IX 



THE BUILDING OF A LOCOMOTIVE 



BEFORE anything else is done, the loco- 

 motive engineer in charge of the iron steeds 

 of a railway puts on his thinking cap. If 

 the new type is to be employed on express 

 work certain facts will have to be borne in 

 mind if, on what is called " mixed traffic ", 

 that is taking turns on goods and passenger 

 trains as required, there will be other factors 

 to be considered. 



If the new engine (or engines, it is usual 

 to build them in batches) are for goods 

 traffic, the problem is less difficult. Improve- 

 ments in various ways are always being 

 made. Can any of them be included in the 

 new design? That is a problem to con- 

 sider, because some of the improvements 

 made in recent years have vitally affected 

 the well-being of a locomotive. Well, first 



119 



