Back Pressure and Cut-Off Adjustment For the Locomotive

This subject is discussed from the operating standpoint only. The author presents data showing the indicated horsepower, the steam consumed, and the dry coal fired as functions of the back pressure. He points out that for each locomotive there is a certain back pressure at which maximum power can be obtained at the lowest cost. He advocates a method to determine the best back pressure experimentally, and the use of back-pressure gages for the guidance of the locomotive engineers.