The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-08
NEW TROLLEY STAGE.
Electrical Carriage for Use en- Coun-
try Roads-Does Away With Rails.

Almost all the propelIing principles so far
eXperimented with in connection with au-
tomobiie vehicles have been defective IN
some particular point-the petroleum mo-
tor on account of the noise, heat and odor;
and the electric storage battery, while sat
isfactory enough when running, becomes
exhausted in twenty-five or thirty miles,
and requires ~recharging, which is a great
inconvenience But an entirely new prin-
ciple. known as the trolley stage" recent
ly experimental with seems to overcome
all the present objections, though opening
up new ones which appear at first sight to
be equally serious. In the trolley stage the
trolley wire is run along one side of the
road or street supported on poles. ana the
stage or carriage is connected. with IL py
means of a flexible CABLE. which aItonlatl-
caIly commodities itself to the distance
of the vehicle from the trolley wire, which,
in this way. allows of perfect freedom OF
movement over the entire roadbed and dis
penses with the limitations and necessity
of tracks. The construction of the car
riage required for this service need not
differ from the ordinary form, except that
pneumatic tires are Desirable, and the
motors and gearing connected with the
front axle are, of course, a prerequisite. A
stage of this character has been expert
mented with for the past six months at
Engineering News, so successful has been
the quarter-mile trial line that 1t is pro-
posed to extend it to run from the railroad
station in the center of the town to the
steamboat landing, one and a half miles
distant.
On account of the absence of rails a re-
turn wire has to be provided for the troll
ley current, so that there are two wires
carried along the street side by side, one
to supply current to the motors through
the flexible cable, and the other completing
the circuit back to the station. Each car
r1age is provided with a double nexipie
metallic cable, corresponding to the trolley
pole of the street car system, each MEM
Der of the cable connecting with one end
of the trolley wires. This is wound around
q cylinder placed in the carriage and
worked by a spring. When it is desired to
pass from one side of the street to the
other the two trolley wires wind or I'M
wine automatically on the cylinder, the
spring serving to keep them always taut.
These make connection with the two troll.
ley wires through an ingenious form OF
roller. which permits the carriage to run IN
either direction. to cross from one side of
the street to the other, two vehicles to
pass each other and to allow either to turn
around. The application of this principle 10
a crowded th%oroughfare would seem to be
impossible, but it might be arranged by
means of turnouts every short distance, or
by requiring traffic on the two sides OF the
street to be absolutely in one direction.
while for the purpose of a cheap trolley
line for public service in suburban districts,
where the cost of laying tracks would
hardly be justified by the traffic. or where
the middle of the street is Objectionable for
aesthetic reasons, it may nave a very eX-
tensive application. Probably the practical
application of TINS principle will be limited
to this latter field. In this particular in
stance the motor that drives the wheels
is situated under the forward part of the
carriage, being geared to the front wheels,
while the steering is applied to the rear
wheels. The brake is a very ingenious con-
t~rivance, which, when released, sets the
motor in operation, and when applied the
power is shut off.
In the trials thus far made the line ex-
tends along a distance of a quarter mile,
the road being fairly smooth and slightly
rolling. At one point the conducting wires
pass from one side of the road to the 9TH
err, but this circumstance has no effect
whatever on the running of the vehicle, on
account of the flexible arrangement of the
connecting wires. AS at present constituted
the stage can be easily made to accom-
plish the distance of a quarter of a mile in
as seconds, which is fairly good time, when
it is considered that the sole object or the
experiment has been to attain facility of
operation rather than speed. 1t has been
demonstrated that the stage runs satisfac-
torily on muddy roads, and when they are
covered with ice and snow. The system has
the additional advantage of being practi-
cally noiseless, the only sound being that
of a ''whirr'' of the wires when the car
approaches, which, under practical cond1a
tions, has been found to have no effecM
whatever on horses.