Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-08-24
THE MULTIPLE.UNIT PLAN.
A System Adopted ON Underground,
Elevated and Suburban Roads.

Pondering over the elevated railway
train problem one day, the thought sud.
denly flashed upon me, why not apply the
same principle to train operation? That
is. make train unit by the combination
Of a number Of individual cars. each
complete in all respects, and provide for
operating them all simultaneously from
nny master switch on any car This idea.
sketched on scrap Of paper, marked the
complete birth Of this new method. then
named and now nearly everywhere
known rs the multiple unit system" Its
great possibilities instantly absorbed my
interest. as SAW tho opening o: a new
epoch in electric railway operation. Here
was way 10 give train Of any length
all the characteristics Of single car,
with every facility Of operation which
would be demanded by the most "xacting
conditions of service and capacity
After two absortive attempts to get the
privilege to demonstrate the advantages
"f the system at my own expense on the
Manhattan road in New York. an unex-
pectcd opportunity suddenly arose in the
spring OF 1897, when / was requested to
act as the consulting engineer of the
South Side Elevated railroad Of Chicago.
brief inspection of the layout showed
Il field ripe for mu!tple-u unit application.
which ! briefly explained to Sargent and
lundy. the engineers, and to Mr.. Clark
Of the General Electric company, for
tunatoly all Old friends | hastily drew
up il report. tho main feature of which
was an argument in favor of the abandon
m.nt of locomotive cars. ard the adop-
ton Of individual equipment under COM
mon control in short. the multiple-unit
system. As an earnest Of my confidence
l supplemented the report by an offer to
undertake the equipment of tine general
plan outlined. which met the indorsc-
mcnt of tho engineers. This was followed
by a visit to Chicago. hut the contract
was not concluded until after left for
/ Europe. and then only after a very bitter
fight with various companies, and under
most oncrous conditions, supplemented by
a 100000 bond fer performance.
Among other things. was Immediately
To begin work on the entire elnipmont
and to have six ears ready for operation
in two months on standard track SIP
piled by me-. the manner of making the
test to be prescribed by the officers and
engineers of the road. and to he to their
satisfaction. Should the test not he con-
cluded by the date set. or be unsatisfaC-
tory. the contract could I've canctlod. Sat
isfactory further tests could Ia called for
elsewhere. and the remaining equipments
were to be completed by specified dates.
AS soon as the power house and road were
ready there was TO be another test of
not less than ten days. Should the sc
equipments prove unsatisfactory, tho
right remained to cancel the contract and
to require waiver of all CHAINS against
tho company.
/ did no. return TO New York until
about the middle of June. 50 that most
Of my instructions for the trial equip
monts were by cable. and the actual pre-.
paration was made within thirty days,
despite a wholesale strike of tine ma
chinists employed in the shops OF the new
Sprague Electric company, which soon
took over the contract.
July 16. 1897. two cars were put into
operation on the tracks of the General
Electric company at Scht ncctady. and on
the 26th. the half-ccntury anniversary OF
Professor Farmers test OF a model cleo
trio railway at Dover. n. H., my ter-year-
old son operated a six-car train in the
presence of the officers and engineers
Of the South Side Elevated road al
Schenectady.
In November n test train of five cars
was put in operation In Chicago, and on
the 10Th of Aprl following twenty cars
seventeen of which Zone in famesl were
taken uff during the day because of dc.
fective rhccstats, hut with the last three.
car train ! had the satisfaction Of pushing
steam train around curve. Thre,
months later, n year after the Science
tady test, locomotives had been entircl,
abandoned. and the whole 100 cars were
in operation, the LEGAL work being Target,
supervised by my assistant. Frank ii
Shepard.
The system, with sundry changes in de
tail, has now beer universally adopted
for electric train operation on under
ground, elevated and suburban roads. ant
the largest present enterprise in substitu
ton of steam operation the liberalization
Of the New York Central terminals ant
a portion OF it's main line. is likewise dc
pendent upon 1t. There not only the sub
urban cars. but the great locomotives sup
Piled by the General Electric company, o
c,2Oo. horse power capacity and weighing
10 tons. are to be controlled on the multi
ple-unit plan. so that two or even thre
locomotives, representing an aggregate o
several thovsand horse power. undo
simultaneous control. can he put at tn
head OF any train which may be mad
, | nm Frank Il RDrague in the Century.