Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1913-05-08

Great Reduction Can be Made in
Cost Of Operation.
That the next step to be taken by
the Oregon Short Line towards inn
: proving their facilities and reduei g
the cost of operation will be the cleo
trifying of it's entire railroad syste m
in southern Idaho from Pocatsllo CT
Montpelier to Huntington is the BE-
lief of southern Idaho men in close
touch with the company They have
been informed that the Oregon Shot
Line has asked the large electri al
power companies operating in the
southern part Of this state to submit
bids on the furnishing of this pow
/ er, basing their figures on the power
necessary to operate cars on the en-
tire main section of the southern Ida
no system.
To Take Definite Action.
Railrod men claim that it is very
probable that definite action will be
taken by the Oregon Short Line to
prepare for tn installation Of the
necessary apparatus to electrify the
system, due to the fact that great
reduction can be made in the cost OF
operation. 1t is also claimed that
the oregon Short Line is now crowd
ed to its capacity to handle the in
creasing traffic over it's southern
Idaho road, beth passenger and
freight. 1t is for the purpose OF as
sisting in some measure to relieve
this situation that plans have been
made to double track the system from
Montpelier to Huntington.
Railroads Look to Electricity.
Wishing to be in line with modern
construction and estimating
en- very conservative basis that cleo
tricity is much cheaper in the great
southern Idaho electrical field than
is coal power, the Short line is now
said to be taking the necessary
steps to advance along modern rail-
way operating lines. The step taken
by the Chicago, Milwaukee G. Puget
Sound Railway company for the elee-
Lrifying of 450 miles of it's road thru |
Montana and northern Idaho, Is be- |
ing followed by other western roads
and it is claimed that as result |
4 total of 10000 miles of what is
low steam railroad in the west will |
De electrified within the next few
years. The Denver & Rio Grande
s also taking up the same plan.
Cost of Operation Less.
1t is claimed tht the grdes en-
,ountered in the mountainous regions
If the west, including Idaho, have
'orced railroad operators to look to
electricity as the power to help them
cut of the difficulty and reduce the
lost of operation. For the handling of
reight trains there are electric To-
,omotives that weigh 1870 tons, and
lave traction power of $4,000
starting. : In the belt-line
unnel under Baltimore one of these
liant motors has no difficulty in
rawing a 1,S00-ton train up the one
nd one half per cent grade, while
hree steam locomotives with their
enders weighing $40 tons have great
in performing the same ser
ice. The western electric motors .
sed on railroads are built in two
ections, each of which weighs 80
ons. The western type of steam /
locomotives, such as are used for
eavy passenger service, weigh about
tons. The freight steam locomc-
yes weigh 80 to 100 tons so that
lie electrical 1S0-ton engine has
vice the hauling power. By placing ;
70 Of these motors together one :,
IAN can control $500 horsepower. t
The electrical power companies G
lid to be figuring en- the bids are +
position, claim local railroad Q
en-, to furnish the Oregon Short q
inc with an unlimited amount of y
ectrical power to electrify not only :,
lie main line but all the feeding /,
les if desired. y