The Washington herald., 1907-04-12
Steam orElectricity forRaiIroads
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

WIN electricity take the place OF steam
as the motive power Of the great railroad
systems Of the United States2 What effect
VIII the phenomonel growth OF the electric
traction lines have on the great steam
trunk lines? These are two questions
which railroad men are asking and 10 the
consideration of which they are giving
much thought. The financial and legal
questions, and the agitation of govern
mental control or ownership. are not the
only problems that are engrossing TIE
minds of the men who manage the trans
portation facilities of the country.
Among engineers it Is now quite gem
orally recognized that the problem Of
substituting electricity for steam on the
heavy railways is wholly financial. 1t
has been demonstrated that there are no
mechanical or electrical difficulties III the
way. No one seriously looks forward to
a revolutionary change TO electricity IN
one day, but the change may be made on
all of the principal lines within the next
two or three decades.
Steam railroads are electrifying those
sections OF their roads which carry the
heaviest and most frequent trains, and
which present the greatest number of
difficulties In their operation, Terminals
and freight yards are being electrified.
tunnels and mountain-grade divisions are
following, and these viii Inevitably be
extended. In the meantime the inventors
are hard at work, and the railroads are
keeping a weather eye on them. for no
one knows when there will be new con-
trivance which viii work revolution in
electric traction science.
The Pennsylvania Railroad, for ex-
ample, was thirty years attempting to
solve the problem Of getting into New
York city without "a ferryb0at TO aid In
the last stage of the journey. A bridge
was projected, but the expense and the
other difficulties made it impossible. 4
tunnel was thought Of but the disad-
vantages of smoke and noxious coal
gases made it impracdcable. Then came
the notion of using electric power, and
the tunnels are now an accomplished Iact. !
The Pennsylvania trains will soon quit |
steam at the New Jersey shore and go |
into New York by electricity. The tunnels /
are under East River as well as North /
River, and the Long Island Railroad Will /
not only enter New York by electricity. /
but viii be electrified for its entire length |
The electrifcation of the Baltimore and /
Ohio tunnels and station yards at Balt- |
more solved the New York problem for /
the Pennsylvania. The success OF the |
Baltimore experiment has resulted in the |
movement to compel the railroads enter /
ing the new Union Station in Washington /
to use electric motive power within the 1
limits of the District of Columbia. What I
would be the vote on electricity versus /
steam If the passengers who ride through /
the St Louis tunnel 10 the Eads Bridge 4
were asked to express their opinions?
The New York Central has electrified it's /
suburban lines out of New York. as has
also the New York. New Haven and Hart
ford, and these electric zones are being
gradually extended. They use motor cars
OF the trolley, or third rail- system for
the light suburban trains and electric
locomotives for the heavy express trains
The New York Central now has thirty i
five electric locomotives of greater power
than any high-speed steam passenger
locomotives in use. One of them is held
responsible for a disastrous wreck which
occurred a few weeks ago, but the en- Il
gineers are OF the opinion that the wreck
would have occurred if the engine had
been steam propelled; that the fault was
in the tracks.
Meantime the electric traction lines. the
''interurbans. are reaching out into all
the country that the clUmsier steam rail-
roads do not reach Indiana. Ohio, Hi
,,fg ~ nFfcbsgor ora -or~e~s4 rr-f+F, I
perfect network OF these electric lines.
In Wisconsin and Iowa there are new
ones building overy day. The Southern
portion of New England and the State
ef New York are interlaced with these
roads. Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ala
bama are building them. The Pacific
Coast centers of population are not FAR
behind. and the Northwest section is
building traction lines with that marvel !
GUS rapidity which only the Oregon
Washington country can show in business
and industrial development N
In the Middle West these electric trac-
tion lines, in conjunction with the tele-
phone and the daily rural mali service.
have revolutonized social life. The
changes in the methods and habits Of
living among Indiana farmers have been
more rapid in the past ten years than \
any rural community has experienced in a
century before. Almost every city in /
Illinois. Indiana, Ohio. and Michigan is to
be reached by trolley from anywhere
within a radius of a hundred miles The n
cars are more frequent than the steam .
cars. there is no smoke and cinder nui- )
sance, stops are made at almost any con-
venient point, the speed is higher than r
thar Of the ordinary steam "accommoda-
ton train, and the cars are clean aud
comfortable. The country people can go
to the city for a days shopping or a !,
days pleasure upon moments notice !,
n trip that ten years ago would have been
planned for a month ahead Even the
towns and villages fifty miles away have ,
the benefit Of the theater in the cities.
and the traction roads are fairly coming
money. y
Much new business is created for the u
railroads by these lines, but their exten- =
sion and the increased operation of .
through trains and trolley sleeping cars, h
rs well as the extension OF the freight p
,arrying business. means that the steam a
-aiiroads are competing with a foeman u
quite worthy of their steel. The motor
lriven interurban car on scores OF lines