Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1903-07-24
rrALY's ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.
the Building of Road Ii
PrOEressinE.

In company with the members Of
the Institute of Electrical Engineers
says a Mail correspondent of the
London Mail, l have visited the Adri-
attic Railway company, Italy, which
has recently applied electrical work
ing to its 67-mile section of line
originally built for steam locomotives.
and running along the shores of the
lakes of Lecco and Como and from
the junction of Colico to a terminus at
Sondrio. The achievement is likely to
have decided weight in considerations
of a similar nature now daily under
discussion in Great Britain. The pOr-
ton of the Italian railway on which
the work has been carried out is not
one that was considered the most IA
vorab BILE for the practical demonstra-
ton of electrical working. but one on
which it might be considered that if a
successful result were obtained many
other sections Offering less onerous
conditions could with absolute GER
tainty be readily converted.
In Investigating the general meth
DDS that have been followed by the en-
gineers who have carried out the work
on what is known as the Valtellina
section of the Adriatic company's sys-
tenn, there is practically no evidence
of alteration to the permanent way
beyond connecting the rails a. every
joint with a. stout copper wire, so that
the return current finds an easy pass
sage. 1t is still possible to run steam
locomotives over this part of the rail-
way, and any of the company's or
binary passenger or goods carriag es
can be coupled on to the electric train
and pulled along just as of old.
Special cars, fitted with electric mo-
tors capable of developing 600 horse
power, have been constructed with a
small cabin in either end, in which is
located the apparatus by which the
driver controls the starting, running
and stopping of the train. These cars
weigh about so tons each, having a
seating capacity of 40 passengers
and can haul at a speed of 40 miles
per hour five coaches of the ordinary
rolling stock. The goods traffic is
handled by specially constructed cleo
trio locomotives. resembling in ex-
ternal shape those of the Central Lon
don railway, weighing about 46 tons,
and capable of starting a train
weighing 27O tons up the steepest in
cline of the Valtellina section.
The electrical energy is conveyed to
the trains by means of overhead troll
ley wires, such as are seen in every
day use in connection with electric
tramways, but there is difference in
the pressure" employed of about six
to one in order to avoid unnecessary
loss in the long transmission along
the line. The passenger travelling by
the train finds that he can sit and en-
Joy the view without the objectionabl bic
smoke of the locomotive, and that a
regular speed is maintained through
out the journey. Gradients and
curves, which are numerous, are cas-
lily surmounted, and there is the salts
faction to the shareholders of the rail-
ways of increased dividends.
The general success of the under
taking can be readily gagged by the
fact that further length of 81 miles,
giving a connection with Milan, will
be converted to electrical working as
soon as possible.