Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-06-23

the installation of powerful electric loco
motives for the tunnel work.
To-day. giant locomotives. built at
Schenectady. N. ". by the General Elcc-
trio company are shutting the trains
through tho Cascade tunnel. These
giants develop moro than 1000 horse
power, weigh lis tons. and on tests have
now a tractive effort Of over soon pounds
These electric locomotives have been in
| operation since last July and they haul
heaviest steam trains. dead engines and
ALL through this tunnel At speed which
was impossible FOR steam power. The
| Wenatchee river Is harnessed about ~
miles south of the tunnel where ten
thousand horsepower Is generated by the
| falling water. This electrical energy Is
transmitted to the electrical zone about
| the tunnel.
Ono of the most unique features Of this
installation Is that on the descending
grades the motors are changed into gem
orators and assist In braking trains down
the grade and return electric energy to
the line. This Is the first time this
! feature has ever been applied to railroad
work in America.
Plans have been prepared to extend the
/
from Skyomlsh to Leavenworth, dis
lance of IL miles, and from there it may
be extended even further east. BY larg-
! ly increasing the tonnage capacity Of
the Cascade Tunnel and making greater
speed over the heavy grades, the cleo
;ric locomotives have been Of the great
est benefit to the Great Northern.
EloCtri1CatiOn of Il railroad does not
|
think, 1t means merely n change of mo-
! tive power so tho same standard system.
now almost universal, Gun be used TO It's
best advantage. moving tho freight and
passengers faster and better without in
creasng the trackage and working force.
No changes In the organization are re-
quired. practically. from the president &c
the section boss
The fact that steam locomotives are
about as perfect as men can make them
and that the cost for their maintenance
increases from year to year, has hasten
ed the development OF the electric loco
motive" said prominent engineer well
known in railroad circles. "'rO-day a
number Of the largest railroads have cleo
trcal zones in operation. Wherever (,
Is dangerous to use steam locomotives
where the grades are very steep. whore
quick and thorough work Is required and
where electrical power can be developed
cheaper from water power than from
coal there the electrical locomotive l.
working in place of steam and IT Is safe
to predict that this identification Will ex-
tend along the lines until every prom
inent rnilroad Will be ultimately opcrat
ed by electricity"
The future of iailroading in this country
was mapped out when the New York Cen.
trial, one of the greatest systems in tn,
world. decided to eectrify lts New York
terminal and eliminate steam power en-
tire!y in and about New York city. There
was 40 water power to harness like thai
of the Rockies. but the engineers nguret
that ii would be cheaper In the long rur
to install great power houses where tn.
coal energy could be changed to stearr
and from steam. through the medium O.
giant turbine engines, to electrical energ,
for the electrical locomotives instead o
having thousand and one little power
houses located one in each locomotive.
Although the New York Central. a,
early as 1880, took up the matter of cleo
trlfying its New York city terminal moth
ing was done until 1906 when the conges
ton OF traffic and atmospheric condition,
became such q nuisance that the Stat,
Legislature stopped in and demanded tn,
1'''P'o'' "'.-''"'''''e"' Vi ''e"'h 'ocoiho
"l SU"'' % '!.' a'Ie'i' river
! The el"ctrihcation OF this railroad abou
: 20 ''n "a '''"''''''' "''uei ''hiiS
"a '''o'' - me" as !"
80 AVA vi "4'' mus % "l9t"'''e oI :
',-''N'' ''"' 80" ""'So" "'N'S'o' as '"i a
~ 1''',o' - "",rs, "oole t"e Fari
"''''o' ''''' e'c"' P'.n orouHn
Wv ''e' '''i ,''e"'9 Vi ''e e'ectfl
~ punt ''oNci ic"o"eu pe
awe W. WV P'o'eu !" "e 'he mos
po"e'' "' '"V''nV''Ne |" the "orio
US ''''h ''93 ma" % WIS "s''''S' -
''''9 ~. '"e "e"' 'est steam pas'ense
NV o''"s'No' ~ i"'''S VI -" "o'se-Po"e
10 mean '"lce ''a' OF Hs rival. TN
ste'i' loc"'HotNe' occupying about nal
wv Hh'A Space OF d steam locomotive IN
e'e''rIc can DC run Win equal facility II
'l'''o' "iiect'oH an" II necessarily mas al
overload capacity up TO $40 horse power
IN ''e 't"l tracks AZ Scncnectady, NO. 1to
coupled 10 Il heaN5 passenger tram, stoo'
oetd uhuI IN" hNlnS Empire state Ex
press had passed, then started up an
passed the nyer WITHIN less than tw
'i'1'es' Inc e!ectrl'S Wtlsh Al tons les
I IMAM steam locomotive saving or J
per cent on full Train OF eight Pullman
cars which means an important savinI
OF energy and consequent less cost o
operation.
| a hh ca ten oh hay,