The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-09-13

tunnel Just finished beneath the city Of
Baltimore, and from the further fact
that the New York, New Haven and
Hartford company Is now operating a
branch line, about seven miles long,
from Old Colony House station to Nam
tasket Beach. A brief description of
this road and its equipment win enable
the reader to know how much of de-
parture its successful completion and
operation indicate,
There are many curves on the Nam
tasket Beach road, there being twenty
in the line, and these extend "A miles
out of the total length of So miles.
The sharpest Of these curves is ten de-
grees. The heaviest grade is thirty
four feet to the mile. The road Is dou-
ble-tracked through its entire length.
The road-bed is solidly built and heavi-
ly ballasted. The trolley wire is of nov
ell construction and shape. The lower
part is somewhat larger than the up
per, and the clip from the cross-arm
fits securely around the upper section,
leaving a smooth and unbroken sur
face for the contact of the trolley
circular mills capacity.
The motor-cars are Of two types, the
closed and the open. The closed cars
are heavy baggage-cars, and four are
already in service. The open cars are
sixteen reversible bench cars, and have
received their equipment. The open
cars resemble the familiar city trolley
car, but have a flight of three continu-
Gus steps by which admission ls gained
to the car, The closed motor-cars are
forty-two feet long over all, and are
built extra heavy, weighing each, when
fully equipped over thirty tons. Two
of the four have two motors on one
truck, while the two others have four
motors, two on each of the two trucks.
The motors used are the General Elec-
trio 1000 machines especially designed
for heavy work, and are similar to
those in successful use On the Metropol-
itan Elevated railway in Chicago.
They are water-tigbt and fre-proof.
The draw-bar pull OF the two-motor
cars is four thousand pounds, that of
the four-motor cars eight thousand
pounds, the motors being one hundred
H.. p. each, or two thousand pounds
horizontal draw-bar pull through a
thirty-three-inch wheel. The current is
brought from the trolley wires by
means of a trolley provided with "a
wheel having an extra-deep channel tc
the motors through a General Electric
series parallel controller, set up on the
right-hand side of the platform. I'm
mediately to the left of the controller
Is the air-brake handle. The com
pressed air for the brakes and whistle
is furnished by an oscillating cylinder
air-compressor operated by an electric
motor, which is controlled by a special
automatic rheostat which regulates the
action of the motor in accordance with
the pressure in the tanks.
The trains are run as accommodation
and express, the express trains consist
ing of a baggage motor-car with open
trailers, the accommodation facilities
being furnished by single motor-cars.
The tests made on this line are OF
considerable interest. The first showed
that the motor-car alone or with a
small load could run at a higher speed
than that attained by ordinary express
locomotives, and maintain the speed
without difficulty and without apparent
effort. This test gave rise to some ex-
aggerated newspaper reports as to the
speed attained. Subsequent tests were
made with the locomotive or motor-eal
as freight-hauler, and not less thar
fifteen heavily loaded freight-cars were
easily moved and carried along the line
at a high rate of speed. So far every.
thing was satisfactory. Since then fiji
ty miles an hour has been reached il
another test