The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-05-28
ELECTRICITY ON RAILROADS.
Prof. short Says Recent Improvements
will Drive out Steam on short Lines.

Al the electrical exhibition In Madison
S1uare Garden last night Prof. snort OF
the Walker Electric Company gave a
lecture with kaleidoscope pictures on cleo
fricifv as "a railroad motive power. The
principal point OF his remarks was IN rel
erence 90 the use of electric motors on
elevated roads. Brooklyn is TO have It's
elevated roads operated in this way. Prof
Shor, said. in part
"This subject SIS Of great interest at this
tine because of the adoption Of electricity
by the Brooklyn elevated roads and the
careful investigations now being made
OF the subject by the Manhattan Elevated
Railway Company There are two rea-
sons for the adoption of electricity by
elevated raiiways-one 90 reduce the cost
OF operation. the other 90 increase its
schedule speed 20 the utmost limit
"Tho cost of operation con be material
lv. reduced. as fully one-half Of the fuel
viii boslVad ON account of the cheaoer
grade NJ coal which can Dee burned under
etltIonar yb0ilcrs the tonnage remaining
ihc same The increased rapidly I'm the
movement of the trains viii for the same
1ervice reduce thc train crew wages by
: large percentage. The repair expenses
o. the electrical equipment Will snow a
large annual saving over the repairs re-
flIred hv locomotives. The decrease IN
the running time of the trains must be
made principally by stopping and start
ing them more rapidly
..'rho method TO be used on the BROOK
f,.-, roads fr Co use two small motors on
each car OF the train. making ten motors
instead of four. an OF the motors 70 po
controlled from the front platform ol tmo
train. Even with this metho9. khoMn
as tho multiple unit system. ~ - - -
r,oseiblc to make more thah an elSIi
mile schedule ON ordinary elevated ran
yyavs with ouc-third milo stops H.,
..-ria most serious problem in cohAtclou
.,.,.t, tto operation of trains by means or
eioctriritv over long distances is the
ooo,ori.al transmission and distribution
81 The electric current from the main
mower station 90 the moving trains oil
.ne evstem 40 very long lines have yet
teen electrically equipped owing 10 the
cost of transmitting the power. II Is not
practical 20 use "a higher pressure thah
~ or COO volts in tho third rail The cost
~ the COPPER feeders for transmitting
power AZ this pressure TO great distances
a. prOhihuVe.
,.There ls however. another way out
NJ the dImculty. The power stations can
be provldea with large generators Of the
alternating current type which will pro-
duce the electrical energy and deliver II
al HIGH pressure 90 transmission lines,
the current quantity being corresponding
ly small This high tension alternating
current must be reduced ia pressure at
f,tcryafe a5one the road and fed into the
thlrd rail at the normal pressure OF 800
volts This can be done by means OF the
ordinary static stcp-down transformers,
but they would feed the trolley rail with
an alternating current which would not
drive tho current motors on the cars. IL
is therefore necessary 20 interpose be-
tween the socondaries OF the static trans
formers and the third rail- rectiher or
rotary converter which changes the al
tcrnatlnr current into a direct current
"ft o. only recently that these rotary
converters have been developed, and we
believe that the great success being at
talned by This new machine viii stimulate
fhe adoption OF electricity for long as
lance high speed railways and that In
"A few years we win see electric trains
operated over lines one or even two nun
dred miles in length. New York sun