New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-02-26
ELECTRICITY ON MAIN LINES.

Electricity as means Of propelling railway
cars has already proved highly successful in
two important fields of usefulness. and an ar
tcle in last weeks Electrical Review" empha-
sizes the question how soon it will enter the
third. The earliest application Of this agent to
traction purposes displaced horse power from
the street railway. The next was substitution
for steam i'll urban and suburban traffic The
Electrical Review asks If the time has not at
last arrived for its use on the main lines Of
such roads as the Pennsylvania, between New
York and Philadelphia
For certain classes of transportation formerly
performed by steam power electricity has al
ready demonstrated its superiority. In the first
place, power in that form can be supplied to a
| moving wheel from n distant station more
cheaply than it can be manufactured by a loco
motive, the most wasteful type of steam engine
known. And experts have found that where
large numbers of passengers are to be moved
short distances and frequent service is re-
quired, the economy Is particularly evident
The Coney Island business In summer the
similar traffic on the Nantasket branch of the
Old Colony road out of Boston, the practice OF
the Chicago elevated roads. and the policy Of
the newest underground roads in London are
illustrations of this principle The preparations
now being made for electric traction by the ele-
waited roads of New-York and the elaborate in
yestigation Of the subject by the managers OF
the old steam roads that run below the surface
in the British capital still further show the
tendencies of the times
One is not Justified in assuming that cleo
tricty is no better than steam for main lines
simply because, theoretically, the advantage is
less obvious there than in suburban service
The proposition has not been demonstrated vet
Duf this Is dine I'm IN locly oF
And the delay is perhaps fortunate. for new
light is to be thrown on the subject In the near
future from various sources. For instance troll
ley roads, which have hitherto taken away
much of the local patronage from the steam
roads, are now beginning 10 threaten the through
business of the latter as well. BY the consoli-
dalton Of short lines scores of electric roads
have been established which parallel the steam
lines for forty, fifty and even seventy-five
miles. Combinations Of this sort are on the in
crease, both In number and extent And II
appears to be only a question Of time when
they will compete injuriousy with the steam
roads for through traffic.
Moreover, an innovation has been proposed In
elevated road practice which may perhaps be
initiated profitably in the service between New
York and Philadelphia. For few hours before
dawn each day, trains may be broken up
provided. THE Electrical Review" is thus
led to suggest that instead of six-car ex-
press every hour on the Pennsylvania road
six one-car dispatches be undertaken at inter
walls Of ten minutes and that during the
rush hours in place OF a fve-car local train
every ten minutes there be one car every two
minutes. The system here outlined would not
be feasible If a steam locomotive were required
for each car but it is altogether practicable
with electricity The increased frequency of
service would prove a popular convenience and
consequently n source Of enlarged revenue If
In actual practice the policy proves remunera-
tive to elevated roads, it is hard to see why
1t would not operate In the same manner on
lines like the Pennsylvania. And If 1t works
advantageously between New-YOrk and Pha-
delphia. it ought not to be long before it should
be tried on n still more extensive scale-say, be-
tween the metropolis and Buffalo.