All About Inventions and Discoveries
The Romance of modern scientific and mechanical Achievements

140 All About Inventions in turn spells greater revenue with less expense. And the trains may be stopped and restarted as often as desired during the run, and that without the loco- motive and carriages suffering the least damage. These are the reasons which cause the railway world to regard the air-brake as a money-making invention. Although the air-brake has been brought to a high standard of perfection, finality has not been reached by any means. New issues and factors are arising every day which have to be met. The electric train, upon its appearance, precipitated many problems which had not arisen before. It was not merely an application of the steam train brake to its electric rival. The conditions were so vastly different. All that could be done was to take the fundamental principles which had established their value in steam train operation, and to evolve a new brake equally efficient for the new system of locomotion. For forty-five years, from the day when he first embraced the idea until his death, Mr. George Westinghouse never left the child which brought him fame and fortune, and this despite his activity in other fields. It was his first care throughout the twenty-four hours, and he found the struggle to keep pace with railway progress exciting and energetic—one which appealed to his temperament and genius in attacking intricate and perplexing problems as they arose.