Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-08-09
rnenn rpuhla 3aatnpr 7uma Saturday uuust 1902

friend in the Holland House, New DIRK.
at noon, is tho interesting proposition
suggested by Mr.. Andrew CaInesie's re-
cent prophecy of trains running at the
rate of 100 miles AN hour in the neal
future. and the announcement just
made that the New York 4 i'ortchester
Railroad Company Will soon begin
building It's fuur-irlcll line
TO the uuinitiated and TO the unin-
formed this may seem like rash
prophecy and an almost impossible un-
oertaltng Isili TO the competent cleo
;ric yail!vay engineer il hrs been known
for some time that electric trains run :
ring at this high speed are perfects
feasible and perfectly possible. Or.
Louis Bell, the distinguished electrical
engineer and author of transmission
of Power. over year ago made the
statement in the Street Railway Jour
nal that speeds of 100 miles an hour
could easily be obtained upon roadbeGs
built especially for this service.
The speed of 100 miles an hour can
rot be obtained on the present rail
roads. ,Sot even if the railroads
equipped their lines With electricity
could they maintain such q speed, tor
the reason that their eurveture is too
great TO admit of it safely. In addition
L. this fact. many important cities have
been buiit along the lines where such
high speeds would not be admitted.
The line on which this speed is at
tanned. then, will in all probability nave
ic be a new line built specially for the
service. 1t will have TO be as nearly
straight as possible and it Will have to
avoid grade crossings.
If such line is built. it is of course
to be expected that the latest and best
possible equipment will be adopted. and
the advantages and superiority of am
electrical equipment are perfectly APP
Parent and manifest after even a super
fetal investigation. IN electrically
equipped train will give a more rapi ]
is.celeration: ii will give higher
speed: it will give cleaner service; l.
will give more frequent service than
the steam locomotive at less expense:
il will he less wearing on the track,
less difficult to operate and more eco
nomical in the long run than the pres
ent system
The acceleration of a locomotive de-
rends upon what is called the tractlve
effort. which is in turn dependent upon
the weight on the four or siX-driNer
wheels of the engine. In the case OF an
electric train, however. the entire
weight of the whole train can be used
for tractive effort. For each truck OF
each car can be equipped with motors
Used to propel the cars and controlled
by a single controller on the front car.
This is what is known in technical Lam
guage as the multiple unit or train
control system. And this is the reason
that such rapid acceleration can be
obtained on an electric train.
The second great advantage of the
electric train is the high speed which
can easily be attained. At the present
time the revolving part of the motors
IN technical language. the aimature--
lcvolves at Il much higher speed than
the wheels of the cars According to
the ratio of the number of teeth on thu:
pinion and gear wheel of the armature.
the speed OF the wheels of the car is
proportionately cut down. by simply
changing this gear ratio the speed OF
the ear can be brought up to almost any
desired point. Within the past six
months trains have been run on the
Rerin-Zossen line at speed of over
ninety three miles an hour. and would
have been run at even greater speed
but for the danger of derailment.
In addition to the advantage in the
saving OF time on the high speed cleo
trio railroad, there is also the improve
ment of cleaner service under an
electric system. and trains would be
run at more frequent intervals.