New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-05-12
ELECTRICITY on STEAM ROADS.

President Clark of the Consolidated Road mas
kept his promise made several weeks ago. to
demonstrate in the vicinity of Hartford the
feasibility of electric traction on existing steam
roads. The importance of this achievement
which. BY the way was n gratifying success
will be better appreciated when one recalls the
difference between the conditions existing In
the ncighborhood of the Connecticut capital and
those along the Nantasket Branch, where the
Consolidated Company made its earlier expert
ments. In the one case there was no particular
connection. and the tests were made only in the
spirit of investigation. with an eye to the FUTURE
In the other instance an Oldestablished steam
line was threatened with the loss OF lucrative
business through the establishment OF rival tfoi-
lev roads This sort Of thing has been going on
to a great extent not only in Connecticut, out
all over the country. during the last five years.
and vet the managers of the suffering corpora
tons have been surprisingly slow to accept the
advice of electrical experts and to night the
devil with fire.
The New Haven people, however, have not
only shown a disposition to act on this sngges'
ton, but have discov cred that m old steam ROAD
enjoys n distinct advantage over the trolley, In
being able to derive its current through third
rail- Trolley-cars run on open highways. and
therefore must resort to the overhead wire,
which, with It's elaborate system Of poles. brack-
cts, cross-suspension wires and insuators. costs
much more than an extra rail. But the tracks
OF the steam roads are fenced in, and If any in
truder gets hurt by stepping on the third rail
he has himself TO thank for it, He has no right
there and the company warns him against such
danger as may exist by putting up placards In
proper places.
Still, It is only at street crossings and at sta
lions that this peril need be considered and here
It can he obviated in several ways. Boards may
be set I'D on edge either side Of the rail, just
high enough to prevent wagon wheels or horses
hoofs from coming in contact with the metal, or
the rail may be discontinued for distance or
thirty or forty feet, an extra shoe on the rear
car picking up the current until the front car
has passed the gap and has restored the connec-
ton Several other simple and effective ways OF
dealing with the difficulty have been devised.
Hitherto the use Of the third rail has been
confined to such structures as the Brooklyn
Bridge and the Chicago elevated roads, but last
wears experiments on the Nantasket Branch
showed that It can be safely employed on In
closed surface lines The New-IIaven Company
is planning therefore, to apply the system to
the immense suburban business centring at the
proposej new Union Station in Boston; the IL
lnois Central folks are disposed to try It in the
vicinity OF Chicago, and the st. Louis Terminals
management IL credited with n similar purpose.
There s room for Improvement in certain de-
tails, perhaps; but the technical part of the prob
lem Of electric traction on steam roads needs
scarcely another thought. IT Is only the eco
nornlc question which managers OF such lines
have now to consider