Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-12-19
New Forms of Motive Power.

An electric car of peculiar design
has been given a trial over the tracks
of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad;
the Pennsylvania has begun expert
ments with an immense electric loco
motive, and the Michigan Central re-
ports favorably upon a gasoline mo-
tor which was operated in recent
manths on that system. These ex-
periments show the desire of progress
sive railway managers to keep abreast
with the progress of invention in max
ing use of the latest and most improv-
ed devices to increase the efficiency
of the transportation service.
The car built for the Baltimore and
Ohio is of a type that is undergoing
experiment with a veiw to it's installa-
ton by railroads as a substitute for
steam locomotives on branch or spur
roads. 1t was built at the Brill Car
Works by the Strang Gas Electric Car
Company, of New York. and, accord
ing to Joseph A. Vandergrift. general
manager of the latter concern. it is so
equipped as to be available for various
uses where electricity can be used to
supplant steam as a means of railroad
propulsion. 1t is equipped with an
rectly connected to lfty-kilowatt
Westinghouse generator, feeding into
storage battery composed of one
hundred and eight cells of two and
one-half volts each and one hundred
and seventy-five ampere hours capac-
ity Two fifty-horse power Westing-
house motors are placed on the front
truck of the car.
in,
der the auspices of the Pennsylvania
railroad for testing the largest cleo
trio locomotives in the world, which
has ust been delivered to the COM
pany from the Westinghouse shops at
Pittsburg. 1t is operated by single
phase alternating current motor. sup
piled by trolley wires with the neces-
sary force. TIE locomotive measures
forty-five feet over bumpers. and is
seventeen feet high. 1t is divided in
to two parts, each having six sixty
inch driving wheels 1t has six mo-
tors of 225 horse power each, to-
tai of one thousand three hundred and
fifty horse power. or fifty per cent
greater than the heaviest steam loco
motive 1t has demonstrated a draw
bar pull of sixty-five thousand pounds.
and can attain speed of thirty miles
an hour.
In an inspection trip over the Mich
igan Central Railway with one of the
new gasoline motor cars manufacture
ed by the Fairbanks, Morse and COM
pany, of Chicago. Chief Engineer Webb
covered total distance of 4,347 miles.
and the total amount of gasoline used
was 231 gallons, or an average of 1871
miles per gallon of gasoline. The rec
ords show that on the run from Jack
son to Allegan, a distance of ITS miles
round trip only seven and one-lalf
gallons of gasoline were used. or 1913
miles per gallon. The total cost per
mile including lubricating oil. battery
cells and everything excepting wages
of man in charge was nine-tenths of
a cent. This gasoline car has it's adj
vantages because of it's ability to at
tain high rate of speed and maintain
it on a long run. From Marshall to AL
| leghan the 66.4 miles distance was
made in one hour and forty minutes
or at the rate of forty miles per hour
and the report states that those in
charge never stopped the engine once
The distance of twenty-nine miles
from Tekonsha to Harris was made
in forty-tive minutes, and the best rur
of the entire trip was made from
| South Haven to Kalamazoo, distance
Of 1916 miles in forty-five minutes, o.
at the rate of 1924 miles per hour.