Evening star., 1901-08-02
ELECTRIC RAILWAY TRAINS
PREPARING FOR THE TRIALS TO BE
MADE IN GERMANY.
Experiments with Motor Cars ON o
Line From Berlin to Zossen-Con-
sui General Mason's Report.

According to United States Consul Gen.
| eral Mason at Berlin, in report TO the
State Department there was no actual
! foundation for the statement made In the
American press about three months ago
that a speed Of lbs miles an hour had been
| made in experimental test of electric
trains on a new railway between Berlin
and Hamburg
For several years past" says he. lit has
been recognized by scientific men in Ger
many. as elsewhere, that cars driven by
electricity, which have practically dis
placed the horse car a means Of intra-
mural and suburban travel, would sooner
or later dispute the supremacy of steam
railways for long distance passenger traffic.
The main governing motive for such a
transformation would be the greatly in
creased speed that could thereby be at
tanned. 1t was felt, however, that the
hgh-speed problem involved many details
of construction and practice concerning
which comparatively little is known
Preparing for Experiments.
The consul general describes the steps
taken by prominent scientists and railroad
men in Germany for experiments TO de-
termne the speed and utility of electric
trains. The scheme has the active sup
port of the imperial government. The line
to Zossen is now in process of preparation
begin in August September. For these
experiments two motor cars will be built
Each will carry about fifty passengers,
and efforts will be made to attain speed
of from I2J to 100 miles an hour.
Meanwhile, preliminary tests have been
made on a short provisional line which
was built for experimental purposes a year
or two ago. The motive of these prelimi-
nary trials has been to test the important
but hitherto undemonstrated, point
whether motor moving at speed of 100
miles an hour or more will take the cur
rent readily from a three-wire line.
1T is we'll known" says Mr.. Mason,
that there are certain electric roads in
Switzerland and northern Italy where al
ternating currents of high potential are
used, instead of the 500-volt continuous
current which is employed on most city
tramway lines The high voltage is used
for the purpose mainly of being transmit
ted small wires over long distances
from water-power generating plants. 1t Is
then reduced by passing through genera
torslocated where the current is wanted
Ito a voltage considered safe and suitable
for working the trains.
Fronting by Experience.
I'm using this three-phase alternating
current 1t has been found necessary TO en-
ploy three conductors, viz, two overhead
wires and third rail. The high-speed ex-
periments here will be based on this ar
rangement, and the provisional line Of
Messrs. Siemens and Halske has carried
step further the experience already gained
by the Swiss and Italian roads at ordi-
nary speeds, and yielded some highly inter-
esting and valuable results.
This, then, Is the present status Of the
enterprise. There Is no electrical railway
between Berlin and Hamburg, nor will one
be seriously thought OF until the high
speed experiments on the short line be-
tween Berlin and Zossen have demonstrat-
ed exactly and conclusvely every condition
of the problem. These experiments will be
undertaken when the line to Zossen is
specially prepared and the two motor cars
now being built for that purpose are ready.
That these preparations are not yet COM
plete is shown by the fact that the So
ciety of British Engineers, which visited
Berlin few days ago, saw the provisional
three-wire testing installation at LIGHTER
felde as well as the motor car built for
the coming experiments by the General
Electric Company, but were not taken to
see the railway to Zossen
1.-The trials, when they do occur, will at
tract electricians, machinists, railway man
pean countries, and the results, if sue
cessful is now anticipated, will mark a
notable epoch at the beginning of the CEN
tury From all that can be learned from
the eminent, but very conservative, men
who have the enterprise in charge no in
surmountable difficulties have yet been
encountered; but, on the other hand, every
thing thus far done has been merely tenta-
tive and preparatory. The real difficulties
of the problem have yet to be met