362 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION i. 
of Inquiry, setting forth these conclusions, and recommending 
the systematic balancing of all locomotives that did not comply 
with the requirements of the investigation. 
Pressure of other matters of urgency prevented attention 
being given by the department to this matter for some time, 
but ultimately Messrs. Von Steiger and Box, officers of the de- 
partment possessing special mathematical qualifications, were 
called upon to check the writer’s conclusions. They went into 
the matter with even more minuteness and precision than he 
had done, and arrived at practically identical results. A con- 
sultation then took place between these gentlemen and the 
writer, and in accordance with the conclusions unanimously, 
arrived at, a locomotive of the class most complained of was 
balanced. The result was so satisfactory that orders were given 
for the proper balancing of all the other engines of the same 
class, and from these the work has end a to other classes, 
until up to date more than 200 engines have been attended to. 
When about fifty engines had been balanced, and the earlier 
ones had been running about two years, the writer addressed 
a letter to Mr. Woodroffe, the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the 
Department, asking him to state definitely and officially the 
result of the work, giving its effect upon the speed of the 
engines, the loads drawn, the fuel consumption, the mainte- 
nance expenses, the comfort of the men, the effect upon coup- 
lings, permanent way, and bridges. Mr. Woodroffe replied in a 
very full and clear letter, from which the following extracts 
have been taken :— 
“1. Before balancing, when the engines were running at a 
speed of over 25 miles. per hour, the fore and aft motion and 
jolting was considerable, and they could not be run at a 
much higher rate without difficulty. Since balancing, they run 
smoothly and easily at from 35 to 40 miles per hour. 
“2. It is found that similar loads can be drawn with less 
difficulty than before balancing, the engines running more 
smoothly. | 
“3. It is considered that less fuel is now used to perform 
similar work. 
“4. There is no doubt that the cost of maintenance of these 
engines has been reduced by balancing on account of smoother 
running. There is a marked diminution in the number of 
broken axle-boxes, &c. 
Enginemen are unanimous in regard to the greater com- 
fort of the balanced engines. 
“6. Fracture of couplings less.” 
As to effect on permanent way and bridges, no absolutely 
definite answer could be given, but it was believed that there 
