The Portland daily press., 1896-02-01
ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVES.
Signal Success of the Locomotive Used
in Baltimore.

i'm Baltimore.
the Same Road-A 1000 Ton Train
Started from StandstilI Without a
Slip of the Wheels-Great Speed Posi-
BILE.
Commercial Travellers Home Mage
zine.
Within the past few months an expert
ment in electrical locomotion has been
made at Baltimore which promises to
have far-reaohing effect in the world of
transportation. In an article, by DR..
Louis Duncan, published in the August
number of the Home Magazine. brief
mention is made of the possibilities of
the Baltimore electric acknowledgement
bll1ties which tine ninety tonner has
in every way exceeded in recent tests,
having on several occasions exerted
drawing power beyond that of any steam
locomotive. Before this there had been
considerable talk among experts that
while electricity would serve admirably
for street railway purposes. it was not
available for the heavy freight traffic of
railroad. The Baltimore locomotive
knocked every leg from under this arpu-
ment on Oct. 6, when train 1880 feet
long, Weighing 1900 tons, was started
from standstill. 1t consisted Of freight
train Of twantv-oinht
two idle steam locomotives coupled to a
freight of fifteen loaded cars and one
idle locomotive. In starting there was
not sputter, spark, or slip of the wheel /;
the train moved off as if under ordi
nary circumstances, quickly reaching a
speed of twelve miles an hour, and was
pulled through the tunnel without diff
Guilty. The electric locomotive exerted
starting drawbar pull of $4,000 pounds
throughout the trip. This is the record
OF The locomotive up to date. So far no
train has been found that will hold to-
gether that is heavy enough to cause the
locomotive to slip it's wheels, and it is
evident that the full capacity of the en-.
CINE has been by no means reached.
Another test recently showed that the To-
connective could reach speed of nearly
sixty miles an hour.
The locomotive is one of three with
which the Baltimore and Ohio railroad
will pull or push its trains through a
tunnel under the city of Baltimore. This
tunnel was constructed for the purpose
of eyivinr tbo ra i1rood op o,t1n+ a., AZ.
north. Previous tos this the Baltimore
and Ohio trains were ferried across the
harbor, thus losing considerable tiIne and
entailing considerable financial outlay
The saving of time effected by the tun-
mel now enables the Baltimore & Ohio
to compete with the rival railroads to the
north.
The tunnel is 1880 feet long, 20 feet
high, and 20 feet wide, being the longest
soft-earth tunnel in the world. Its total
cost will approximate 81, 800, OO0 Work
on the excavation was begun in Sep
TENDER, 1890, and the completed tunnel
was ready for use early in 1895. 1t runs
under Howard street, one Of Baltimore's
principal thoroughfares. 1t was driven
with comparatively little trouble; there
was hardly no interference resulting to
traffic on tbs street above, except at one
point where cave-in occurred. The
Baltimore City College building was
wrecked as result. The contractors
built a new college to replace the one
that collapsed Vertical shafts from
the surface to the tunnel were sunk
through the cellars of houses along the
thoroughfare, SO that the street was new
er blocked by excavations.
The question Of ventilation was a
welghty one from the first, and finally
led to the adoption of electricity as mo-
tion Of the management to nse ordinary
steam locomotives. but when it was con-
sidered what sti fling hole the tunnel
would become, with SO much smoke and
steam it was evident some other method
OF transportation must be sought, else
the travelling public would not patronize
tho road. Many plans and projects were
discussed. Considerable attention was
paid to the oable system of hauling
trains, but it was deemed impractca5le
in this instance and rejected. The Gen
eral Electric Company then came forward
with proposition to equip the tunnel
for electricity, and this suggestion carried
the day, and three electric Locomotives
were ordered built. The other two are
now in course of constr uction in Schen-
ectady, N. z.
The electric locomotive operates over a
line Is. 900 feet long, 1896 feet of this be-
ing in the open air, from the power house
on the south to Huntington avenue on
the north. There are two tracks in the
tunnel, three at the south end, and four
from the north through the Mount Royal
avenue arch, and two tracks as far as
Huntington avenue, where a siding is
provided for the locomotives. A steady
grade of eight per cent. from the south
to the north makes the work of the cleo
tricity all the more remarkable.
The operation of freight trains through
the tunnel begins at the main racks at
the south end. The electric locomotive
couples on behind without stopping the