Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1901-12-26
ELECTRIC TRACTION
ALL-ABSoRBING BEFORE m
GERMAN GOVERNMENT
Investigating Relative Worth !.
Electricity and steam-Think
TEey rave Solved Question

! Berlin letter: | see predicted owe,
the cable that the New York Centr,,
railroad will attempt to use elee,rio
traction in order to avoid the sno,,
nuisance in their tunnel from the Graz
Central depot. For over a year psst
the German government has been A..
lively interested in the question 80
| high speed electric traction An a.
sociation known as the "Studiengs.
sellschaft' or Investigating comnanv
was formed with the support and 90.
operation of the military authoritias
for the purpose of studying the elec.
trio traction situation with special ref
erence to the development of bigb
speeds, and under its auspices expeTi.
ments have just been begun.
After investigating such electric rail
ways as had existed in Germany the
Studiengesellschaft laid out the condi-
tons OF a problem to be met in railroaa
affairs and invited the cooperation az
two of the most important manufaetur.
ing concerns In Germany.
AS preliminary theater of OPERA
tons a single track military road ey.
tending from Marienfelde, one Of our
suburbs from Berlin to Zossen, was Sc
lected. This being fairly straight dl1
not differ in general from other mill
tary railroads in the German empir.
but afforded the best facilities for
trial.
The length of line is 14A miles
the smallest radius of curvature being
around $500 feet, the heaviest grade
being from one to 1884,
The rails are of the ordinary TYNE
placed on wooden cross-tiers at stand
ard e,duge
Upon this track the two companies
were invited to operate cars. each TO
have a capacity for seating so persons
and to conform in height and width to
the standard Prussian state railway
car specifications. The cars were to be
provided each with two siX-wheel bogie
tracks, the maximum load being set at
16 tons per axle, inclusive of Dassen-
gers, or total Of not more than SO
tons tmetricl for the loaded car
The current supply was to be three
phase at about 80 cycles per second.
with 1000 volts pressure on the
primary distribution line and the sDeed
was to be between 200 and 900 kiln
meters per hour Control Of the motcrS
was to be independent from each emf
of the car A number of other c0ndi.
tions were laid down concernirT thi
rates of acceleration and of braking
The two companies, the steam raj
road end the surface road entered int
this competition In \ spirit Of fripnd
rivalry. but with full enthusiasm Each
constructed a tyne of car rs a means
of possible solution of the question
They were widely dissimil1r in many
respects, but yet had a certain ron
formitv in the general lines Of the.'
equipment.
The trolley line was stretched at the
side of the right of way about seven
feet four inches from the center OF the
track. the three wires being suspended
one above the other at a distance Of
one meter apart. the lowest wire being
Is feet above the surface of the rails
The total line is divided into sections
of one kilolneter in length tho center
of each section being fed frop' the high
tension mains paral'eling tho track
The line is fed from star connected
mains, the neutral point being ground
ed, most elaborate lightning protection
and cut outs IN the shape Of broken
wires having been provided.
The most honeful and interesting
feature of the whole tests is in the eN-
hibition OF the faith of our German en-
gineers in polyphase traction This Is
the faith that has many times IN the
rast conquered obstacles which seemed
apparently insurmountable and pro-
duced results which are the foundation
of some of the greatest industries nj
the day. The position of heiF e.
gineers in regard 10 high speed ana
heavy railway service hy electro
motors is not unlike that of some VINO
foresaw Il years that the horse must
disappear from the street car lines as 2
motive power. In the face OF much
disbursement they succeeded ana
started with nowhere nearly so rerle'l
design as we have shown in these
German railway cars II seems very
probable that the success which attend
ed the exploitation of the direct cur
rent motor will follow the magnihe. ut
work our colleagues are doing I'D 'Ae
direction of high sneed traction
VAN yUECSET TN1RF.