Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1893-07-31
ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE.

| The First Big One-It Will Make Over
Thirty MILES an Hour Hauling
Passengers and Freight.
| Engineers question is answered by the
| following taken from the Iron Age:
The first electric locomotive of any con-
siderable size in the United States and the
first practically operative high speed cleo
trio locomotive in the world, adapted to
the steam railroad, has recently been CON-
pleted at the Lynn works of the General
Electric company, and will shortly be ex-
hibited at the worlds fair. It's completion
marks distinct advance in electrical de-
velopment. 1t is thirty ton locomotive,
designed for normal speed of thirty
miles an hour, primarily intended for
operation on elevated railways and for
passenger and light freight traffic on less
important steam roads. It Is of compact
construction, solidly and substantially
built, and runs on four 44-inch wheels.
It's dimensions are: 16 feet inches long,
II feet inches high, 8 feet inches broad,
having it's draw bars feet inches from
top of rail, the Manhattan elevated rail
road standard height. The draw bar pull
Is calculated at Ia, 900 pounds
The propsllipg power is furnished by
two electric motors of especial design and
construction, each axle being provided
with one motor. The motors are gearless,
and are supported on spiral springs rest
ing on the side frames of the locomotive
truck. This method of suspension leaves
the wheels free to adjust themselves to the
Irregularities of the road bed, and conse-
quently the wear to both tracks and motors
Is diminished.
The motors are controlled by means of a
series parallel controller, set up in the in
terror of the cab. This device embodies
all the latest improvements made BY the
General Electric company. Under test it
is found that the series parallel controller
allows of a more gradual and easier start
ing of the electric motor, and the speed
can be more delicately and instantans ously
controlled than in the case of the steam
locomotive.
The truck, suspended from the journal
boxes, is constructed of heavy I beams, and
forms the foundation for the locomotive
cab of sheet iron, of symmetrical design,
and so curved off as to diminish the atmos-
pheric resistance as far as possible. The
interior is finished in hard wood. The slid
ing doors are placed at each side of the
cab, and the windows are so arranged as to
permit of an unobstructed view in all di-
rections. There is ample space in the cab
for the motorman's movements, and 1t af-
fords him considerably better protection
connective engineer.
This locomotive has been designed for
normal speed exceeding thirty miles per
hour. The use Of these locomotives over
very long distances is at present limited
only by the cost of long lines of electric
feeders, and until the problem offered by
this condition is solved restriction of its
employment must necessarily exist But
for places comparatively near each other
and where traffic is dense (the denser the
better, the electric locomotive is peculiar
ly adapted, for all the advantages of cleo
trio propulsion are available. unhampered
by the extreme expense involved in long
feeder lines.
The evolution of the use of the eleetrfc
locomotive will probably follow along the
lines dictated by expediency and favorine
conditions. At first they will probably be
used in elevated railroad service, and in
New York, Brooklyn and Chicago their
advent will be hailed with feeling of
deep gratitude. They will then probably
be adopted Is feeders to the trunk lines
both for freight and passenger traffic, and
to operate short suburban lines where a
rapid, efficient service is requisite Their
peculiar fitness for switching purposes
will advance their use another step, and
then slowly, as the different problems
presented are overcome, they will invade
the province of the trunk line steam loco
motive, and the millennium of railroad
travel win be within the realities Of life.