The Washington times., 1903-12-26

The New York Central has followed
the lead of the Pennsylvania Railroad
in washington and has made contracts
for a number of powerful electric loco
motives for use in its New York tun-
mel. These locomotives. however, are 70
be of a different type than those 10 be
used in Washington. They are to be
used in tho Park Avenue tunnel and
on all of the lines running into the
Grand Central Depot, meeting the steam
locomotives fifty miles out. Hence IN
abou. two years, the present smoking,
steaming. and screaming engines whlch
have been a source of annoyance TO Ne"
Workers for years are to be relegated
to roundhouses probably out OF the
CITY limits. An expert in discussing the
plan says:
'sFirst of all, the magnitude OF the or
der is very striking, for II lnciuoes no
fewer than eight steam turbo-geneTatoI
sets Of 1900 horsepower eacn, anu anu
thirty electric locomotives OF Z,In morse
power each, with, OF course, the heCeS-
~ and auxiliary boilers, condenSers,
etc in the steam plant; and, IL may Dc
a ss1,med the electric lighting and cleo
trio heating Of most OF the passe me.
cars that are TO be hauled tuItheE-
more while the commission Whlch mas
been deciding these points Tor Ine coi II
pany may have started OUT iioIe "a
with
carrv out the law and the ordinances
recurring the abolition or steam IN tnS
PARK Avenue tunnel the members nave
found themselves carried onward pS al
IN 6nence greater than themselves, ana
making irresisti5ly Tor electrlclly, 10 u
eide that the new motive power StaLI
be applied not merely IN the tu l ~ ~
on all the lines running out rom tIle
Grand Central depot for at le3st lofty
or fifty miles. Hence, II woula agped ~
that not only is the SUBURBAN traIlC 70
be hauled in behind electric motors, put
thaf AT the edge Of the electric zone
the steam locomotives VIII De ue-
! fached from the heaviest through trains,
which will also be brought down 20 the
I heart of the CITY bv electric traction.
The expert continues that the direct
/ current system is TO be employed In
! preference to the alternating: lie con
1 tinues:
..-Ne have a belief that at no distant
/ date the alternating system or tracuoH
| will have INDICATED itself, but Tor the
| nresent IL must be accepted that the ar
! g,irnents were Overwhelming in favor ol
/ dlrect-current traction when adopted D9
| such progressive men as MSssrs
/ Sprague and Arnold and the engineers
! associated with them on the coInI ms
sion The adoption OF the steam tut
y bine in the power plant instead OF ln'
/ recfprocating engine IS also an even
/ fraught with great suggesuVeness, To-
II NAV be taken as granted that IN thli
battle FQNAa OF IlOlANt RDNEA NA4s. INe--'N
ard type of engine was put on the yer,
best plane of competition. Anothei
| striking feature is the tact that IN
multipie-unit system which upon its In
PRODUCTION was regarded as a more o.
| less promising scheme for hitching VI
trolley cars. is now found applicable an'
desirable for tractors or the size
these Immense locomotives. so that TIVE
OF them working together can dali!
lightly with the biggest trains that TN
| system has ever known.
All OF this is of interest as the same
methods are employed IN Washington
In connection with these plans ii car
also be said that the overhead electric
wiring is to be used in the Washington
tunnels in preference to any third raj
scheme In fact the third rail Is doom
ed. plans now being under way in New
York and elsewhere 20 replace it with
something not quite so dangerous.
Vice President Green. of the Penpsyl
vania, who has been I'm Florida severa
weeks recuperating from sever
cold returned Yesterday.