Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-11-19
Huge Gasoline One in Use on the
Uaion Pacific.
SUCCEEDS FROM THE START
Problem of Cheap Transportation
Solved at LAST for Branch Lines
That Have Failed L Make Good.
May be Used on Road to Yorktown.

Union Pacific Motor No. ." is the
inscription OH the second gasoline mo-
tor Il which has just been construc-
ted in the big shops of the Union Pa
cifc at this place, anu which, on its
trial trip two weeks ago. glided over
the rails at a speed OF 81 miles an
hour with the ease of n bird and with
less jar IL noise than is experienced
in n Pullman car going at half speed.
Car No. I. built last winter and fin
ished in April, vas an experiment;
Cal No. is n commercial success,
and apparently demonstrates that it's
builder is Oh the way to re%volutioniZc
suburban and interurban traffic as
well as solve the problem OF giving
fast II frequent service on. branch
lines of railroads, thus making money
for the railroad and giving the patrons
good and cheap service.
No. 1 was driven by Il 90 horse DOW
er engine, No. . uses n 100 horse pow.
or engine and No. ). now under con-
struction, will require IL 200 horse
power engine. But No. . will he for
passengers, hlail, express and freight.
carrying one or two traiicrs, and will
be Il train itself.
Railroad men from almost every
road OF IL size in the country have
~journcyed to Omaha to inspect the
car, and men OF science from all the
great laboratories and colleges and
workshops have been here to ride in
it. Many Of the railroads, especially
these with large suburban traffic,
have asked for terms on which they
may acquire some of the new cars for
their lines. but rs yet the Union Pa
cific has not had time TO build cars for
other roads. This a possibility of the
future.
h greatest feature of the car is
the demonstration of the practicable.
ity of the gasoline motor as a trans
portation medium. .
At first glance the motor car looks
like n big street car. Then points of
differencc begin TO strike the eye.
The top of the car looks like an invert-
ed racing yacht. Its lines are such
rs To offer least possible resistance to
the air. and The faster the car runs the
harder it is to throw it from the track.
II prov is sharp, and the car looks
not unlike n flat cigar.
No. . has TIVE four-wheeled trucks.
is 30 feet long and has a seating ca
pacity CT 81 people. Although built
entirely Of steel. thc car weighs only
10000 pounds, ana is said TO be % per
cent stronger than cars weighing
twice as much. 1t has steel stills ana
Dracing steel carlines IL ribs, with
angle bracing and outside steel shell.
h trucks are salt to be the light
est and strongest eve built and mark
n decided advance i'll the design of
passenger car trucks. The wheels are
of special rolled steel, of great
strength. The driving wheels are az
inches in diameter and the other
wheels "a inches.
Acetylene gas is used for lighting,
and these are % opalescent panel
lights, making The best Illuminated
cars ever built. A the same time the
light is of such mild character as not
10 be wearisome 10 the eye. Ii is he
lieved that n large number Of branch
line railroads now operated at Il loss
could be put ON a paying basis by
using gasoline cars instead of steam
trains.
Instead OF n high priced engine dri-
ven. lrenlanL conductor and brake
man. as required on passenger trains,
two men are all that are required in
running a gasoline motor. Instead of
a big locomotive eating tons Of coal,
Liz HSN HiOtuI uScS Only ttDOut tHfSe
quarts of gasoline to the mile.
The inventor Of the car. w. r.. Nc
Keen, Jr.. is Superintendent of Motive
Power and Machinery Of the Union Pa.
cific. He has given much time and
thought 50 transportation problems,
and worked on n gasoline motor car
many months before he began build.
ing II But so well had he figured
that the plans were complete in de
tail. even to the paint on the car, be-
fore work was started. Not one
change was made, and although it was
an experiment, everything worked Just
as planned, and the car moved off
when the levers were manipulated
Omaha Cor. New York Herald.
The above account of the Union Pa
cific automobile car will be of especial
interest To the readers of The Daily
Press as it is understood the promot-
ers OF the railways to Yorktown. both
from Newport News and from Hamp-
ton, are seriously considering the use
Of such cars on the proposed lines.