XIII. THE RAILWAY WATER CHEMIST R. C. BARDWELL
Robert C. Bardwell has been Superintendent of Water Supply for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Compony since 1922. For the twelwe years prior to that time he was with the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company. His ofice n m supenises the water treatment program for the Che~apeake and Ohio, Nickel Place and Pere Marpuette railroads. This sem'ce covers 6927 miles of territory and supplies water for 1431 locomotiwes as well as for other purposes. Mr. Bardwell received his academic training at the University of Illinois, specialieing in Chemical Engineering. He is a member of Phi Lambda Upsilon, the American Chemical Society, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, American Roilway Engineering Association, American Water Works Association, and the Railway B d g e and Building Association. There are two fields for chemical work in railroad service. First, and probably the largest, is the testing department laboratory where materials are analyzed and tested to determine if they meet the purchase specifications. The work here is similar to that in large commercial general testing laboratories. The other is the water department laboratory which handles the control of water purification and miscellaneous tests in connection therewith. These two fields are separate and distinct and require chemists with entirely different qualifications. In the testing laboratory, the work is all inside, running such time-consuming tests as are necessary for the examination of steels, metals, paints, oils, etc. Time is not the first essential and can be sacrificed for accuracy and attention to detail. The work of the water chemist, on the other hand, is an operating proposition. Cofiditions on one day are relegated to history on the next. The prompt and proper application of chemical knowledge is necessary to meet the conditions and keep them right on each day. The work is necessarily spread over a large territory which requires intimate familiarity with the individual equipment and local conditions. Knowledge of steam boilers and locomotive operation must be acquired. An understanding of human nature and the ability to place the proper value on the service to be expected is a decided asset. The actual work begins in the water department laboratory. Here the regular water samples from the various points are examined and tested. Usually short
routine tests are used, but occasionally complete mineral analyses are required, all of which methods are outlined in the last edition of "Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Sewerage" as published jointly by the American Public Health Association and the American Water Works Association. All industrial laboratories have their own methods for routine tests which have been developed to take care of local conditions with sufficient accuracy to permit proper control. These short-cut methods are seldom taught or given much consideration in scholastic courses, as their accuracy depends largely upon a fundamental understanding of local conditions. The chemist beginning work in such an industrial laboratory must develop a thorough understanding of these short-cut methods and the meaning of their limits of accuracy, as the successful application of such methods is based on just such an understanding. The actual motions and procedure in carrying out the tests are routine matters in the way they are handled. If the chemist does not have the vision to look behind the tests and perpetually question and picture what produces the results as indicated, the work is drudgery, and such a chemist has no place in this field. However, if the chemist views each test with the query as to what conditions produced such results, either chemical, mechanical, engineering, or personal, a wide kaleidoscope of interest is continually unfolding. The major portion of water-testing work is volumetric analysis. The making-up and checking of standard solutions and indicators require careful application and understanding, as accuracy here is a prime prerequisite. The water-treatment chemicals, lime, soda ash, salt, sodium aluminate, coppers, and alum must be checked regularly for strength and purity. Complete analyses of scale samples are made occasionally. Oil used in water-service equipment is sometimes checked. Bacteriological examinations are made by only a few railroad laboratories, but an understanding of such work is an asset. The greater portion of the time of the railroad water chemist is spent on the road where he must rely for results on solutions and equipment carried in a small testing case. Railroad water stations are located a t isolated points in the alkali plains or maybe in the mountains of West Virginia or Pennsylvania, as well as a t large city terminals which are more accessible. These plants must be visited and the conditions checked on the
ground, especially when the regular samples sent to the main laboratory indicate possible trouble. An understanding of engineering, mechanics, and hydraulics is an asset in making these inspections and a knowledge of chemistry is essential. The railway water chemist is usually held responsible for the proper operation of the water in the locomotive boilers. Any conditions causing leaks must be corrected promptly. Scale deposition is to be avoided. These troubles can be readily eliminated by proper water treatment controlled by suitable chemical tests. Close cooperation with the boiler-maker forces is advisable in this work. Foaming troubles cause loss of power and delays to trains. The water chemist is required to follow up locomotive operation in various districts, making concentration pick-up tests in order to recommend a blow-off schedule which will keep the concentration below the critical foaming point. Close cooperation with the road foreman of engines and the operating officials is necessary in this work. The making of these concentration pick-up tests usually involves riding engines for several days with hut very little opportunity for sleep, especially where the locomotives are used over more than one district, so that such work cannot be properly handled except by persons in good physical condition. This type of work requires the ability to get along well and work with fellow-employees. The writing of reports and the proper keeping of files and records is a necessary adjunct to the duties of a railroad water chemist. As the work and locations are widely distributed, a certain amount of correspondence is involved. As a general rule, the officials to whom reports are made are not technically-trained men. For this reason, the descriptions and explanations must
be deftly worded in order that the facts may be readily understood. [In concluding his article Mr. Bardwell comments on the desirable personal traits of one engaged in this work. and surveys the field and prospects. ] The personal traits which are directly applicable to making a success in this work are honesty, initiative, resourcefulness, and diligence, all backed by plain common sense. Without honesty, both in purpose and intent, the confidence of superiors and co-workers cannot be retained and, without this confidence, consistent results are impossible. As much of the work is carried out a t some distance from headquarters, the railroad water chemist must be capable of using initiative and assuming responsibility. Resourcefulness is necessary in making the best out of bad situations which are occasionally encountered. Laziness is a bad trait in any activity. In considering any line of work, i t is always well to survey the field and prospects. Railroad water chemistry cannot be said to be a rapidly expanding branch of the profession, although there has been a noticeable increase in the number of men engaged in this work during the past twenty years. In 1935, records indicate that there are approximately one hundred positions of this character in the United States. The starting salaries are not high, and advancement is seldom rapid. The promotions may lead to the position of Superintendent of Water Service, or the possibility of branching out into other departments of railroad, or industrial service, as the contacts made are many and sometimes valuable. In the end, advancement will depend upon the individual and his ability to take advantage of the opportunities as they arise.
