File:Triumphs and wonders of the 19th century, the true mirror of a phenomenal era, a volume of original, entertaining and instructive historic and descriptive writings, showing the many and marvellous (14597030039).jpg

Identifier: triumphswonderso01boyd (find matches)
Title: Triumphs and wonders of the 19th century, the true mirror of a phenomenal era, a volume of original, entertaining and instructive historic and descriptive writings, showing the many and marvellous achievements which distinguish an hundred years of material, intellectual, social and moral progress ..
Year: 1899 (1890s)
Authors: Boyd, James Penny, 1836-1910
Subjects: Progress Inventions
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa., A. J. Holman & Co
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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locomotive, however, isnow generally employed, and its use is compulsory in some States. In Eu-rope the passengers have to rely largely upon their own wraps and rugs. In American freight cars, great improvements have been introduced, in-creasing the carrying capacity while reducing the weight. The.capacity hasbeen increased from 10 tons of load in 1870, to 30, 40, and even 50 tons in1899 (an increase of 300 to 500 per cent). The weight has increased onlyfrom 10 to 15 or 17 tons (or 50 to 70 per cent). Cars are now being builtentirely of steel, and while their first cost is greater, the cost per ton and theexpenses of maintenance are less than for wooden cars of similar capacity.As sleeping, dining, parlor, tourist, and other special cars have been intro-duced for passenger traffic, so refrigerator, stock, horse, fruit, poultry, andfurniture cars have been introduced for special requirements in freight traffic.In other countries, however, the use of such special equipment is much more
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EXTERIOR OF LATEST SLEEPING CAR. limited. The ordinary foreign freight cars are the same as those of 30 or 40years ago, being short four-wheel cars, weighing 5 tons, and carrying 8 to 10tons. These are not well adapted to the handling of bulk freight, and greatlyincreased economy and facility in such traffic would result from the introduc-.tion of the American system, as has been done in Australia. In modernAmerican practice, too, the cars are equipped with automatic couplers and EVOLUTION OF THE RAILWAY 657 power brakes, thus greatly increasing the safety and facility of operatingheavy fast trains. In 1893, Congress passed a law requiring that by January1, 1898, all freight cars should be equipped with automatic conplers andenough cars equipped with power brakes (operated from the engine) to put

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