Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-05-09
RAPID TRANSIT.
Complete Success of the New Sys.
TEN Assured.
DESCRIPTION OF THE EQUIPMENT.
The Power Plant. the Mode of PrOpul.
sion and Cars-The Blue Line to
be started Tomorrow
SeasOnab.e Hints.

the Elm street ana Ninth street branches
of the Davenport & Rock Island street
railway syndicate for three days, land with
the exception of Slight interruption last
night caused by a circuit break at the
power station, an occurrence that will be
entirely obviated when all the dynamos
are running, there has not been
hitch so far. Cars will be
started on the blue line tomorrow
morning, and will run regularly thereaf>
ter. The red line cars will be put in
operation as soon as Electrician Willard
has solved the problem of getting under
the viaduct at Brooks crossing. Mr..
Willard, however, has no apprehensions
but what the difficulty will be entirely
| overcome.
The power station, located on First av>
enue and Twenty>fourth street. is now
fully equipped with seven 100.horse
| power dynamo generators of the latest
! improved design of the Thomson Hous,
! ton Electric company. and are so arranged
any one time, the generators being cons
| nected with switch board which has
placed upon it lightning arresters, rheos>
| tsts for regulating the current, main
| switches for connecting in the several
| generators to the overtime. together with
the current indicators, volt meters for
measuring the amount of current which
is used for operating each car, and also
| an automatic circuit breaker which if
foreign wires fall across the trolley wire
it will automatically break the circuit
and prevent liability and indicate the To-
cation of the trouble. The station is
provided, too, with two Corliss engin es
Oft350-horse power each, and arranged so
hat the power is transmitted to a main
inc shaft and from the shaft to each of
he generators by system of betting.
Each engine is capable of operating the
road alone and the other engine may be
thrown into service Immediately in case
of an accident TO the other r. thus insuring
constant operation.
The 50 miles of track are wired with
he overhead trolley wire of single wrought
hard>drawn copper placed over the cen
Ter of each track and suspended to
| steel span wire by patent insulators to
which is attached an ear which is soidered
70 the trolley wire in such manner that
| it is an impossibility for it to break away
or sag. The track, which is for the most
part the Johnston girder rail, so pounds
20 the rod, is all connected together at the
oints with No. copper wire and Joined
20 single wrought copper wire which is
! placed in the center of the track beneath
The pavement for the purpose of making
he return circuit complete. This enables
| The cars to be operated more fully. as on
all parts of the system tie strength of the
current is uniform. Each car has in con-
nection rheostst which is operated by
he motor man regulating the amount of
current used for propelling the car and
can be regulated so that the speed of the
car will be from one to twenty miles an
hour. and the motor man has at all times
perfect control of the car These cars
start off gradually. and are free from that
Jerking motion found in other systems.
The cars, so in number, 16 feet long,
are of the latest improved pattern, built
by the St. Louis Car company, are taste-
FULLY painted. lighted by electricity,
equipped with Hubbard patent truck
With the most improved break mechanism
and life guards, the latter entirely pre-
venting the possibility of persons getting
beneath the wheels. Sixteen of these
cars are equipped with single 20-horse
power railway motors, and "a of them
each equipped with 2-15 horse-po wer
motors and all have the latest method of
noiseless gearing. These cars are cleo
trically equipped with Prof. Thomson's
lighting arresters, which make them
perfectly safe from damage to persons
and passengers, and at the same time is
preventative against interference with
The propulsion of the system during
storms The car is 30 arranged that /!
can be operated from either platform and
run in either direction from either end.
The trolley arm upon the top of the cal
for making contact with the overhead
wire adapts itself ito all conditions. es-
pecially running beneath low railroad
bridges, such as that at Brooks crossing
ON the old red line. The cars. numbered
from one to so. are all painted a canary gel
low, but the transoms are colored to des
ignate the route, as are the signs on tn,