The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-07-29
MOTOR CARS FOR. RAILROADS.
Time Coming When They Will Help Garry the Army
Of Travelers--How Street Railways Are Becoming
the Fseedersof Steam Lines Road the First in the
World to lJse Electricity as an Ally Of Steam.

International Railway Congress, recently
held In Washington regarded ns OF press
Ing Importance. III EuropeAtl countries
Industrial development has been notably
stuntcd, because, with the restrictions I'M.
5 der which they operate, the railroads are
unable to build and run branch lines
probably.
In france and Italy this condition has
prompted the governments to allow largo
subsidies for branch railways, and in Ger
f,1any and Russia, whore nearly all the
railway lines arc owned by the govern
rnent, extraordinary appropriations have
been required for these lines, the state
hoping to get It's money back through the
Increased valuation OF property and the
larger taxes that can therefore be col-
lectcd from It, In the United States,
where the railways arc dependent on
their own resources and where the PROS
perity or vast sections Of the country IS
dependent upon the building OF railroads,
economy Of operation that shall no! lower
efficiency is n pressing necessity. 1t Is
partly as a result Of these conditions and
partly as a step ahead In natural exparl-
sion that other American railways have
followed the policy of the New Haven
system In The acquisition Of trolley roads
+. for service supplementary to the main
steam lines. and there Is at present a
general tender towards building or ppr-.
chasing trolley lines as feeders, that
practically direct railway connection may
be enjoyed by the little, gro~ing COM
muntles Of the main thoroughfares oil
travel.
American railways are adopting v a, 'he
suburbs OF large cities. The New hayen
road Is now building q four track electric
railway into the.clty OF New YORK, Wh t,t
1t will have direct connection with n. me ere
waited and subway systems. The Long
Island Railroad has just begun TO 4 , run
electric trains on ia portion of It's mes
For several months the New York Central
locomotive, for which a special track was
built and equipped near Schenectady. The
results obtained are such that t, 4, rs
thought likely that locomotives 81 th ilis
country for certain Kinds Of traffic before
very long During the, spring a number
OF speed tests were made, the most inter
tween the electric locomotive and a stea m
locomotive Of what Is known as the Pacl-
ac type, the most powerful used In THIS
particular roaas service. Inc 5u n; a werv
case the experimental motor won With
six regulation pa ssenger cars behind r..
1t reached a speed OF fifty miles an nour
1t took the steam locomotive three min
&utes and . seconds to attain the same
speed. And after the competitive trials
the electric locomotive was ''trIed OUT
by being run ore than 50 miles an hour
to show that the severe efforts 1t had been
put through had in nowise affected IFS
smooth working or efficiency. NJ
The foreign railway men who attended
the recent Congress told many interesting
stories Of what's being done in other coun,-t
tries. In France and Germany expert
mental trains have been running for q
number Of years, testing one or another
system OF operation with varying degrees
of success. One OF the delegates declared
that I'm South 5Africatbthere are liz mt
railways on which regular train service
would not pay, but which, with the use
of automotor cars for passengers, have
given satisfaction" There are sections of
railway in South Australia which have a
length or l.20O miles to 3CD, 900 inhabitants,
and could not be 4operatcdEat a profit ex-
scept, with automotorsl cars. In England,
the Northeastern Railway has ben operat-
ing a suburban. service with electric power
for the past year, and excellen results
are reported The Paris Orleans Railway,
the most important In France, has made
similar use OF reversible motor trains.
And tits interesting to Americans to learn
that an American railroad was the first in
the world to demonstrate that cleo.
tricity could play a useful part in the
operation of the.old-time steam lines.