Page:Steamlocomotivec00ahrorich.djvu/107

Rh levers, sandgear, sandpipes, various steam and water pipes and connections to the tender are then put up. Finally the buffer plate with buffers, and the drawgear complete the engine which is then ready for trial.

Time Required for Erecting an Engine. The time taken to erect an engine of ordinary size, say with six wheels all coupled, may be taken to be about 45 hrs. from the time the frame plates are placed in position. Large modern engines with ten or twelve wheels will take a correspondingly longer time. The period mentioned would apply to a well organized works in which a large number of standard engines were being erected together, three of which would be under the care of one chargeman. In smaller works about four weeks may be taken for the erection. A few instances of very rapid erection have been recorded in which special preparations were made for the work. In 1888 the London and North-Western erected a standard mineral engine in 25½ hrs., but this record was beaten in 1891 at the Great Eastern Works at Stratford, when a somewhat similar engine was put together ready for trial in the phenomenal time of 9 hrs. 47 min. by forty-four men and boys. The tender was completed by another gang within the same time. These, however, are quite exceptional cases.