The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1895-08-23

1 AAAldOclp1ld Trains VI IAiAS
to be ferried across the channel by
boats, a process that was at once slow
and expensive. In 1890 the railway UNI
dertook to drive a tunnel stralght
through the heart of the city, for the
most part under Howard street, one OF
the principal thoroughfares. This tun-
mel is about a mile IN a half long, and
Is n of the longest so%ft-earth tunnels
ever driven, says the New York sun.
The tunnel completed, the company de-
termined not only to light it with cleo
tricity, out to run it's trains through 1t
by this power as well, and thus avoi
all smoke and gases. To this end an
electric company quilt the big locomo-
tive shown in the picture. 1t is not
merely the greatest electric motor ever
constructed, but one Of the most pow
erful locomotives, steam or electric, in
existence. Its weight is SO tons, and it's
extreme length over -all IS feet. It
stands IA feet high, and it's four electric
motors yield LAO horse power. 1t
stands on two trucks, and has eight
driving wheels. The drawbar pull is
equivalent to % tons. and the starting
drawbar pull is $4,000 pounds, or 30
tons. Translated into terms that will
convey some meaning to the general
reader these figures mean that this To-
connective can drag a train of 200 to go
empty cars on a fiat track with perfect
ease. The engine is built to maintain
a speed of about As miles an hour for
passenger trains, and about Is miles an
hour for freight trains. The engine was
built at the company's works at
Schenectady. and was put up and tested
there before it was taken to Baltimore.
In order to remove it to the scene OF its
operation it was necessary to take 1t
apart n ship it in sections. No road
would give it hau]age as it stood, be-
cause it's SO tons of weight are thrown
directly upon it's eight driving wheels,
which are built close together, whereas
the weight Of the ordinary mogul is
distributed over ten or twelve drivers
n a number Of smaller wheels, Civ
ing twice the, base length. Set up again
in Baltimore, the first tests Of the en-
CINE began last Tuesday. One of the
tests which afforded an idea of the ma
chimes tremendous strength was when
it engaged in a tug Of war with two
steam locomotives. One day two of the
heaviest yard locomotives were hitched
up together n coupled to the %electri-
cal engine. The engineers in charge of
the steam locomotives threw open the
throttles and went flying away down
the yard, dragging their opponent be-
hind them. When they had attained
full speed and were under a full head of
steam. the engineer in charge Of the
electrical locomotive began to throw on
his current. Gradually the trio began
to slow down.. The wheels Of the steam
locomotives began to slip round in dizzy
fashion. Plainly a stronger power was
pulling them in the other direction. At
length the three locomotives came to a
dead stop and then began to move
slowly in the opposite direction. All
the steam that could be applied to the
steam engines was put on, but to no
avail. The engineer in charge Of the
current on the electric engine increased
the power. and soon he was dragging
the steam locomotives backward up the
yard. His engine had proved itself more
than equal to the two moved by steam.
Prodigious as is the owe Of the cleo
trio engine, the smoothness with which
it operates and the perfect adjustment
Of it's parts are hardly less wonderful.
So exquisitely adjusted is his ire
mendous machine that It's motive gear
answers almost to the touch of the
lllSel. IL iLlOfSS. dlIIlOSl WlLlOuI q JOlL
or a jar. When you step aboard it's
cab and the current IS turned on it
moves off with the ease and with some
thing of the sensation that you feel as
you step aboard one of the swiftly NOV
ing elevators Of a tall Office building
and without a jar are drawn up to the
fifteenth or twentieth story. When this
engine couples to a train it does so
without a perceptible bump, and indeed
the engineer in charge tells you that
if you would place you head between
the bumpers he could push up to it and
hold it there fast without crushing it.
He even offered to try.
Next to the ease and perfect adjust