The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-03-19
WONDERFUL RECORD.
Travels 1900 Miles Without
Mishap Of Machinery.
Gossip and Matters of Interest
i'm Railroad Circles.


over four thousand miles Of rail-
road lines traversed without delay of
an hour through a fault Of its own or
the expenditure Of a dollar for the re-
pairing Of its machinery is the
record of the strang gasoline-eleetric
car, "Ogerlta," which was in Topeka
for four hours yesterday afternoon.
having made a special run from Kan
sas City to Topeka over the tracks of
the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe. No
such record ever has been made in
the history OF railroading by an indie
pendently propelled car. This record
is surprising in a way even to ". b.
Strang, president Of the company
which Is promoting the car and Lars
@. Nilsson. the designer and inventor of
She really wonderful com bination of
gasoline engine and electric generator
which furnishes the motive power.
"AH Of us interested felt sure that
our car was the best of its type which
has been constructed" said Mr.. strang
yesterday. s'but its operation ON this
unusual trial trip which has covered
between four and five thousand miles
under all sorts of weather conditions,
really has surpassed our expectations.
Just stop and think a minute. Here is
a car, the motive mechanism of which
IS new and until now untried on long
distance trips. We left the shops with
ii over a month ago and have been
running 1t back and forth on most of
the steam railroad lines between New
y ork and Kansas City, and UP to the
present time We have not been com
PEELED to lay up for a single instant to
make repairs to our machinery. 1t is
In the same condition now g when we
started and as I said. there has not
been single breakdown on the entire
trip"
Wherever this car has been it has
attracted unusual attention not only
from railroad men but the general
public as we'll for it is generally con
ceded that a car Of this type viii be in
use before long for passenger service
on the branch lines Of most of the
railroads in the country. where regu-
lar passenger trains are now operated
at loss. Cars Of this sort. but diff
ferent In the motive machinery from
the Strang car are being operated now
by the Union Pacific on some of its
branch lines. It is probable that the
Santa Fe VIII try cars of this kind pos
Fibly Of the Strang type on some of its
branch lines within the near future.
Details Of the Strang car and its
unique motive power have been pub
lshed i'm the State Journal 1t was
through the efforts of the officials Of
tine Santa Re that the car was brought
TO Topeka yesterday. and although it
arrived just about the time the big
snow storm started hundreds of per-
sons went down to the Santa Fe sta
ton and took a look at the car and
nothing was heard but expressions of
admiration for its neat and business
like appearance.
The car left Kansas City at 9 o'clock
yesterday morning, made a half dozen
stops on the way one of fOrty-five
minutes at Lawrence, and arrived here
shortly after the noon hour. Its aver
age running time on the trip was about
Iorty-rour miles an hour.
In the party making the trip were w
.. Strang, president of the company
winch Is promoting the car; Lars @. MI
son, the inventor Of the car. r. E Miller
r. s. LOOMS, electrician. Thomas Riley
superintendent Of the company; f. c.
dIYlslon 81 the Santa Fe: 2. J. Shake
shaft, assistant general passenger agent
o5 tne santa Re = w. Thomas, engineer
9l teslS' 3. j. Heade. Frank p Ewing, T.
a. Cooke, Neil DOnnelly and Frank L.
Martin Of Kansas City. J. r. Danforth,
George G. Bailey, James Donnelly. j. i.
5rady. e. s. Finch, ]. III. Roberts and
Eoin Baldwin of Lawrence. From Kan
sas city to Holliday-XV. B. Jansen. fourth
Elee president OF the Santa Fe and W. B.
otofey, Jr.. chlet engineer, who are on a
Trip out through the southwest rode on
the strang car. They left 1t at Holiday
ana boarded Mr.. Jansen's private car.
which was attached to train No. and
continued their trip.
Adam Hewitson. a Santa Fe conductor.
and Edward WEIGH a Santa Fe engineer
were also with the party and acted as pi-
lots FOR the trip.
an those who Travelled on the car for the
nrst time yesterday. including the Santa
Fe OFFICIALS, were impressed with its UNI
usual qualities At times there was CON
siderable vibration. but both Mr.. Strang
and Mr. Nilsson stated that this vibration
would be overcome in the new cars which
their company Is building. which viii be
longer and wider than this model car and
the bodies Of which will be differently
ton.
Contracts have already been made by
ar Srrang for the use Of cars of the type
Of the Ogerita on the new interurban line
which Is being built from Kansas City