The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-13
THE THIRD RAIL SYSTEM
1T MAY IN TINE DO AWAY WITH
STEAM ENGINES AND TROLLEYs.
Successful Operation of IA New Elec-
tric Line Between Hartford
ISL and New Britain.
Hartford tconn) Special, May rs.


use. bug promptly at $50 in the morning
two trains began the work. One train lett
Hartford at that hour and another left New
Britain. There were many persons about
either to see the trains start or to take pas
sage in them. and as the day advanced and
the weather cleared the number of both
sightseers and passengers increased until
during the afternoon every train went out
fully loaded. There was no end of compi-
mentarY things said about the new service
by the passengers, and not few of the OBJ
servant men aboard said that the success
full operation of this road marked the be-
ginning Of a new era in railroading which
was bound to end in sending steam locomo-
tives 10 the scrap heap and the substitution
of electricity for the propelling power OF
trains.
When this CONES about the man who will
have earned a high place for foresight and
enterprise will undoubtedly be President
Charles z. Clark, of the New York New
Haven & Hartford Railroad. He began
long ago watching the application Of cleo
tricity for traction purposes and studying
the methods of its use. That it could be
used with success on elevated roads was
proved in Chicago on the intramural road
during the worlds fair, and later on the
Metropolitan West Side road and in Liver
pool, England In the latter part of 1894
Mr. Clark determined TO begin practical ex-
periments with IL as a substitute for steam
and surface roads. 1t was a radical move
ment, but only what might well have been
expected of one whose work during the ten
years of his presidency of the New York
New Haven & Hartford road has been one
of constant Improvements. The four-track-
ing of that road, the abolition OF grade
crossings, building and improved sta
tons, the laying down of heavier rails and
the introduction of the latest and best I'M
provements in rolling stock are part of the
evidences of policy which Mr.. Clark intro
duced and is carrying forward.
In beginning the work of applying cleo
tricity to surface work on steam roads. Mr.
Clark sought a practical engineer Col. n.
II. Heft of Bridgeport, who had organized
the Bridgeport Traction Company and other
trolley companies, and knew ali that was
to be known then about the actual difficult
ties TO be met with IN electric traction. They
began their work on peculiar piece of rail-
road at Nantasket Beach, Mass, the Coney
island of Boston.
PRESIDENT CLARK TALKS
There was a railroad there about seven
miles long snakelike in its crookedness,
and with stations about every 1000 feet.
This road was equipped with overhead troll
ley wires of a peculiarly heavy cHnstruc-
tion and double-tracked, and it was opened
for business June Is, 1895. OF this expert
ment and those which have followed il,
leading up to the opening of the New Brit
ain & Hartford road to-day, President
Clark says:
The fact about the use of the electrical
current by the New Haven road as means
Of transmitting power for use upon trains
running upon standard roads are these: Ii
has long been known that much more energy
can be developed in stationary engine
from given quantity of coal than is posi-
bic under the conditions prevailing in a To-
connective. Consequently, if this energy can
transmitted
made TO do its work economically at the
end or the transmission, great benefit would
cially practicable to effect this required the
solution of a number of questions.
The first one was whether any known
appliances possessed sufficient power to an
sWer the requirements of standard service
Mainly to determine this point a very sub
Stantlal trolley construction was made uDon
the NantaSket Beach branch and nut in use
in the summer of 1895. The experiences of
that summer made it certain that sufficient
power could be generated, conducted and
applied. The operation of the road by troll
ley Tor the seven miles gave great satisfac-
lion TO the public, especially because the
power, being Invisible, trains were run as
frequently as the necessities of the business
warranted.
We were so well pleased with the results
OF the summers business that estimates
were made for extending the trolley from
Nantucket Junction towards Braintree on
It's way TO Boston over double track road
already constructed. The Nantasket Beach
pranch had been doubie-tracked with the
trolIey experiment in view, and the dis
lance between the tracks was made greater
than usual TO allow the suspension of the
trolley wires from single line of posts
located between the tracks thus cheapen-
ing the cost of construction while lessening
the liability of accident to passengers BY
contact with the posts.
But when we came to take up the uues-
ton upon a road already constructed and
double-tracked, the distance between the
tracks not being sufficient for a center line
OF posts, the alternative was presented of
spreading the double tracks to give oppor-
tunlty for the same kind of support (Which
we found would involve enormous expense
IN the matter of bridges, whether overhead
or under fooO, or of supporting the trolley
wires by yokes held in place by posts out
side ~ both tracks. Either course added
enorm iiy to the expense, and we turned
our attention to the use of third rail To-
Gated between the running rails which
would involve no changes in the roadbed
and, indeed, save the cost of any overhead
work. After various conferences il was de-
termlned TO try third rail with the sim
plest form of insulation. namely wooden
blocks resting upon the ties.
To prevent the destruction of this insula-
f eoit me ran was made in the shape of a
Hattened a, the blocks being narrower
than the rail. which formed a watershed
Keeping the blocks dry. Between three and
four miles of this rail made heavy i'm order
that it might conduct a large current were
lald IN the spring of 1896 and il worked
through the whole summer with satisfac-
tory results. Indeed, we were able to sun
ply current from the end of this third rail-
70 one OF our connecting street RAILWAYS
tire satisfaction TO them and an absolutely
better result in our own power house than
Wnen we were running only our own three
miles and a half.
THE THIRD RAIL ADOPTED.
That brings Us up to the close of 1896
ana II was demonstrated that with a sufi-
Gent volume of traffic and CONSEQUENT de-
STABILITY OF affording frequent service
without great expense it was practicable
and economical to use the third rail under
such conditions. These experiments how
ever. did not determine the question of
whether the apparatus would work salts
factory all the year round and especially
whether the public would prefer the adyan-
tages of frequent trains and lighter grades
upon well-constructed roadbeds in compa-
luton with parallel street-railways a very
important question for steam roads To con-
slider before deciding upon a change These
questions would be measure bly, decided nv
It's use between two cities like New Britain
and Hartford. about nine miles apart both
terminal stations being conveniently To-
Gated in the center OF the cities Largely To
determine this question the directors of the
New England road decided 10 apply the
third rail upon one of their tracks
The travel between these cities not be-
ing or Sufhcient volume to Justify the ex-
penditure OF power house for this sole
purpose. the New Haven Company deter
mined 10 construct power house at Ber-
In. from which point Its use might ulti-
mately be extended in four different direc-
tlons If no practical difficulty should pre-
has hlat i