Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1897-12-03
NEW CAR SCHEMES
HIGHEST POINT NOT REACHED IN
UNDERGROUND TROLLEY SYSTEMS.
The Pennsylvania Railways Plan-Exten-
ssvs Experiments at East Pittsburg With
= Double Third Rail--Many Interesting
Problems Still Await Solution.

Problems Still Await Solution.
When the Metropolitan Street Railway
company Of New York decided, after long
elaboration and many experiments, to in
stall an underground trolley system upon
all Of the avenue lines that that company
controls, it seemed to many who had been
watching the vast development OF street
and suburban railway capital and traffic
that probably this New York experiment
pointed the way to changes from the over
head to the underground trolley system liz
all cities where there arc crowded thor
oughfares and hereafter, when new lines
are established, the motive power will be
furnished at least In the cities, by the un
foreground trolley system.
President Clark of the New Haven rail.
road, who had the courage to make an OK
pcnsive experiment with the third rail sys-
tenn, Is satisfied that that method is In
most respects the most satisfactory for the
open season-that is, from the middle of
the spring until tho middle of autumn.
If the experiments President Clark is
making prove to be as satisfactory during
the next six months as they have shown
themselves to b. in the past six months it
is probable that the great railway system
Of which MIR. Clark is the head will as
soon az possible adopt the third rail for all
it's branch and suburban lines, and ulti
mately that system may be adopted for
the main limo.
Yet the experts say that, while the sys.
tenn may contain the highest possibilities
for satisfactory power for short and long
haulagc yet it is by no means perfect, and
tho element of danger has not been over
u l. 49, ~ =,
of tho opinion that the danger that turks
in the live third rail is greatly exagger-
ated, and that only by the grossest caro-
lcssness or by intention could mortal
shock be received by any one through con-
tact with that rail.
There arc many other problems which
await solution before the perfect system Of
furnishing power, especially for street and
suburban traffic, has been secured. The
Pennsylvania Railroad company has de.
ing the problems, doing this in co-opera-
scientists and men Of financial authority
who are associated with Mr.. George West
inghouse.
The Pennsylvania company has already
laid track for the purpose of making
these experiments, which offers five miles
of trackage. The tracks have been laid
down in Fast Pittsburg. almost parallel
with the Pennsylvania railroad tracks (al-
though in the valley beneath those tracks,
in which the Westinghouse works are
situated)
, Already in those vast yards, system Of
; electric propulsion has been in use for sew.
eral years. BY it the freight cars, which
are switched into the yard and which carr.
from the works the machines destined for
distant markets, have been hauled with
; economy, perfect ease and method. That
system is what is known as the button
system: Nothing of the plant is discern
/ ible to tho eye, except an iron button
which projects just above the surface. and
T IL SO made as to interfere in NO way with
! ordinary traffic. The electric car passing
over this system Is propelled by means OF
q current communicated to q shoe from
the button.
The system is absolutely safe, the button
IL not alive, excepting at the instant of
time when it is in contact with the shoe.
This system is to be still further tested
thoroughly, without stint as to expense,
b that it may be established to the salts
faction of capitalists, mechanical and
scientific engineers whether it is the best
or whether it has such defects as will
make it not reasonable to expect that it
will have great commercial opportunities.
Next, the third rail system is to be tested
in every detail. The tracks which the
Pennsylvania railroad have established,
and which the Westinghouse people are
utilizing with an electric car, are supple
mented by two interior rails-that is to
say, it is not q single third rail system,
but is what may be called the double third
rail- system This system is now being
tested upon these tracks, very largely for
the purpose of determining whether the
element of danger can be completely elm
mated, and, If this can be done, whether
the system thus established can be oper-
ated as economically and as satisfactorily
In other ways as the third rail system
with the live rail, such as President Clark
10 using upon the brai4ch line near Hart
ford
The Westinghouse people have great
hopes that this problem will be solved sat-
isfactorily and in the near future. The
system which they are using only causes
the rails to be alive when the electric car
10 in contact with them. The problem II
to zee whether this can be accomplished
with one rail, thus avoiding the great ex-
pense entailed by the laying of the addi.
tional rail now used in the double third
rail system.
The Pennsylvania company, In cooper
alton with the Westinghouse people, Is try
Ing to solve the problem whether or not it
Is better-that Is to say, more economical
and fully as satisfactory in other ways-to
have a train consisting Of one electric car
which hauls the OtherA~-tWO, four or six,