TTTTC OMAHA RUNT) AT BEE: JULY 26, 190ft.
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Union Pacific's Omaha Shops Marvels
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TUB bank of the Missouri
1 river, at the enntern extremity
I of the city of Omnlia, itand the
ft
union ratine ehops, the flnedt
of the kind In the world. While
other shope may be larjrer. the
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Mid
ehoii of the Union Pacific atand today un
e(iualt:d in modern machinery and appll
ancea for bulldlnif and repairing cars and
'oconintlves.
When William Riley McKeen, Jr.. last
week gave up the office of auperlntendent
of motive power and machinery of the
Union Tuclflo railroad to his successor,
phnrles E. Fuller he turned over the key
" to the best equipped machine and locomo
tive and car shops of modern times.
Omaha's shops are not only the fride of
Mr. McKeen, who for the last seven years
as superintendent of motive power and ma
chlncry has had a great deal to do with
their building; and enlargement; not only to
A. L. Mohler, who as vice president and
general manager of the Union Pacific has
granted an unlimited expense account to
ward keeping everything up to ths highest
standard, but also to E. H. Harriman,
president of the Union Paclflo road, wh
on more than one occasion has shown that
he Is a friend to Omaha and has told Mr.
Mohler and Mr. McKeen to build ths best
that modern constructors knew and he
would provide the money.
Omaha may well be proud of the mag
nificent shop buildings, which separate ths
city from the river, for they have bocn
built regardless of expense to provide quar
ters for the latest machinery of all kinds
known to man for the construction and
repairs of cars and locomotives. These
shops are now employing about 1,400 men
each day and the amount of money turned
buck into the hanln of the merchants of
Omaha ! corjslderatile when It Is considered
how m my months this pay roll directly and
Indirectly itu4.
Into KUiT7(rmer Shop.
A vest churls will soon be wrought at
the Omulm nliops. The big buildings which
are now the quartets for the different de
partments will in a few short months be
given up, that the skilled employes ot tlio
Union Pacific may work In the larger and
morn modern and up-to-date structures
which have recently been completed and
Into which the new machinery Is now being
installed.
The old blacksmith shop has temporarily
been turned Into a mnMfrM m.,,n,i,,s.,
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plan . where the McKeen Ahorse power
VZ lZTnC 'T T bT
y L i bunlcm and most modern
electrically onven machinery. The parts of
these are turned out with th. utmost ac-
u..w, iiiivnniaiiimui nihil um Bn
other within one-thousandth of an inch.
As the new bulldlnics are occupied by the
Union Pacific, the McKeen Motor Car oom
pany will take over the old buildings and
the strife will soon b on, the question
being- how long it wUl be before the new
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GENERAL VIEW OF THB BLACKSMITH BHOP.
TBBT
company will be hiring more skilled work
men and laborers than the old.
Standing quietly In reserve, ready to be
called upon tor service at a moment's
notice. Is the old plant for furnishing the
power for the entire shops. Although this
plant contains two 2S0-kllo-att Westing
hnue engines, It is a miniature beside th.j
mammoth plant which is now used to fur
nish the power from a central station for
all the shops buildings. The power for the
entire plant Is furnished at present from
& central station, where two large ynVktlo
watt condensing steam tufblnea of ths
Weetlnghouse-Parsons type are located.
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wnicn is transformed by rotary converters
for UM ,n the miichlne iho.n(1 ,r
otM to th. car shop at this rolt.ge
wh.r, aI,.rnatln, curnt motor, ,
Ten marne t
self-contained firebox
K.ti.r. .nln
and automatic coal conveying devices for
feeding ths same, are also located within
the power plant and generate the steam
which does the work.
Wonders of Machinery.
In the machine shop a sight la seen which
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TURBINE ENGINES IN POWER HOUSffl,
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ROOM OF LABORATORT.
?. t .k wonder and admlra-
. tjr visitor. This immense shop,
160 by 400 feet, has a gallery, where the
braa workers are busy, but what most
attracts the sightseer are the two 60-ton
travellr. cranes which pick up a 100-ton
locomotive and carry It from one end of
the building to the other, with the ease
of a giant carrying a babe.
