New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-05-11
NEW MOTIVE POWER USED.
ELECTRICITY TESTED ON THE NEW
ENGLAND RAILROAD.
A TRAIN RUN BY THE THIRD-RAII SYSTEM FROM
BERLIN. CONN. TO HARTFoRD-IMPoR-

TRAIN RUN BY THE THIRD Raj. SYSTEM FROM
BERLIN, CONN. TO HARTFoRD-IMPoR-
TANCE OF THE EXPERIMENT
Hartford. Conn. May 10 (SpeclaD.-The d.
rectors Of the New-York, New Haven and Hart
ford Railroad Company. In conjunction with the
directors Of the New-York and New-England
Railroad Company. to-day began the most i'm
portant experiment ever undertaken by those
who believe in the ultimate supremacy Of cleo
tricity over steam as a motive power. A train
moved and controlled by electricity developed al
a central power-house was run from Berlin to
Hartford. on a regular schedule between two
trains drawn by steam locomotives. in the ordi-
nary way. The electrically equipped train did
not In any way interfere with the passage Of the
train drawn by locomotives. This is i'm
portant as showing that railroads which
there is large and constant volume OF passen-
ger traffic may be gradually changed from
steam to electricity without any interference
with the comfort of passengers.
Though the public has not been generally
aware OF the fact there has been q bitter fight
on Tor two years between the hackers Of cleo
tricity and the future motive power. and the
OAK OF steam as the most economical power
known Strange to say, the operators Of urban
and suburban trolley systems were almost
unanimous In their adherence to the advocates
Of steam for regular railroad Journeys. 1t grew
TO be saying In the American Institute Of
Electrical Engineers and kindred bodies during
last winters discussions that the effective range
Of electricity In railroad service only six
miles. The advocates of steam trunk lines with
trolley feeders said. in effect, that current Of
electricity could not be kept at a high enough
pressure beyond the six-mile limit to move
a
booster or auxiliary dynamo for the next three
miles. and that beyond the nine-me limit 1t
would be necessary to transmit the power from
the central power-house alternating cur
rent. to be changed before actual use into a
direct current by means of rotary converter
CURRENT CARRIED A LONG WAY.
Colonel II. H. Heft. the chief electrical en-
g.neer Of the New-York. New Haven and Hart
ford Railroad demonstrated to- day that direct
current of electricity can be sent without serious
loss from leakage for a distance of nearly thir-
teen miles: this means radius Of twenty-five
miles from the central power station. Taking in
this case. Berlin. Conn.,. as the centre, 1t Will be
pc ssible to replace steam locomotives and cars
for Hartford, New Britain. Meriden. Waterbury,
Middletown Walngford and other cities Of the
Nutmeg State, comprising a population Of over
100000 inhabitants.
The directors Of the New-York and New
Haven road have gone into this work in earnest
and IL the present trial Is successful there is
little doubt that the branches Of the New Haven
road, and ultimately the main line between
New-York and New-Haven. will be equipped
with electricity on the third rail system Instead
OF steam.
The present power-house in Berlin contains
two engines and dynamos directly connected,
capable of being worked up to 1000 0horsepower
each. This power-house is only half its full
size. When the building Is complete II will have
six times as much power.
THE THIRD-RAIL SCHEME.
The third rail system, In which the live"
rail is in the centre Of the track, adopted
by c. =. Clark, president Of the New-Haven
road, after his experience with the third rail at
East Weymouth. Mass. Mr.. Clark made one
great saving in laying the track between Berlin
and Hartford by deciding that creosoted wooden
pegs were sufficiently on-conductive to re-
place the expensive insulators OF porcelain and
glass, which had hitherto been employed. The
central rail weighs 93 pounds TO the yard. The
conductivity of iron as compared with copper
Is In proportion OF one to SIX 80 that an iron
rail- weighing 93 pounds to the yard would be
equal TO 13ls pounds of copper TO the yard
amount which Is never used in actual practice.
The cars are fifteen bench open cars, each
equipped with two 125-hOrse power motors. A
form is an electrical air pump, for the electric
brakes and whistle. This pump Is stopped and
started by an ingenious automatic arrangement
which comes into play as the pressure in the
tanks rises above or falls below ninety pounds.
The current was produced at the dynamo at
pressure of $50 volts, and six incandescent lamps
fed in series at an average Of 10 volts burn
brightly at the further end of the line, thirteen
miles from the power-house, showing that the
electrical pressure necessary to msve the train
was still more than sufficient and greatly more
than expected.
At all crossings and switches this third rail Is
omitted the circuit continuing over two copper
cables each one inch In diameter buried in the
ground The contact Shoes which are fiat pieces
of iron hung under each truck. are 33 feet apart.
At short crossings is always in contact; at
crossings wider than 33 feet shoe hung In the
rear Of the trailer car continues I'm contact until
the first shoe reaches the third rail again.
The distance to which the power was trans
mitted and the fac that no intermediate feed
ers were used were the chief features Of inter
est to the railroad and electrical experts to-
day Usually in the overhead trolley system
feeders OF copper wire keep coming direct from
the dynamos. The road was opened without
much ceremony President Clark came down
in his private and brought number Of Of
ficers and directors with him. These were all
transferred to the open motor-car at Berlin and
the Journey over the road began at once The
thirteen miles were completed in eighteen min
utes.
AZ EURlSSy Under SUSPICION