Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1905-10-19
HIGH SPEED IN GERMANY.
Talk of Electric Railroad Upon Which
12o Miles an Hour Will Be
Practicable.

and Zossen we're concluded and theii
results analysed and recorded, the ques-
ton of an electric railway for rapid sery-
ice between Berlin and Hamburg has
been a topic Of earnest and constant dis
cussion In the daily and technical press
of this country
The Z0ssen experiments demonstrated
clearly that. given a straight, well-laid
and well-balanced track Of the best mod
ern construction. a speed Of 120 miles an
hour was possible and safe. II was
shown that to propel a single motor car
carrying the requisite transformers and
motors, with room TO accommodate GO
passengers. required, for a speed Of ITO
miles an hour. the expenditure Of 1900
horsepower, and that this consumption
of energy was increased to 1000 horse
power when the speed was raised to l2e
miles an hour, at which velocity the
head-end air resistance alone consumed
about 100 horsepower.
II was also found that in order to keep
the rails and run steadily the car must
be heavy and its running gear skllfully
adapted to slurring over with smooth
4 elasticity the slight but unavoidable
i irregularities of the track. 1t proved,
for this reason. impracticable to use
/ light trail cars for any speed above SO
/ miles an hour; at higher velocity the
+ lateral oscillation became so great as
/ to compromise the comfort, II not the
safety of passengers. Another point
I elearly demonstrated was the impor-
lance Of practically direct line.
Curves, II unavoidable, must have
radius of not less than a mile, other
wise they must be passed at reduced
speed. In other words. no steam rail-
way OF any important length now being
operated in any European country. ex-
cept perhaps Russia, is sufficiently
straight to meet the requirements OF
high-speed electric service. Whether
the new systm be adopted sooner or
later the lines will have to be resur-
yeyed and specially built
With these fundamental conditions
clearly established. public and tech
nical interest has been concentrated on
high-speed electric railway between
Berlin and Hamburg. a distance by the
present steam railway route Of IN miles
which could be shortened BY a new dl.
rect line to about t55 miles. The coun-
try between the two cities Is generally
level and as well adapted to the con-
struetion Of a high-speed line as could
be found between any two large and
equally distant cities in Europe. The
ordinary passenger traffic between Ber-
lin and Hamburg now includes about
200 persons per day or $4,000 per
annum, whose fares average 16 marks /
(SS.S0) each. The best steam train
makes the distance In three hours and /
~ minutes, but accommodation trains |
take from five to GU hours.
VIII the proposed Berlin Hamburg |
line be built; and II so when? These are
the points on which public and press
opinion varies all the way from eager
confidence to hopeless doubt To build .
and operate such a line would reduce +
the present first-class double track
trunk line, with its excellent equipment
and terminal facilities. the property Of +
the Prussian state. to the status OF a
freight railway with local passenger
traffic between intermediate points /
There are no important cities ana COM /
paratively few villages on the most III.
rect steam railway between Berlin and
Hamburg, 80 that an exceptionally high
percentage Of the whole Is through traf-
fic. Will the Prussian government con-
sent to sacrifice the bulk of its passen-
ger business on an important trunk line
and encourage the expenditure Of from
$4,000 600 TO 10000, 600, in order to en-
able the public to save from ~ to two
hours in the transit between Germany's
capital and its chief seaport? There are
many who grayely doubt il.
On the other hand. there is In THE
country, and particularly at Berlin a
spirit Of lofty and enterprising ambition
which will stop at no effort or sacrifice
TO keep Germany in the front rank Of
progressive development. This sntrit
was especially manifest at the memorial
exposition recently held in Berlin ~
commemorate the twenty-ffth annlyer-
sary of the founding Of the Electrotecb.
meal society, Having at great cost and
labor carried through Zossen exneri-
ments TO demonstrate what will bannan
when electricity driven trains ar -
from 100 to 1870 miles an hour. II l. feIt
to be incumbent that this heightened
speed, which opens new chapter ana
era in the history of transporfation
shall be first carried to practical reaIi-
zatlon by German enterprise and tech
meal ability. Having proved a most
desirable improvement to be possible
t would, in the popular estimate. be an
Unworthy sacrifice to permit other ma
ions to step to the front and first nth
re what German experiment. has made :
Iehnite and plain. II is a manifesto. &
ion Of the virile national spirit which
las been shown in the growth Of the Ger v
nan navy, the great merchant fleets ~ II