Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-17
Railroad Hen Considering the Ques-
ton Of Electrical Propulsion.
THE SPEED PROBLEM ALREADY SOLVED
Capitalists Promoting Vast Enter
prises for Travel Between Cities.
AN INTERESTING REVIEW

the Baldwin Locomotive Works. The OBJ
ject of the agreement between these two
powerful corporations is announced to be
the building Of electric locomotives, capable
Of maintaining speed of from ninety to
lHo miles an hour, and capable Of being
run at that rate within the bounds of COM
mercial economy necessary to the profitable
prosecution of passengers and freight carry
Ing on railroads. Railroad men of con-
sentative judgment are not at present prone
to express any conclusive opinion upon the
question of rapid transit which is involved
In the new departure. They favor and ap-
prove the experiment, but do not express
perfect faith in it's success The general
idea seems to be that electric locomotives
can be used only for light suburban traffic
over short distances, and that they can
never be employed with profit in place Of
the powerful steam engines which now
the train behind them Is increased. The
combination between the electric company
and the locomotive works will do one
thing, at any rate, and that is to settle the
question of the value and economy of cleo
tricity as applied to railroad transporta-
ton. Several large railroad systems have
already experimental with electricity as an
element OF power. The New York Central
has tried one or two storage battery motors,
but without success, and the Pennsylvania
railroad has made some tests Of its own.
The Big Motors In baltimore.
The successful operation of the immense
motor engines which are engaged in draw
ing trains on the Baltimore Belt Line rail-
road. a branch of the Baltimore and Ohio
road, through the recently constructed tun-
mel under the city of Baltimore has been
already chronicled in The Evening Star.
There are two Of these motors. each weigh
Ing ninety-f1ve tons complete. Connected
with each axle on the motors is 800 horse
power current machine, with sufficient wire
wound upon 1t to safely transmit 100 volts.
binary work. The motors are what Is
Known AS gearless and are supported on
the truck frames by spiral springs.
The idea Of using the electrical equipment
on the Baltimore Belt Line. which runs
from Camden station to Rayview junction,
distance of sixteen and a half miles, was
to avoid smoke and gas in the tunnel work.
which is difficult to expel. and which rem
ders the air SO foul that passengers are at
fected. The tunnel can also be lighted by
using the motors. 1t Is generally under
stood. however. that this is a preliminary
step to using electricity as a motive power
on the railroad between Baltimore and
Washington, should the present service
come up to expectations.
Naturally the powerful current employed
requires an extensive generating plant.
This consists of twelve boilers of 30 horse
power each, supplying steam for five en-
gines aggregatiEg about $500 horse power
and operating series of five electric gen.
orators of what Is termed the 'multipolar"
type. The current from them is conveyed
in copper feed cables to the conduit.
Vice President PuEh's Ideas.
An interview with Third Vice President
Charles f. Pugh of the Pennsylvania rail-
road, which appeared some days ago IN
the Philadelphia Times. will he found in
teresting in connection with the subject
under consideration. When asked what
view his company took of the Baldwin
Westinghouse venture, Mr.. Pugh said:
I'VE welcome any progress made in rail-
road Inventions for the comfort and con-
yenience Of travellers, and We are always
glad when something new turns up. l do
not believe, however, from my own knowl-
edge that electricity will ever take the
place of steam in locomotives. because do
not believe it can be dore with reasonable
economy, f.! think the deyelonl.snt OF steam
has solved the question of rapid transpor-
tation as far as the travelling public want
it settled. do not believe that either You
or l want to travel at the rate of ninety
miles an hour, and do not think the ma
jority Of people are anxious to.
There is every evidence that electricity
will take the place Of steam in suburban
traffic. Light cars and short, frequent runs
make 1t pt ssible to use electric motors I'M
der such circumstances to good advantage
Our own line from Mount HOLY 20 ourlIffE-
TON, New Jersey. Is now operated by the
The motors are little heavier and moro
powerful than those used on the Philadel-
phia trolley lines, but they have by no
means reached the limit of power"
The New boulevard Line.
The impression seems to prevail Just now
in railroad circles that the projected cleo
trio railway which is to connect Baltimore
with Washington, and Of which Mr.. w.
Kelsey schoepf of this city is the general
manager in charge of the construction, will
be the first road in this country to use the
engines which are to be built by the Bald
wip-Westinghouse combination. This, how
ever, is meraly speculation. 1t Is known
that the specifications upon which bids
have been invited for the construction of
question call for machines capable of MAX
ing maintained speed Of eighty miles an
hour. The roadbed, for the construction Of
which a contract has already been made
& Company, will be built with view Of
safely bearing cars passing over it at such
a high rate of speed. 1t is possible for any
one so inclined to see on the line Of the
outside Of the boundary. several hundred
yards of roadbed Identical with that which
will be placed on the new electric line to
Baltimore, which is Familiarity called 1.-The
Boulevard line" This piece Of road runs
through the deep cut on the lexington
line from Boundary street to the edge Of
the subdivision known as lexington. 1t 8
considered the finest piece Of roadbed con-
struction in this country, and Is equipped
with eighty-pound T rails. laid on a mas
sive foundation, perfectly ballasted and
equal, in the opinion of railroad men, to
any demands which modern traffic might
place upon it.
Some StupendOus Schemes.
Holland" the well-known New York
correspondent Of the Philadelphia Press,
who has been giving much attention re-
Gently to the subject of electrical rapid
transit, takes the Boulevard line as sug-
gestion for an interesting correspondence
on the subject of long distance trolley
roads, and says that 1t is possible now to
state that railway managers are contem-
plating what probably is the most seri-
Gus problem ever presented to them They
must either command proposed new meth
DDS of communication or else yield the
field to others and remain content with
freight and long distance passenger traffic.
He declares that it is now in the minds
of capitalists to make an actual, practical
investment to construct electric lines for
inter-city communication. and that the
Pennsylvania railroad people, and the Jer-
sey Central and Reading, must decide,
and very speedily, whether they will per-
nit other capital than theirs to be invest
ed in these colossal schemes or whether
they will invest their own. According to
oil