The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1907-10-04
MADE GREAT SPEED
ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE TRAVELS
70 MILES AN HOUR.
Triumph for Westinghouse Manufsc-
turing company--Buit 70 Haul
Cars Through New Penn.
sylyania Tunnel.

70 miles an hour on the powerful
1000 horsepower electric locomotive
Just perfected by the Westinghouse
Electric and Manufacturing company.
after nearly four years OF experiment
tai work. according &c the New York
Evening Post.
The engine, which was exhibited TO
outsiders for the first time yester-
day. was especially designed and built
by the Westinghouse engineers for
the purpose Of batiiiug Pennsylvania
passenger cars through the new tun-
mel. Each step ia the construction Of
the machine has been taken under the
careful scrutiny Of George Gibbs, Chief
Engineer of the Pennsy lganla's cleo
trio traction.
Engineers Of the Westinghouse
plant explained that the Pennsylvania
had no intention Of running the cars
under the Hudson river at the rate
Of 10 miles an hour. In making the
tlip, however, down 80 or 40 feet
under the bed Of the river and then
up again on the other side, a grade
Of two feet to every 100 must be aver.
come, That is what railway men call
a mountain climb. The power given
to the new locomotive was for the
purpose of pulling "a loaded train Of
cars up that two per cent. grade, not
for speed.
1t was on the private experimental
tracks Of the Westinghouse company,
just outside Of Plttsburg, that the test
was made. A number Of fatcars were
loaded with rails to represent a fully.
loaded train. The newspaper men
were told to clutch something, and the
start was made.
Unlike a e. y locomotive. there
was no giole ,Eaying or rocking,
even when the speedomcter showed
70 miles, One sharp curve, which was
only slightly banked, was taken at a
speed of 63 miles. With the excop.
ton Of the engineers who made the
machine and have lived with it, every
man aboard thought of the New York
Central accident aud held his breath.
There was only a slight iunge, then
the engine Strengthened herself, and
shot forward. Neither the Westing.
house nor the Pennsylvania men think
anything Of climbing down among the
wheels while go or 20 miles an hour
is being reeled of. The offer was made
TO take the curve at a higher speed
than GO miles on the return trip, It
was unanimously declined,
In Il recent test, with Pennsylvania
officials aboard, the locomotive, which
can easily attain A speed Of 90 miles
au hour, vas started. opened W to 20
miles m hour, and then brought TO a
dead stand inside Of a mile and a quar-.
ter,
a section Of the track is fitted up to
meet the exact require nents Of the
Pennsylvania tunnel. In appearance
the Identification OF The track is SINH,
lar TO that of ordinary trolly roads.
But while our subway and surface
lines are operated by the third rail.
or what Is called 4 constant current of
electricity, on the new Westinghouse
locomotive what Is called a single
phase alternating current from an
overhead trolley is used. The same
amount Of electricity used to operate
a trolley can be transmitted under
heavy pressure fo@ long distances to
operate heavy trains. That saves the
expense of constructing and maintain.
ing p~owerhouses every few miles
along the road.
Development of the single phase al.
t%ernating current system for electric
traction is the most recent Ia the cleo
trical art, and It's progress has been
extremely rapid Al the time the New
York Central adopted their system ii
had not been developed to a sufficient
degree to warrant its serious consider.
alton.
Since that time, however. the re-
markable commercial advantages of
the single phase system have been
conclusively demonstrated. and there
are to-day a large number Of roads
operated by this system. not only in
this country, but also In Europe. More
than 1000, single phase electric rail.
way motors are operated in this coun
try over about 1000 miles of track.
The most notable installation took
place on the New York, New Haven
and Hartford railroad. which has now
80 of these locomotives in use. The
operation Of electric trains on the
New Haven by the single phase al
ternating current was begun recently.
Electrical engineers frankly admit
that In sparsely settled districts OF
the west the electric locomotive can.
not be operated by The railroad to ad.
vantage. The cost Of an electric loco.
motive is twice that of the type now
generally used by the steam roads.
According to expert opinion, the posi-.
bilities OF saving In operating cost de-
Ponds upon the traffic density of the
road in question, Where the move.
ment of freight and passengers is