The evening times., 1901-04-16
THE NOTTINGHAM RAILWAY.
F'actS in Regard to the New Electric
system Being BuTIt.

F'uct~ in Regard to the New Electric
system Being BuIIt.
The United States Consul at Noting
ham England. 3 c Mcfarland. reports
To- the State Department that enquiries
are. constantly reaching his consulate re
&ardiuS features Of the electric railway
system under construction and partly IN
operation there. He gives brief histo-
ry of the matter The new system. he
says. iS II cost. exclusive of the purchase
price of the old. s2,s46.913 adding that this
amount also includes the cost of repaving
the whole width of many of the 1mpor-
taut thoroughfares through which the
tramways pass ana also a street improv-
ment costing So. 79i-
Consul Mcfarland adds:
The Nottingham horse tramways.
originally ten miles of single line were
constructed by d company which obtained
Parliamentary powers in 1871 and com
meuced TO run horse ears in September.
1873. The Nottingham corporation-the
CitE-had the option of purchase at the
end of twenty-one years. or on July -.
1898, but it came to an arrangement with
the tramway company by which the sys-
tenn WAS handed over on October l6- 1881
The sum paid for the system Was 52g6.6Z0-
The new power station the contract
for which was let to a local contractor,
VIII not be ready for another year; but
the finished section of the line, a run OF
two miles. which was opened 10 the pub
lie on January I. this year, is at present
operated from the electric lighting sta
tion from \ I00-hOrSe power steam gene
rator and mUltipOlaT 5A0-volt generator
Two Of these plants are at present fixed
y third viii be installed by the end Of the
- n#..gN
run all lines necessary until the new sta
ton is ready when they viii be used for
lighting purposes. The boiIer-house is to
be pa feet by 81 feet and has room for
sixteen boilers 30 by feet working at a
pressure Of I50 pounds per square inch
Wears mechanical stOkeTs will be fitted.
and there viii be storage room for Jt8
tons Of coal The engine house is to be
2G6 by 20 feet and viii hold twelve sVJ-
horse power steam generators. william $
compound central valve engines, and Sic
mems muItipoIar generators
The rails weigh 107 pounds to the yard
and are Of the steel girdeT type. 1hey
are inches deep. 60 feet long and no dll-
ficulty Is experienced in handling therl-
The Joints are designed to give. II posi-
BILE absolute rigidity The fiSh-plateS
weigh IN pounds per pair, are each feet
{ inches long and are secured 70 the r5tiS
by eight bolts one inch IN diameter ne
soIe-plate weighs y pounds. Is feet
inches long. inches wide. thTte-TodTtfi7
Of an inch thick. and Is secured 10 the
bottom f1auge Of rail by our Dolls, seven
efghths of an inch in diameter The nuts
are Of the lock-nut type The bonding i
double of the CrOwu-bDud type, and Is
placed between the hsh-Dlates ana the
rails being protected by the forTHeE
Cross bonds from rail 10 rail are fNed tN-
arl- T1rt~ Yards TlC long bonds TO pass
the uoints and crossings ana the cross
bonds are of the Chicago type. All the
points and crossings are curved NJ
straight ones are used
There. is "a concrete foundation lald IoT
the rails . inches thick. OF Portland &C.
ment concrete. s to ]. and the greater poI-
ton of the line now complete Is paNeu
with granite. On the other sections, now
ever "a large quantity Of Australian nara
wood viii be used So ~ worth OF tiIiS
has been purchased The permanent "dS
has beer entirely constructed by the stan
of the corpora tJ0u.
..The rct5tc consists for the most part Of
wide roads. and centTe-p0!e conStrucLlSi9
viii prevail The district IS hIIly, but the
gradients are not very severe, a short
length of in Il being the steepeSL ~
CRY alternate pole Is HIteG with an arc
laTnD The poles are let in 10 q depth Of
IS feet The trolley wire IS of hard-drav.Tl
copper d. 80 inch in diameter The dpu-
bie-deck cars viii be use'i. except on on
section. which VIII have gradient OF J
in 10 and I III = each gradient about 1u5
Yards long. The cars are arranged 50 as
TO have the staircase reversed The seat
with two motors capable OF giving .
horsepower each. at q speed Of TDi+es per
hour The controller is of the usual type
and reversing switch is provided at each
end of the car iuierlocsed with the Sc
rfes parallel switch 50 that the reversal
ca mot be effected except when the cur
rent is of There Is also q headlight at
each end of the car each fitted with two
lamps and 50 arranged that whichever
circuit is closed. one lamp in each head
light and three lamps in the car shall be
on Illuminated destination boxes are
provided al each end of the cars
The practical reconstruction Of the SyS-
tenn on an electrical basis was begun in
April 1900: miles Of double track We're
in operation in January. 1901; an addition
al section Of ~ miles of double track Is
expected 10 he ready for use in June this
year. and the whole contemplated sys-
TEN as above. twenty miles of double
track. in four years from now.
Two things viii strike the American
public aS exceptionally notable in connec-
ti0n with this W0rk-nameIy. the enormous
expense involved and the equally astound-
ing length of time required to complete
the rather modest system 1t should ne
added that. instead OF beginning con-
structi0n at or near convenient railway
tracks work so far has actually been
begun at the termini all Of the heavy
ma teriai being hauled by horse