The record-union., 1895-09-12
ELECTRIC MOTORS.
How They Are to be Used in Machine
Shops.
Experience of the Baldwin Locomotive
Works In Introducing Elec-
tricity for Power.
The following letter needs no introduce
tion or comment, as it ex plains itself:
OFFICE OF BALDWIN LOCOMOTIVE
WORKS


WORKS,
PHILADELPHIA, July 3, 1898.
| II. II. LiUerm0re, GeneraG Manager
| Sacramento Electric PoUer and Laght
| Company, San francisco, Cdt.-DEAR
SIR: In answer to your letter of June
Goth, relative TO electrical transmission
OF power at our works, | would say:
We first introduced electric power in
1890. when we rebuilt our erecting shop,
where we put in two One-hundred-ton
Sellers electrical travelling cranes and
four Glib cranes of various capacities. At
first we had trouble with motors burning
out. but soon overcame that, and these
cranes have given us the greatest satls-
faction since.
The next building to be remodeled vas
our wheel shop. This shop required
heavy line shafting, which of course pre-
vented the use of travelling cranes. This
was a cause for serious objection, aud
was one of our main reasons for using
electricity. Since this shop was com
pleted. our experience with the motor
system has tar exceeded our expectations.
We have about twenty-five motors,
each running its own tool, aggregatlng
from $50 10 400 horsepower, driven by u
| 100 horsepower generator (Westing-
house, which is never overloaded al
though all of the machines may be rum
ming at once. This is proof that only as
much electricity is generated and used as
ls needed to do the work, and 1t is be-
cause there is no time that all OF the ma
chimes are working TO their full capacity
together that we are enabled to couple as
many motors or horsepower 10 this
small size generator, comparatively
speaking.
We calculate that we save 80 or 40 per
cent. of power in this shop by doing
away with line shafting and heavy belts.
Our method of connecting the motors TO
machines is extremely simple, and is our
own Idea. We prefer the use of belt con-
nections because it gives elasticity; be-
cause there is less power lost in trans
mitting than by the use of gears, and we
are able to keep the cone pulieys for vari-
able speeds, which is far more satisfactory
than by using controller which. at best,
will not give over two and one-h half times
the initial speed, or rheostat system.
Our belts are very short, to be sure, but
we experience little or no trouble on this
account.
The saving in this shop is enormous
over our old methods, because We can
now use a travelling crane. and two men
can load a pair of wheels on machine in
i've minutes, where before IL took ten
men thirty minutes, and indirectly this
is all due to the use of electricity; be-
cause otherwise we must have held on to
our line shaft and belts, and conse-
quently could have no travelling crane.
We are now putting in 250-horse
power Westinghouse direct connected
engine and generator, and it is our inten-
ton to run our frame shop and two large
machine shops by electric power within
the next four months.
ON the first floor we will follow out
precisely the same method as described,
namely, travelling cranes and motors for
| individual machines. ON the other two
floors we will keep the line shaft, but
divide it into several sections, say of 90
horse power each. This is an advantage
where there is any hurried work, and you
may wish to run one or two machines
overtime. Hoping that this information
may aid you. remain very truly yours,
BURNHAM, WILLIAMS IL Co.
S. VI. NENELAIN, uperintendent.