Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-08-28

steam Locomotive in No Immediate
Ian, Z. Of 3anISaIaent.
JOLT FOR ELECTRICITY BOOSTERS
Reasons why the Controller Handle
VIII Never Take the Place of
Throttle Lever on Main
Lines.

Lines.
Boosters OF electric motors rarely pass
up a chance to toss farewell bouquets at
the doomed steam locomotive" With
skill in word painting they picture the
monarch OF the rail receding before the
electric locomotive, and the controller
handle supersedng the throttle lever as a
symbol OF moving power This idea has
been worked so diligently that train oper-
atives entertain fears of vanishing jobs.
Robert II. Rogers undertakes to Danish
that fear in forceful paper In the Rail
road Mans Magazine. The writer supplies
facts and statistics to prove why the steam
locomotive will stay indefinitely. He says
In part:
AS the title Of this article implies 1t is
intended to be reassuring to those who look
| for sudden changes in railroad operation
With that end in view, It may be best pre-
faced with a few timely statistics. These
indicate that $3.50 locomotives were built In
1909. and although this total is less than in
former wears. IL nevertheless shows q
healthy addition to the total steam rolling
! stock of the country.
! Though the size and hauling capacity OF
locomotives continues to steadily increase
every year, the outlook for 1910 points to at
! least 50oO engines. Through their greater
development, these will easily equal In
power the 6,265 produced in the banner
year, 1905.
The mere mention Of statistics indicating
n revival in locomotive building, Is far
nom being the compelling argument tor
the continuance of steam traction. The
real augury for its future can best DC
made after q careful review of what mas
been actually accomplished with the cleo
trio engine and of the prominent features
associated with its cost of installation and
comparative performances.
| Not until recently have these figures been
available for consideration, as the various
Imotive-power chiefs have been occupied In
their tabulation covering very long PERIOD
and because they have hesitated to commit
themselves one way or the other. BESIDES
these causes of delay, the presentation OF
such statistics has not been forthcoming
for the very natural reason that there were
few to offer.
With very few exceptions the railroads,
not deceived by the optimistic claims and
the enthusiasm which greeted the cleo
eric locomotive have largely preferred to
play a waiting game The general policy
was 10 let somebody else take the initia-
tive. and make the mistakes inseparable
from any such drastic and costly meta
morphosis.
A Pioneer in liberalization.
For a long time the Baltimore & Ohio
railroad which has been the pioneer in
heavy electric traction, was very closely
scrutinized and there is little doubt that
what happened there largely dictated the
policy of other roads in going to electrical
ltion, This road, in 1895, through the latter
medium, began the operation OF all pas
senEer and freight trains from Camden
station. via the new ''belt-line" tunnel under
the city of Baltimore, to its northern
limits. a distance Of about two miles.
This departure was on a scale Of startling
: magnitude for the times, as 1t implied this
complete surrender of the steam motive
power in the territories mentioned.
, The details of the experiment had been
PLANNED with exacting care. and 1t was
D wonderfully successful almost from the
first day. Those early motors handled with
: east the heaviest freight trains including
always the engines Of the latter, which
were Of no assistance as they were mo-
|; allowed to use steam in the tunnel.
Although the records are somewhat hazy
the writer's notes, gathered during active
, participation in that period, indicate tina
: one of the motors is credited with hauling
unassisted Twenty-Five loaded freight cars
2 two engines and caboose. The grade II
q at least per cent and this train would
probably require the two locomotives t
h move It.
The electric locomotives weighed 100 ton
q each, and in view OF the fact that the!
were built with each Of their four axle
q directly driven, the total weight was avail
i able for adhesion. Excepting a few i'm
provements which time has brought abou
" in electric-looOmotive construction, thes
pioneer motors differed but slightly in gen
, eral build and appearance from those nov
> in service.
: With the exception of the electrificatioi
of the Manhattan Elevated railroad, for
{ merly a steam road with about thlrty-eigh
= miles Of track, traversing New York City
J, this two-mile stretch OF the Baltimore
3 Ohio remained for . long time the onl
! example of main line traction operate
= wholly by electricity in which steam ha
: been supplanted.
Although admittedly successful and thor
e oughly economical this line was too shor
d for any definite conclusions as to the req
value of such an equipment Hence littl
, progress was made during the ensuing eigh
20 years up to 1903.
During this interval there was q notabl
= extension of electricity to municipal an
ii suburban lines. particularly to city cabl
roads; but this work has no bearing o
d what has been done toward changing trun
t line traction from steam TO electricity an
- the effect OF the change on steam railroa
= employees.
70 While operating practically alone in a
y unexplored field, the Baltimore g. Ohi
effectually developed the fact that ele'
trioity affords the only real solution OF II
locomotive smoke problem in large cite
10 Its belt line tunnel would probably nev'
A. have come into being had not the advocate
r. OF the new power made It clear TO the cit
~ OF Baltimore that with 1t the general tral
l. service would be clean and noiseless.
ne Solving the Smoke Problem.
ne The full realisation of these two pleasir
features eventually inclined the New You
municipality to the consideration of a sin
liar system to be effected in that city II
relief from the smoke arising from Il
l. engines of the New York Central and Il
New York, New Haven & Hartford raj