The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-03-06
RIO GRANDE WILL
Use ELECTRICITY
Company Plans Power Plants to
Furnish Light for Trains,
Yards and Shops.
WILL ABOLISH USE OF OIL
COST OF INSTALLING NEW SYS-
TEN WILL REACH 100000

The entire Rio Grande system is to
be lighted entirely by electricity. The
Denver & Rio Grande's intention to
light its road with electricity was an
noUnced some months ago by The Her
aid. Later and fuller information has
now been received. All shops and cars
and yards will be furnished with cleo
trio light furnished by plants operated
and owned by the company. A large
and complete plant will be located at
Denver near The Burnham shops and
another plant will be built in Salt
Lake. Trains will carry equipment to
furnish electricity for the lighting of
cars. Every light used by the COM
pany will be electric and the work of
erecting plants and furnishing the
road with the necessary equipment will
cost approximately s., 000, 900. When
the present plans are carried out in
detail the Denver & Rio Grande sys-
TEN will be the best lighted railroad
system in the world.
viii Be More Satisfactory.
The foul smelling oil and tallow
torches I'm use by wOrkmen in shops
of all kinds will be replaced by cleo
trio torches. The oil lamps in use in
by electric lamps, as will also the gas
lamps now used to light cars in pas
senger trains. The change will not
alone afford a better lighting system,
but the abolition of gas and oil lamps
will do away with the danger of fires
IL wrecks. One local railroad man in
discussing this phase of the plan said:
The substitution of electric lamps
for gas lamps in passenger train equip
ment will be an event in railroad his
tory. In nearly every wreck occur
ring between passenger trains the loss
Os life is greatly due to fire breaking
out in the debris of the demolished
cars. Many persons who are merely
pinned under the wreckage and could
be saved without injury are often
burned to death before aid can reach
them. With the Inauguration of cleo
trio lighting this danger would be re-
duced. Engine headlights will be made
more reliable by the installation of
electricity. A clearer, brighter,
steadier light can be obtained. When
oil is used in any shape there is al
ways a certain element of danger. In
the case of switch yard lamps, the oil
may be exhausted and the lamp ex-
tinguiShed or a sudden wind may ex-
tinguish the light. Thus the only
warning of danger or message of safe
ty. upon which the engineer relies, is
gone, and many disastrous wrecks
have resulted in this manner"
Complete Change Proposed.
The Rio Grande will not merely fur
nish passenger trains with electric
lights, but will provide lights of this
kind for freight trains. Engines and
cabooses viii be lighted in this man
ner Switch yards will also be lighted
with electricity. The oil and tallow
torches now in use by car inspectors
and repairers in switch yards and at
stations will be replaced by electric
torches. All signal lights and sema-
phore lamps will be electric instead of
oil. While the change has been passed
upon, and plans completed for the pre-
liminary work of installing this new
lighting system, it viii be some time
yet before the Rio Grande system will
be lighted entirely with electricity.
The change will be so complete that
much time will be consumed in pre-
Earring for il.