The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-10
GAS-ELECTRIC CAR IS NEW INVENTION The Latest Development In
 RaiIroading A SILICON TANNED GAR Will Take the Place of Steam Engines and Trains On Short Lines-Are
 Powerful and Speedy.
 Ride Easy.
SILICON TANNED GAR

A new gas-electrlc car which, 1t Is prophesied by railroad men, will revolu- tionize railroading on short lines Is be- ing carefully tested out at Schenectady, N. Y The car was designed and pro- duced by the General Electric company and Is being thoroughly tested on all grades and curves. Its performance so far, under all conditions has been sat- isfactory in every way, showing speed of 30 miles an hour over heavy grades and over 0 miles an hour under more favorable conditions.
 This new type of gas-electric car takes the place of steam engines and trains on short line work. It combines in one the power house, transmission lines. sub- station and all the benefits of electric traction without the costly and cumber- some features of the trolley A powerful gas engine in the forward compartment drives an electric generator. The current obtained in this way supplies power to the motors which drive the car. The gas engine which consumes gasoline. runs very smoothly and the electrical equipment assures perfect con- trol of speed, even acceleration and as comfortable riding as is enjoyed in the modern interurban electric.
 This car represents the highest degree in railroad engineering practice. It com pines the maximum of power and safe ty with the minimum of weight The gas engine is the most powerful of its kind ever built.
 The car is of the combination type and comprises one ordinary passenger con- partment, a smoking room. baggage room, an engine room, a toilet and an observation compartment The dimen- sions are as follows:
 Length over all, 50 feet.
 Length of engine room feet inches.
 Length of baggage room, feet 8 inches.
 Length of smoker. feet Il inches.
 Length of passenger compartment, IS feet inches.
 Width over all, 8 feet inches
 Height over all. 12 feet 1o15 inches.
 Seating capacity A.
 Total weight of car, 31 tons.
 The shape of the ends of the car is par abolic in order to reduce the air resist ance to a minimum when travelling a. high speed. The interior is of steel plate and the interior is finished with selected Mexican mahogany. No wood is used in the engine room. The seats are uphol- stered in green leather The interior is lighted with individual electric lights and the car Is equipped with an electric head light. Storage batteries keep the lights
 
 The main feature of the car is its DOW CT equipment. The eight-cylinder gas en- zine develops 15O horsepower, and is coupled to a 120 horsepower direct current generator. The two motors which drive the car are each rated at 60 horsepower. It is significant that this power is devel- oped-that the engine is operated and the car controlled by one man in a space of eight by nine feet
 In order to produce the greatest amount of electrical power with the least amount of weight the new type of General Elec- tric computating pole generator is used. This type of generator also makes it easy to control the speed of the car quickly without damage, because of its ability to stand momentary overloads.
 The pipes for the cooling system of the engine are located on the roof of the car Another novel feature is the heating ar engagement whereby the interior of the car is kept at the right temperature by means of hot pipes which are supplied with hot gases from the engine exhaust. The car is provided with a straight air. brake outfit.
 The test fully demonstrates that the gas-electric car is destined to be an inn portant factor in railroad work. These branch lines which can only support one train day during the greater portion of the year, owing to the heavy cost of steam traction, by means of the gas-elec- trio car can have two or more trains a day. The car is model from which oth- CTS can be constructed in accordance with the demands of steam railroading. The type will be available for use as private cars with sleeping and dining accommo- dations or as inspection cars, wrecking cars baggage cars. etc