The Oskaloosa herald., 1910-02-10
TO BUSSEY And TRACY
The Burlington Will Experiment
with Motor Car for 80 Days.

new car, or rather a new way o
handling The passenger traffic aiont
me line Of the Burlington between tins
city and Tracy, for experimental pur
noses. was installed this morning
The traffic viii be cared for ny the
use OF a combined gasoline and cleo
trio motor car. The car is equipped
to haul forry-four passengers. The
chr win be run for thirty days under
The supervision OF the General Elec
trio Co. makers; and II the trials
prove satisfactory a number OF cars
will be ordered by the Burlington.
The car is complete in every way
II is forty feet in length, and at once
attracts attention from its general
appearance. The front and rear OF
the car are shaped of into oyals; en-
trance is made through doors near the
center of the side of the car. The
machinery of the car is in the front
and a complete engine room in every
way Is provided 1t has force oil
1875 horse power. The car is oper'
ated by an eight cylinder direct CON
nection generator which furnishes
current to the two motors beneath the
car. and also current for electric light
ing: also hot water heating generator.
The car can retain a speed of seven
ty miles an hour, but the average
speed is about forty to fifty miles.
Two expert electricians Of the Gen
eral Electric Company, New York
City, Henry Stout and A. Haseltine;
and ]. /. Menkin, of the engineering
department of the Burlington System
at Aurora, Gll., accompanied the car
to the city and are in control.
The car is the only one of its kind
in service and experimental tests have
been made with it over many rail-
roads. The car has made distance
Of about $4,000 miles and is none the
worse for its tests, from outward ap-
pearances. So far the tests have
proved satisfactory to bouh the oper-
ating company and to the railroad
companies it has been used on. It
has very peculiar appearance and a
very durable one. The car was COM
pleted in time to make demonstra-
lions at the convention Of Master Me-
chanics and Cobblers which convened
at Atlanta, Georgia, in June of last
year. Since that time it has been in
continuous service, with the excep-
ton of two weeks during the holidays.
At present a schedule has been ar
ranged so that the car viii make two
trips a day. starting from oskaloosa
at $50 a. m. and returning leaving
Tracy at 1910 and arriving in the
city at 1920. The car will again
leave the city at 5:15 and returning
leave Tracy at sos, arriving here at
6:45. Passengers can have over six
hours stay in the city. II the tests
prove satisfactory the car viii make
three trips day. The car is divided
into four compartments, general pas
senger room in the rear. with a seat
ing capacity of twenty-eight people;
a smoking room with seats for twelve;
a baggage and express room, and the
engine room in the front. A toilet is
also provided for.
With such car as this on the Bur-
iington between this city and Tracy
people cannot help but come to oska-
loosa. II convenience is all that is
asked for, It viii now be at their SER
vice for the next thirty days and ev-
eryone should encourage the estab-
lishment of such service between
the two towns.