As one enters the holler shop he Is told
or the seml-cyllndrical ashpan, an entirely
new invention, recently made at the Omaha
shop which absolutely prevents locomotives
from dropping fire. Danger of fire on
bldges after a locomotive has passed or
In a depot, where an engine sUands for
a time, is thus done away with. In this
huge building, which is Wx3S0 feet, electri
cally driven cranes handle with ease all
material, fireboxes, boilers, furnaces and
all such parts of the enelnes. Here one
may see the engine stripped of Its symme-trt-
cal appearance, and It takes considerable at- In tb' building full of seething fur
Imagination to picture the big hulks trans- nace" three Complete systems of ventilation
ferred In a few short days to things of
beauty.' This shop has made more ad
vances than any other during the last.
twenty-five years and It la no axaggera-
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tlon to say that with the Improved methods
and tools the force required to do the
work has been cut In half. Everything In
the shop Is arranged In order. The engine
is taken to the stripping shed and then to
the boiler shop, where new fireboxes are
Put In if necessary. No delay la required
as all sizes of boxes are kept In stock. At
no other shop on the road are new ftre-
boxes put on engines.
Comforts for tbe Blacksmiths.
The blacksmith shop is the same size as
the boiler shop, S0x3S0 feet, and it is full
of machinery, with Bradley hammers,
large, powerful iteam hammers, trip ham
mers, forging machines, "bulldozers,"
punches and shears. The furnaces are at
a white heat, without the smoke seen In
the village blacksmith shop, for they all
burn fuel oil. These have water fronts to
Protect the workmen from ths excessive
are used to proteot the workmen from be
ing overcome with the heat and from
having to breathe foul air. These keep tho
shop atmosphere particularly clear and d(sbrl BS niBt shop yards do. It Is the
agreeable so that even the visitor not used 1Jea of thosa In authority that pretty sur
to the heat feels no dlscqmfort whilo walk
ing before the fiery blasts.
Wonders are wrought In the blacksmith
shop and the visitor who has never been,
In the modern blacksmith sh ip stands In
open-eyed wonder as he sees the giant
hammers bore a square hole ihiougli six
luches of solid Iron. Huge shears trim
Iron as though it was the thin paper a
street vender iuea while demonstrating
the good qualities of his wares. This shop
has modern lavatories and lockers for In
dividuals, which are especially appreciated
by ths workmen. In the olden duys, as In
smaller shops at the present time, the ma a
working fur eight or nine hours at tha
forge, who, from the nature of Ms woilc
becomes besmirched with soot and smnko
was compelled to leave his work for noma
with Ms ;lirty clothes or at ben, Lut a
hasty wash and a change of clnthes under
adverse circumstances. Not so at tha
blacksmith shop of the Union Pacific,
Hare each man has his own locker, whera
he may keep everything necenbary to fix
ing up his toilet after a hard day's work.
He may have a shower bath of hot or
cold water and may completely change hl
apparel and go home fevllng lefie.hed and
ready to sit at his wife's table without
danger of soiling her table linen.
Mlllloa Uoliar Car fikops.
The pride of the shops are the new
million dollar car shops now almost com
pleted, which are said to be the largest
repair shops In the world. The freight
repair shop Is 160 feet by XU feet, equipped
with modern tools for the repair and
maintenance of steel cars. Ample facilities
are also provided for the building of a
limited number cf steel cars. Shops all
over the country are working cn designs
for Dtw stetl cars, bom pass, nger und
freight, but the trouble has been tha
makers hsve been afraid to get away from
conventional lines and have trl d to maka
steel cars by simply changing the wooden)
parts to Heel. Tha Uniau Pacific lu
dared to breuk away from accepted f.jrm
and baa made some cars, which are tha
voadar ot tha railroad world, Steal oars
of Mechanical Complet
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CHEMISTS" ROOM IN LABORATORY.
made at the Union Pacific shops are now
In daily use and are giving eminent sat-
lsfaction.
Numerous other structures go to make
up the wonderful ensemble of the Omaha
shops of the Union Pacific. In fact so
extensive are the shops thut in rainy or
stormy weather ample facilities are found
for the 1.400 men now at work to do their
work Inside the buildings, which are all
well lighted, ventilated and heated. Among
the other buildings are tho coach and
cabinet shop, 178x342 feet and the paint
and wheel shop, 17bx3U2 fett, all of the
most modern types.
