Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1908-01-11
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS"
-, :, and Electric Railroads.


T.o mast year has been fruitfu
:. Weld of valuable Information
!" ,ho respective merits of steam
electrical traction on steam rail
.ods The first electric zone OF th'
,sv York Central lines, reaching
som Forty-second Street to Higt
,-,a.o has now for over twelV'
sa~,bs been operated exclusively By
a,ec,rIe locomotives, using direc
.nrrent. and the New Haven sys
,o., has been in partial operation
suom Forty-second Street to Siam
,o,d A distance Of S5 miles, by elec
,,ieal locomotives making use botf
the direct and single-phase cur
mt These two are unquestionabl'
ma most important Developments In
,ho olectrlfication OF trunk steam rail
roads IN the world, both being four
track system carrying heavy traftic
The New York Central venture has
nroved 10 be brilliant success. With
Tho exception OF the Woodlawn acci'
dept which was chargeable to In
oomnetent and careless operation
ro,ber than to the electrical equip
ment the whole OF this elaborate
plan has been operated practically
without any mishap, and the new To-
somotives have taken their trains In
and out with a smoothness and reli-
ability which exceed even that OF the
tme-honored steam locomotives
which they displayed. Moreover, u
recent tabulation Of the costs of this
electric operation shows a decided
economy over the former steam trac-
ton; and there is the added advan-
tage that the number OF train move
nents in the yard has been reduced
from 1900 10 less than 700-to say
nothing of the abolition OF the nuis-
snees OF smoke and noise. OF the
results on the slngle-phase system
Of the New Haven road It is, perhaps,
too early TO speak with certainty;
BIZ, Judging from appearances, it
would certainly seem that the in
stallatlon has not proved nearly so
reliable as the dlrect-current system
Of the New York Central Road. with
which comparison will naturally be
instituted Judging from the con-
tinual presence OF repair trains and
the large number OF Interruptions
due to temporary failure of the troll
ley lines, Il would seem as though
The complicated overhead system
smpoyad was not sufficiently robust
10 stand the strain OF the heavy traf-
be OF o four-track main line road.
Moreover although the overhead
work has been completed as far as
sanford for many months, the
company seem reluctant to trust the
hauling OF theft through express
rains 10 the electric system. II Is
sincerely 10 be hoped that this very
neTilorlous attempt 10 utilize the
ngle-phase system on a great rail-
Dad will meet with the ultimate
aeeess which il merits. During the
ear Two other important applioa-
ions OF electric traction to steam
ailToads have been made. one of
lese was on a 44-mile stretch OF J
ae West Shore Railroad from Utica !
syracuse on which the low-pres-
Ute diFect-current was used. with !
ll'd'rail distribution. In making
10 preliminary estimates, It was
'uhd that cost OF an overhead line
"a moor equipment for the single
'aSe system wodld he about as
cat as that of a direct system
'a suo-staticns. During the sum-
81, also S4-mile stretch of the
'enester division OF the Erie Rail-
10 was placed in electric operation.
'uis case use was made of a sin
'-phase system OF the same general i
AiAeter as that used on the New
ven Road, current being trans
''ed at 10000 volts, and a work. (
pressure Of 1000 volts being {