New-York tribune., 1882-02-09
RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.
EDIsoN's ELECTRIC ROAD.


The heavy SHOWS Of the past week have
seriou-y interfered with the work upon Edl-
sons new Electric Railway ct Menlo fai NJ
This !, expected 20 reach completion IN
ahout two months. Its length win be hDou'
three miles, rrntIng from Mcno Park toward lIhi'u.
At present only riile has been finished "me tho ou
road which only three-quartcrs OF iIc III 'cHS'
present "a peculiar difouuos from ne meh grades ana
sharp curycs the road comparatively leNei IN or
der hat Mr. Edison's experiments on the speed and
traction power Of hs electric motor nay be unher aAe
under more favorable circumstances The gauge "i tue
new road is peculiar, being tbr.o I'et h'1
inches neitber the usual narrow nor proao
gauge rnd It IS few inches leT' ihan TIE s"'5' o. '"'
Oil ROAD.
The motor used on the old road rough. omen
affair resembling barge hand-car and containing sim
ply the dyEamo-ecctric machine, WITH the Ana''S'
pullcvs and betting communicating the power 70 ho
driving wheel To replace this there has Just hroh con
etructe1 at the Edison Machine N"iAs' III 'hS
city. oo electric locomotive engine, built to
resemble tie ordinary engine ~ clos'y ~
possible ana designed especially to run at hish rate o'
speed a. passenger engine. Another aud heavier loco
motive engine is bciTg built, which Is mlcnd'" i'
freight purposes. passenger ear has "ISo pee" o"'
str1iccd TOR ts rail way by the Stephenson 'ar '''n-
pany Perhl9s most interesting feature TINS ir Is
the ney locomotive. The "p'snt" Of the railway W
Mento Park dn when completed differ little rom tno
old road DyUamo-elcaIric machines In the ccnfa sla
zion will send Il steady current 0i elcofloly 'ni"t"
The iron rails of the road. Wltre TWO ru"7
oin strips Of copper al the sides mahe the coHnect"n
porfrct when this system h tri'd npon long rall" ay
Nh Edison intends place stations Al intervals OF ten
miles from which the electric current will he sent
tbrouqb the rails for five miles in either direction But
the new locomotive engine which Is run uppn these rais
is "A curiosity II resembles the ordinary engine III having
cab what appea.s to be short boiler ana one pan oi
driving GELS. tdierE most notccahy from the steam
4 lNf4f. t.frqh
lis hoich. to the top OF the cab IA nine feet. and its
length fifteen feet To understand hs construction II
remembered that the LEADING point on "lcH lle
experiments based is ron hly statci tat a ~
7elop electric energy, actg as sre-hohsr as m' a
tbe machines nj The central station transmitted
through thc rails to the drlVln5 Whec5 oi tne i
dvuaIno-clectrc machine, in the engine ana thence
betting the old, nj b. gearing III the new ehsutL
shalt and thence back to the driving wheel cahg lts
revolutions In the locomotive the electric machine
the front OF what taks the pac9 0I lhe Gl9
Just behind hc COW catcher aud above the driving "uccs
The shalt on which are puilcys operated by gearing
from the e.rctrc machine, and N urn causing 10 reIoVe
pueys upon the sila OI lhc ullNlng "he' 10 W wa
nearly underneath the cab NJ the opposite emu o he
engine from m electric machine. ..u,.o, co,,
Tnr Of the driving wheel IL partly separated lroul
the centre by groove for purposes ol luSudon W.
the wo are bound together Dy thIee clamps 10, va t
some com Jositlo Ie current passing run ,L u 49,
the rim of tDc driving wheel, passes through these
clamps the h. ID OF tue wheel Iouching the nun Is
copper brush a. he ehd OF hotIlohil roo "Or,l .o
unlike the connecUg rod of ordinary engine IHfpnS
tins brush Tie CurlNHl passes IIoH tho u''
Is convey e1 short Or cables, 10 tie hridrcs
of the oyuamo-eleclrIc machine. As these he 1me
charged the bobbin Of the machine rapidly rcYONt On
the same shaft with the OOhbu Is pulley from when
gearing pulley on the shalt under the can
From another Putey On luir shhlt' EtfI-
,ug runs to puhcy u2on the shait o. the di W.
lng wheels where the power IS applied;
o. course. III the main. tue methods as described
air those employed in the old motor In appear ance,
however, the two have no resemblance. Ahi' "Ait q
speed of forty mes Az hour was estimated 10 nave
been attained Nltl the old motor upon the ud ROAD DIT.
Edison hopes Icsil, sTaSs tulS speed WIN tht ne"
Locomotive. When the three mics Oi track NJ memo
Park are completed time viii be spent 10 cApcr-
mcuts and tc Is w.nch Will very likely suit III tome
changes hut Mr. Ellison il confident tnal electricity VIII
before long be adopted ~ motive power upon cle
waited roads AMI roads WncfC IL - Ihi
portant to AVOID s,1ukc and SPARKS, II
n -cd uycraul. Hc rests nis faiih upon the grcaler
crDu0m, of toe electric locomotive. Wild inc new
dVnan.rrciTc machine he hrIcVc- that - per cent "i
o,N Will he CouNertcd INTO electrical
energy, auI 81 ~-lU per cent viii hr aNhIaht II the
loss leakage 10 per cent. tnis leaves - bo per
cent ayallnnlc tine iiuc. Ihc ratio o mean economy
lur the electric rs compared with tIe ordary "cOmo-
tive engine STAGED 20 he To sos or - - per cent
IA favor Ot the electric locomotive