The Westinghouse Friction Draft Gear

while in motion, coupled by impact and again formed into a train. The entire operation of uncoupling, weighing and coupling for the forty-five cars is accomplished in fifteen minutes, necessarily involving rapid and severe handling, which is very destructive to the ordinary type of draft gear. The service requires the train to be frequently stopped or slowed, but when required to proceed the engineer never hesitates to apply steam to the locomotive while the train is yet in motion and before the brakes are entirely released. A like practice with trains equipped with the ordinary draft gear would invariably result in a “ break-in-two.” To further demonstrate the ability of this device to prevent the parting of trains, the brakes on the front portion of the train were cut out and those on the remaining cars applied in emer- gency when the train was moving at a speed of about twenty miles per hour. Even under this most severe test it was impossible to part the train, nor was there any noticeable shock or surge on the front portion of the train. With the usual draft appliances such a test would result disas- trously. Frequent attempts have been made by engineers, upon request, to break the train in two by first taking slack and then moving forward with full power. In no instance has such an attempt been successful.