New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-03-27
EDISON'S, ELECTRO MOTOR.

EDISON'S, ELECTRIC MOTOR.
A RIDE ON THE RAILWAY AT MEMO PARK.
TIE APPEARANCE AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE In
GINE--ADvANTAGEs CLAIMED FOR IT.
The bed of Edison's Electric Railway at MEMO
Park is as got unballased, so that ride over its
two miles of length is productive OF unpleasant
Jerks and bumps. From the building next 10 the
Workshop at MenlO Park, where the steam engine
and dynamo-eectrc machines are placed, marrow
the woods in the rear In tnls are t Irc
wires running from the dynamo-eiectrc
machines to the railway track, distant perhaps ih1
emerging from their casing and communicating
with the rails. At frst sight the track appears 10
differ from an ordinary railroad only III us gauge
which is three feet SIX inches. But closer eX-
animation reveals three distinctive, features.
Where two rails meet, they are
joined together on the side sides Tho oN On
Of which are nckel-p,ated. Outside, these stIlps
are screwed on fat bars Of iron. the inner surface
being also niokel-platcd Thus the current OF
eIecncifv passes unnterruptcdv from rail to rail.
As this cannot be done at the switches, however,
thin plates of copper placed underneath the cnds
of both rails SO that the circuit is MOI proken. io
frog in the switches Is LETT odt % circuit ~ IS 3hIy
abon, three feet long, and as the driving wheel oi
the engine is four and half feet III diameter the
wheel passes over the frog with no percepuIle H.
terrupilon Near the imprJviSed engine house,
which stands short distance above the point
where the wires connect with the rails ana apOuI
q
one passenger car of the railway sloOu
Friday. The engine was running up ana uoWh
the track conveying Charles /. Hughes, the SIl-
perinteudent, and dragging "a small platform car
loaded viii rails and ties. ln appearance the en-
CINE ia peculiar IL an ordinary engine were cut IL
two midway of the boiler, the forward half dis
carled. and the cab reduced in size. it would pre-
sent a tOprably correct representation Oh the clec
trio engine It's length is If ,een tcet and the height
to the top of the cab nine feet. OF course thrIc IS
Wien q TRIBUNE reporter took seat in the cab
the flat car had been left at the lower end OF the
track. Mr. Hughes raised the lever Gi the immature
switch and the engine started The engine ran
evenly at the rate OF eighteen miles an hour No
arrangencnt had been made for running at ingh
in construction work. and II had been dragging
loads Of three or four tons. The four dynamo
electric machines at the central station were
arranged in multiple instead OF in series, as Is
done TO attain IA higher speed. Two miles OF the
road have been completed. extending toward ram
field. and a mile remains TO be finished. Al me
lower end men were engaged IN ballastlDg the
track. The road runs from the englne-house over
trest.e about twelve feet high, through swamp,
and then Though some NEEDS whtre . mere
ali that was expected. Yesterday and on
several previous il has proved itself equal
to the task OF drawing loads as heavy as c0uid De
annlied considering the character of the road aud
rolliug stock. On Wednesday, with the dynamo
electric machines arranged Ill series, 1T ran at tc
rate of fl miles and 600 feet III an hour, te Dghc
est rate that has yet been reached. The rate OF
speed is estimated by the number OF REVOLUTIONS OF
the armature i'll the engine. Inc engine
can be readily started, reversed and stopped In
the cab where the steam gauge Is placed IN the
ordinary engine. is the arnatuTe switch. Raising
The lever sends the current into the aTmatuTe of the
dvpamo-electric machine the front OF the engine
If the lever is horizontal, the circuit Is DIokeh anu
If the lever is pulled down the current Is directed
into the armatuTe In such way as 10 caSe II 10 Ie
vove IN the opposite direction, ana the engine CON
sequently moves backward. MI EdlSon INTENDS 10
us an electric brake, but ut present III OrueI 10 Sto
the circut is broken and ordinary brake applied
f,,a amin no. V.
porler found two sheet-lTon doors III the sides OF
whaI appeared to be the boiler, so that an llSpec
tiOn OF The interior was easy. In 'front.' Is dynamo
electric machine; running lengthwlse are the Two
legs Of large magnet, and the remainder OF lle H.
terror is occupied with shafts aud betting An inter-
esting feature is the course O1 the current ana lS
transformation into motive power. IL Is taken up
from the rails by the rims OF the driving ana
passes through copper clamps to The huD. Rubbing
against the hub Is a copper brush AT inc emu ol Il
horizontal rod, which has the position OF the con-
nectng-rod OF an ordinary engine, me current
taken from the hubs of the drvlng-wheeIs by these
brushes passes along the, rods to wires Whlch caa
to tine arnaure switch in the cab From TINS s"lich
the two wires are conducted 10 the aImatule
of the dynamO-eleculc machine III 'front.' IRONY;
This machine may be said to fulfil
double functlOn-in absorbing ana
storing up electric energy as well as III developing
it, Wnen the armaturc and boboIns revOye, the
power is transmitted by betting around pulley on
The same Shalt with the armatuIe TO pulley on Il
shaft under the cab. Thence bel!ing runs 10 pull
lev on the shaft of the driving wheel. from
the arlnature wires two smaller wires
RIM RIM to the coils of the magnet placed
horizontally in the engine. These are the field
wires and through them the magnet becomes
charged with electricity, and eXertS cohroliing
influence on the annature which receives lhc
irester force of the current. Without this magnet
lie armature would receive the full power OF the
current and would become so heated as 10 DE use
less. but the electricity Ill the magnet, which can
he Increased or diminished at WILL tends to draw
the armature toward It, and in reality causes II 10
revOlve. III,
The total weight of the engine is four tons The
road three miles long Will soon be completed ana
ballasted The chief merits which Mr. Edison claims
in favor of his electric motor are greater economy
i'm fuel in help and in the wear and tear OF mate
rial and the absence of smoke and clnders; one
central station Tor every ten miles OF track Is ms es-
innate the current being sent through the ras iOf
five miles on each side the station Alter elaborate
calculations in the of the electric motor as com
pared with the steam locomotive engine, M Edison
claims that the ratio OF mean economy Tor D0lh Is
10 So or 80 2-3 per cent in favor OF the electric