Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-09-12
S. P. ENGINEERS
ARE STUDYING
Deyoting Considerable Attention
To Electricity as Motive
Power for Railroads.
HAS GOOD AND BAD FEATURES
While Something Must BE Done to
Relieve OVerwOrked System No
scheme quite suits.

scheme Quite suits.
The Southern Pacific has directed
It's electrical engineer Allen II. Bah
cock ana Frank J. sprague. who has
been retained as consulting engi-
neer saws the Railroad Gazette.
20 study the possibilities Of increas-
Ing the capacity OF the Sacramento d.
vision OF the old Central Pacific by
cIectrifying between Rocklin. Cal, and
Sparks. New. 1874 miles over the 81
ezra Nevada mountains. These gem
tlemen constitute subcommittee
within a committee OF five consisting
Of themselves and three engineers OF
the Hartman lines. not yet named.
This committee win consider the rela-
tive advantages Of q number Of pro-
posed plans for relieving the present
congestion OF traffic over this import
ant connecting link between the Tn
ion Pacific and the Southern Pacific
coast lines. and will make final rec
concentrations 20 Mr.. Kruttschnitt,
director OF maintenance and operation
of the Hartman lines.
DIFFICULT UNDERTAKING.
This eIectrihcation IS perhaps the
most difficult and important install
Iauon which has so far been seriously
considered. The New York Central
and New Haven electrihcations are
simple problems compared with II.
The New York Central was compelled
hy law 10 abandon steam locomotives
Boa the Park avenue tunnel and Il
planned It's electric equipment. not so
much with the idea Of immediate
economy in operation. as with the be-
lief I'm great expansion Of business
i,i the future IN a thlckly populated
territory which could be handled more
probably and with greater comfort 10
passengers boy electric trains than with
steam trains The New Haven went
even farther and designed IT'S install
lation with the idea Of immediate
economy and the ultimate extension
OF electricity over the greater part OF
its network OF lines in Connecticut
The economy Of electric operation
Is still omen TO some discussion. The
possibility OF increasing the carrying
capacity Of a given piece Of track by
substituting electricity for steam as
motive power Is perhaps more easily
proved yet heretofore this has been
"a consideration Of secondary import
lem &c is the first important consider
alton. reasonable economy must. ~
course be attained, but 70 would be
worth while 20 increase the cost OF
operation slightly n Il was found pos
sible 20 increase the capacity Of the
line one-half more. Any Of the plans
proposed will cost enormous sums TO
carry out. and the committee Will
have to decide which method VIII best
meet present and future needs for the
least ultimate cost.
SOME BAD FEATURES.
The Sacramento division crosses the
Sierra Nevada mountains at an ele-
walton or 7,01S feet. II Is the most
direct route TO San Francisco. and all
the through traffic OF the Union Pa
cifc which Is not diverted north over
tho Oregon short Line 90 Portland or
south over the San Pedro. Los An
geles g. Salt Lake 10 Los Angeles
must be carried up the steep slopes
on one side and down the equally steep
slopes on the other side. The traffic
is neavy. but quite irregular and
blockades are frequent in the yards at
both ends OF the division. The road
Is single track with few sidings. and
because Of the difficult location II IS
practically impossible to double-track
IL throughout or 20 greatly Increase
the length Of the sidings. The road Is
fun Of sharp curves. and between
Rocklin ami Sparks there are more
than 81 miles of tunnels and snow
sheds. Rocklin. at the foot Of the
castbound CRATE has an elevation OF
$50 feet and from that point 10 the
summit. SO miles there is a total rise
of GIGS feet an average 81 81 y feet
pen mile. with a maximum Of tl6 feet
per mile. Westbound the maximum
grade begins at Truckoe. and the rise
20 the summit. IA miles. Is lbs feet.
an average of 85 y feet with a MAKE
mum of los feet per mile IN the
winter the snow often accumulates 90
"a depth OF from IS 90 20 feet In the
exposed places.
Various methods have been proposed
and carefully looked into for relieving
in part the congestion of this very
much oyerW0rked line. An entirely
new singlc-track line has been located
some distance away which has slightly
more favorable grades and IL built
would bee equivalent 10 providing see-
ond track on the present location. Tun-
ueIing The 5ierras at "A lower elevation
and thus reducing the length. as wei
ms the steepness of the grades on each
side. has also boon proposed.
NOT AT ALL CERTAIN
Mr Habcock has been studying tho
pose.1iIles of change IN motive
power from steam 20 electricity for
nearly three years and has collected
much of the necessary data on which
"a report can be- based N ls by no
means assured. however. that the com
uauy Wll decide tO adopt electricity
Instead Of the difficult construction
work for "a new line or the daring
scheme of "A long tunnel under the
mountains. for the difficulties OF in
atau.ng and maintaining The necessary
electrical equipment may be found 20
De too great. The principal advantage
. ~ electricity az "a motive power woule
Doc that o. could be Installed ln much
less time than new lime could be
built. and the results would be notice
able nom the beginning of operation
Of The nrst section. In case n tun-
mel was built ~ would De necessary ln
any event 90 use electricity as "a mo-
. tive power.
Some of the difficulties 10 be over
come N electric operation Of the entire
/ division is finally decided upon are.
I installation and maintenance ~ trans
] mission lines 20 Withstand heavy SHOWS
/ and violent storms without Interrupt
] ton. Provision f0r wide variations la
] load with heavy but very Intermittent
/ traffic. Danger from fire in snow
/ sheds during the summer and from
short circuits due 40 melting snow ln
I the spring Extreme cost Of substau
] tIal ana permanent overhead line con-
. structlon and danger 10 tralnmon m
tunnels and SNOW sheds N This method