We have ten consolidation engines built on the same lines as the new ones we are now getting built, which are equipped with this front end and smoke stack. The engines steam freely, are economical in the consumption of fuel, and do not throw fire.

"The G 2 engines are the same as the G 3 now being built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works. They have 21 x 26-inch cylinders, 55-inch drivers, 160,000 pounds on the drivers."

The general direction of the present ruling practice in front ends is plainly marked in the abandonment of the long extended smoke box by the Pennsylvania railroad in its latest and most improved designs of locomotives, for both fast passenger and heavy freight service. Figs. 18 and 19 show the front end arrangement of the large H 5 and H 6 consolidation engines, recently built by that company, and the same design, in all substantial particulars, is used on their latest construction of high speed passenger engines, these being of the

Belpaire top wide firebox, known as Class E 1.

Atlantic type, with

In a letter of June 8, 1899, Mr. F. D. Casanave, general superintendent motive power, makes the following statement :

"Our knowledge in the development of the front ends of locomotives has been obtained very gradually by general experiments. The general design of the front end of our locomotives consists of an exhaust pot to about the center line of the boiler, and is in no particular different from the arrangement commonly in use

"From my observations, the best conducted experiments in the development of the front end of locomotives were carried on by the Master Mechanics' Association, and printed in their Proceedings of 1896. I am sure you will at once see that these gentlemen have given the subject a good deal of thought and study, and I find that I have practically nothing to add."’

In view of the fact that this front is doubtless practically self cleaning, and of the comparatively large diameter of the smoke box, it may be suggested that it could, with advantage and without sacrificing any netting area, be further shortened, as, say, ten inches or thereabouts. Again, if a cinder pocket is believed to be desirable, with this or any other design of front, it would seem that if its smoke box opening were made oblong, with the greater dimension transverse to the engine, the free discharge of the cinders would be facilitated, and the length of front necessary to accommodate it be diminished. Among other meritorious features of this design, attention may be called to the disposition of the netting, whereby as great an area as is practicable within a determined length of front is obtained, and the sheets are inclined relatively to the traverse of the escaping products of combustion. The inward extension of the stack, while by no means a novel feature, having been applied in English engines as early as 1860, is also believed by the writer to be of substantial practical value. There can be no doubt of the efficiency of this front, both as to free steaming and prevention of fire throwing, and it has been not an unimportant factor in the phenomenal performance of the E1 passenger engines on the Camden & Atlantic railroad, in July last, which is reported in the Railroad Gazette of August 11, 1899. It will, however, be recognized that in these engines the front is less heavily taxed, as to spark arresting duty, by reason of the large increase of grate area attained by the employment of the wide firebox.

The Turner, Coburn, and Bell front ends may be referred to as representative of that class of designs, the leading characteristic of which is a reduction of smoke box length when a plain open stack is employed. Each of these has been applied and is now in service on a sufficient number of engines to entitle it to consideration.

The Turner front, designed by Mr. J. S. Turner, superintendent motive power, Fitchburg railroad, and applied by him to engines on the Mexican Central and West Virginia Central & Pittsburgh roads is self cleaning and uses no cinder pot. distance from center of exhaust pot to front of smoke box is thirty inches, a high

The

nozzle is used, and the inside appliances are an inclined deflecting plate extending from above the top row of tubes to a line about eight inches in front of the center of the exhaust pot, and an inclined sheet of netting running from the deflecting plate to the top and front of the smoke box. Mr. Turner states that engines equipped with this front, steam more freely and are lighter on fuel than those in the same service having the ordinary extended smoke box. He summarizes the advantage of the short self-cleaning front end as being: (1) Reduction in the length of front end and discarding spark hopper. (2) Bottom steam pipe joints and bolts, cylinder saddle strengthening sheet and saddle bolts, and front end ring and door will not burn and warp, as it completely prevents an accumulation of hot sparks or cinders. (3) No delay on the road caused by stopping to clean front end, and no cleaning at terminals, consequently preventing dust and sparks getting in the truck boxes, and blowing over the locomotive and machinery. (4) Prevention of fires to property along the road. (5) Locomotives will steam more freely and show economy in fuel. Fig. 19 a shows the Turner front end as applied to, and in service, on locomotives of the Fitchburg railroad.

The Coburn front end which is shown in Figs. 20, 21 and 22, was designed by Mr. W. P. Coburn, master mechanic, Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville railway. The arrangement of deflecting plate and netting is practically identical with that of the Turner front above noted, and the novel feature of the design is a so-called "spark breaker and extinguisher" which is composed of castings thickly studded with projecting fingers fourteen inches long, and bolted to the inside of the smoke box front and door. The cinders, in passing these projections, which are staggered, impinge against them, and are broken up and their life destroyed. The device is obviously a self cleaner and no cinder pot is used. In a letter of April 8, 1899, Mr. Coburn says:

"We have now about seventy-five engines equipped with short front ends and 'spark devices.' Our engines are steaming better with short front ends and burning less fuel. We have not made an accurate test between the short front end and the extension, but we know that we are getting good results. We have increased the size of our exhaust tips from one-eighth to one-fourth in all engines that we have turned out with short front ends. We are using a run of mine coal, a very poor quality of fuel, and our comparative statements show that we are making an increase per car mile hauled, over the engines with the extension fronts; besides we do away with all the dirt from the engines, making a saving on oil, engine trucks and machinery."

The Bell front end, designed by the writer, as in service in 21x26-inch consolidation engines on the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, is shown in Fig. 23. In later applications, on this road and on the Pittsburgh, Bessemer & Lake Erie railroad, an addition has been made to the lower end of the deflecting plate, extending, on a slight incline to a line in front of the exhaust pot, on the same principle as that of the self-cleaning fronts before referred to. The deflecting plate is punched, with lips projecting toward the front from the holes, and a sheet of netting is placed in front of it to intercept any cinders that may pass through the holes. The main portion of the netting is set in three planes or in "saw tooth" form in front of the exhaust pot, so as to present approximately vertical surfaces to the cinders as they pass up from below the deflecting plate,