Store house aud KUop Yards.
Although the different materials used In
the construction and maintenance of a
railroad are almost too numerous to oount.
J. II. Stafford, the guneral storekeeper In
his big storehouse 50x20 foet, has each
class of materials In a separate bin or com
partment arranged In long tiers or rows so
they may easily be found.
The big shop yards do not present to the
ey8 a barren waste of cinders, weeds and
an
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VIEW OF THB MACIirtCB BHOP.
roundings ars appreciated by men working
In railroad shops as well as by othor
human beings. Therefore there are more
than 1.B0O handsome young trees growing In
various parts of the shop grounds. There
are several large grass plots and lawns,
clumps of shrubbery and beds of flowers,
Through the shop windows the men can
catch climnses of those touches of nature.
And when the machinery stops Its roaring
the first sound to greet the ears of tired
workers Is the pleasant southing of tho
wind through leafy trees. There Is no
question that this campaign for beauty is
valuable to the railroad as well as pleasing
to the employes. Men work better with
pleasant surroundings. These surroundings
reflect themselves on the men's minds.
Also, any man appreciates a kindness done
and usually reciprocates, giving good meas
ure pressod down and shaken together.
Work of Teat Department.
One of the moat Interesting departments
at the Union Pacific shops Is the depart
ment of tests, v. In. re all material used on
all the Harriman lines Is thoroughly In
sisted before It is permitted to be placed
In use. This Includes all material used In
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freight and pnssenRcr car. In locomotives
and all material used In the motive power
and engineering departments.
At the present time the test department
of the Union Paclflo Railroad oompany haa"
direct charpo nml supervision over all
tests, analysis and Inspections of all ma
terials purchased for the Union Paclflo, tha
Southern Pacific, the Oregon Short Una
and the OreKon ltallway and Navigation
company. The scope of tha work of the
department may be seen from the following
list, which Includes tha materials which that'
test department must test, Inspect or an
alyze according to the requirements of tha
specifications snd contracts; all locomo
tives, passenger train cars, freight cars,
still bridge material and all material
which are purchased from tliuo to time fosr
repairs or replacements.
Somo idea of the magnitude of tho work;
being carried on In this department alone;1
may be gleaned from ths statement thai'
last year when things wore running on full
time there were ninety men employed lnj
the department Tho organization of thel
department also gives a good Idea of tha'
magnltudo of tha work. The entire worfci
Is In ohargo of the chemist and engineer?
of tests. He has an assistant chemist, wtior
supervises the work of tha chemical labor-J
atory under the direction of tha cbamlsti
and engineer of tests. In addition) to that!
assistant chemist there are three assist-,
ants, who do analytical work tn the labors,-'
tory. Two chemists constantly travel onjl
the road testing boiler Waters. The anUrert
time of a laboratory boy is required tan
keep tho apparatus clean and In place.
Work In the chemical laboratory consists
tn the analysis of Iron and steel, bearing!
tnetuls and other alloys, fuels, water, dla-a
Infectants, fire extinguishers, dyes, paintaJ
Illuminating and lubricating oils, varnishes
Ingot metals, boiler compounds, Ultterytj
materials, waste, minerals, rocks andH
sponges. In addition to this routine woxk4
the department is continually making otlgM,
lnal Investigations on Subjects bearing, on,
railroad work.
In the engineering laboratory the chemis
and engineer of testa Is assisted by aa as
slstant engineer of tests, two Inspectors fuidj
a general utility man. The work ot tht e&i
gineering laboratory oonslsta of making;
physlcul texts on the various engineering;
materials used In railroad work, audi asji
tensile tests on Iron and steel, phyalca
tests on air, water and steam hose, testa;
on Portland cement, physical est oq
springs, transverse and crushing teat on)
timber for brldffo members, ties, eta. Then
work also Includes checking ail material
for conformity to blue prints.
4- i i y
Haw Material Inspected J
The department of tests at the Union Pa
clflo goes farther and sends men to mairu-(
focturers' plants to inspect work wbioh Is)
being done fur tha railroads. In this world
ot in.spi cting at manufacturers' plants auchj
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