon various planes, from a dead level to a rise of 100 feet per mile, is exhibited. Since the date of Mr. Lewis's letter, several engines upon this plan have been constructed, and t...