Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-10-14
Advance of Electric Locomotive.

steam power for terminal work
- on the New York Central rail
tf3IlI road Is nearing realization. Trial
- trips OF electric locomotives on
the New York City terminal we're made a
few days ago, with satisfactory results
Tho conditions Of the test were not favor
able owing IN the vast amount of track
reconstruction going on at that terminal.
Nevertheless the demonstration confirmed
the opinions formed at the first trial at
Syracuse two years ago.
Experienced operating officials and engl-
neers regard this test as the initial step N
what will be a revolution in our methods
OF travel and OF transporting the countrys
commerce. In their opinion steam Is al
ready passing as the motive power for
railroads, and II soon must be superseded
by the newer. more energetic. more eco
nomical and in every way more desirable
power Of electricity.
A feature Of the trial was the ease with
which the locomotive pulled the cars There
were eight Of the heavy Pullmans used for
long distance travel attached to the train.
The engine worked as smoothly as II only
pulling its own weight. There was no noise
whatever. a, passenger would scarcely
know, that the train was in motion but Tor
the Hitting panorama OF rail fences and tel
egraph poles The running was as smooth
as eating through fresh cheese with
knife until the train came to "orossover
souths OF Fifty-sixth street, where there
was 1000 feet Of dead or unelectrifed rail.
over this gap the train had to skate by It's
own momentum. and the loss. OF traction
was Immediately perceptible. The instant
the electric contact was resumed the stead
iness OF the motion and its eveness became
apparent
Locomotive No. 9i06. like the other
thirty-four which are TO take the place
OF the engine driven by steam, has
double the horse power OF the largest loco
motive on the road today. Each Of the
thirty-fve has been tested up 70 eighty
nine miles an hour. and the movement has
been 80 steady and even that Drumming
glass of water could be carried in the cab
without splitting drops So perfect is the
control that train running a mile a min
ute can be stopped a little more than Its
own length and get under full speed In the
same space It can attain the maximum
speed in less than one-third the time OF
the steam locomotive. There is no gear
ing as in the ordinary electric car. The
power is transmitted directly from the
motor to the axle.
This economy of power makes possible
the high speed and its maintenance imme-
diately after starting 1t IL never neces-
sary to reverse to bring the train to
standstill The motorman controls
subsidiary current which puts the motor
current into operation, so that the con-
troll is practically automatic.
The total normal horsepower of the
electric rolling stock, when the initial zono
Is in working order early in November
will reach 1890. and the total weight OF
the cars and locomotives will be u, $40 tons
There will be twenty-three new passenger
stations in the entire electric zone; thirty
three grade crossings will be eliminated
twenty-five miles OF territory will be In
creased from two TO four tracks, sixteen
miles from three to four tracks and the
reduction In the degrees of curvature by
improvements will be 345 degrees-nearly
a full circle-an achievement which rail-
road engineers regard as remarkable in
view of the fact that the regular traffic
of the road has suffered only a slight in
reference and that there has been no sus-
pension OF business whatever.
The work of electric installation has
been stupendous. Three years have been
consumed in 1t. In that time, in the work
Of initial excavation, 5000, 900 cubic yards
of stone and earth have been removed,
An average force of 5000 men was kept
constantly at work in the zone or electro
hcation. Thirty-three grade crossings
have been abolished. six new passenger
stations have been built and the road has
been shortened nearly a mile by improve
ments In alignment. Eight power plants,
said to be the most perfectly equipped
in the country, will be used, The electric
engines which will haul the new steel
trains will have speed ranging from forty
to eighty miles an hour.
The portion of the road which has now
been equipped with electric power is
known by the offieials as the initial
zone" This includes the Park avenue tun-
mel, and much better handling of traffic
is expected by the doing away of much
switching. When the electric trains are
used all switching engines will be done
away with.
The plans, which will go into effect the
fore part of November allow for the use
of electric locomotives on all trains OF the
New York Central from Highbridge and
Wakefield to the Grand Central station.
All incoming and outgoing trains Will
stop at these points to change engines.
The change will be- made in two min
utes. This loss Of time is more than
made up, II lie said, by the shortening
Oh IOdu ny TIC cut dl
where nearly a mile has been saved.
Another feature which the officials an
nouneed IL that the old system of having
the trains run on the left track as far
as spuyten Duyvil has been ended. The
change was made a few days ago. and
the trains now run on the right track as
far as Mott Haven. Within a month, II
IL expected, the signals will be fixed that
the trains will not have to cross over at
all to the left tracks and will run direct
TO the station on the usual right track.
While the New York Central will OPP
crate its trains by electricity in Novem-
Der. and do away with smoke and dust, IL
will be handicapped for about six months,
as the elsctrifying Of the New York. New
Haven & Hartford's system Is not COM
pleted. and, win not be for about that
time. +'r
Mnniclpa1 Telephones.
The Brighton (Englapd) municipality has
quickly followed the lead of Glasgow. says
the Electrical Review, In selling 10 the
postmaster general the telephone system
established few years ago. The total
capital expenditure to the end of March
last was s2es,5sO and the purchase price
agreed on is $4,000 The postmaster gen
eral originally offered $4,000. that onfer
being based on an expert valuation OF the
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