The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-20
AIR MOTOR RUNS A TRAIN.
VIEW SYSTEM SUCCESSFULLY TRIED
ON THE ELEVATED ROAD.

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Will DO Put Into Regular Service BEFORE Ions
LII IL Cleaner ana Lees Noisy than tho
steam RnEinea. and Its inventor says II Is
Just ne Cheap-New Features or the Motor.
The Hardie compressed air motor. which was
built by the American Air Power Company TO
demonstrate the possibility Of using it to draw
trains on the Manhattan Elevated Railroad, was
put into service last night and a public test Of 1t
was made by taking u train loaded with 192
persons over the Sixth avenue road from Rector
street TO Fifty-eighth street and back to Cort-
landt street.
The start was made Mt 0 o'clock. When the
air motor approached the station it snorted a
little. as the air that drove it escaped. but not
as loudly as the steam engines. Its body was
round, smooth. and cleancut, like that
OF a racehorso. In many respects 1t re-
semblcd tho ordinary engine. and this
was because tho railroad people had required
that it should conform generally In weight and
size to these. 1t was built upon the
frame work Of q regular steam motor,
but looked odd to the railroad men. because
the order of its arrangement was reversed.
The cab end was over the small bogie wheel
truck and the drivers were under the boiler-llke
end, which contained the compressed air that
was to drive the train. This throws q larger
proportion OF the NclBnt upon tne urlNeTS anu
gives more traction power for the weight.
Robert Hardie. the inventor Of the engine.
drove it, and Fl. Paige. q regular engineer, was
his pilot. After the train started, no one on
1t could have told whether IL was drawn by a
new device or by a regular motor.
Among those on the train were w. J. Fransi.
oil, General Manager Of the elevated roads; L.
j. Elias, President of the Third Avenue Rail.
road Company; II. II. Vreeland. President
OF the Metropolitan Street Railway Com.
pany; F. 8. Picrson. Chief Engineer OF
the Metropolitan Street Railway Com.
pany; David Young. General Manager Of
the Consolidated Traction Company Of
New Jersey; r. II. Zell Of New Orleans, 8. F.
Prince of the Long Island Railroad. William L.
Saunders Of the acknowledgement Company,
A. f. Kenney Of Compressed Air, Reinhardt
Mauncsman. A. w. Swarritz Of the New Or
leans and Western Railroad. Charles F. Tripler.
who makes liquid air by the gallon; F.. w. Hui
dekoper OF Philadelphia. Charities Commits
sioner Faurc, and Mr.. Waterhouse. chief OF
structure of the elevated roads.
The run to Fifty-cighth street was made with.
out a stop in nineteen minutes. There had been
no attempt to make special speed on the run
because there was a regular train ahead. but II
schedule time. The trip back was begun at
1901 o'clock and completed at 1927.
"A numOer OF the passengers then visited the
plant at 100 Greenwich street, where tho air IL
compressed for the use of the locomotive. A
bis, steam, engine operates two compressors
each OF which consists OF two water-jacketed
pumps. The first pump receives the air and
Squeezes it down to about IS pounds
pressure to the inch. the next one reduces 1t tc
about 1875 pounds, tho third to about 75C
pounds, and the last to nearly, 5000 pounds
on M1 tse sess sa1ees ss0 out e q Tho ss sir, snd Il IN i pas'
ing from one cylinder to another the air passe.
through q coil Of submerged pipe for the Same
Tho air is finally forced into . stack OF steel
tubes. which arc arranged IN four sets. From
i ne s, 1t passe ro m = ns p,P1 R e. foe street Wsser s Whsn t on
engine is to BIO charged a connection is made
with this pipe, and the air passes into an
other stack Of steel tubes concealed in the
b%oiler:like jacket, which receive It at u pressure
Of 900 pounds to the inch. A charge which
win run a train to Fi!ty-eighth street and back
can be taken on in the same time 1t usually
takes to receive the water for u trip.
When the air is being used it passes out
through cylinders exactly like those for steam
except that special valves are used to control it
between the tubes which hold the charge
lures OF the Hardie system. A reducing
valve delivers the highly compressed nii
into a receiving tank in the cab at a
much lower pressure, and then 1t passes through
tank of hot water. which returns to the all
some OF the heat which it lost in being com
pressed. and also gives back to 1t the water
this feature which, Mr.. Hardie claims. makes
his motor commercially economical in working
It's intended that the motor shall be PLACED
IN tna sfS ScnMnm sery vi p upon the road a. to test The &C a,
ment was made as TO when this would be done
Last nights trial left no doubt as to the ability
OF the motor to DO the required work or OF it,
superiority over steam motors In general fea
lures.
General Manager Frnnsioll expressed himsel
as well pleased with the trial of the motor.