The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-08-26
TRIAL RUN OF
ELECTRIC CAR
Successful Test Made with
19 Persons on West River
Railroad
INCIDENTS OF WEST
TOWNSHEND TRIP

ANSFS4 AAA APSA4SAAS~ VII FAleiI oIlCC wv DIS
Regarded as Streak of Rust-No
Trouble with Apparatus-Large Cars
if Service Is Satisfactory.
When the towns Of the West River
Valley built what afterwards became
known as . streak Of rust between
Brattleboro and South Londonderry
they little realized what the future held
in store in the way of evolution for
that circuitous little railroad of 296
curves in IS miles. The most momen-
tous event i'll its career was its change
from narrow gauge to standard
gauge road, and now comes the install
lation OF electric passenger car service,
which Woald make some Of the founders
OF this old Brattleboro & Whitehall
line marvel if they could be witnesses
to the new Development
Carrying out Il plan outlined in this
paper several weeks ago, wherein some
Brattleboro men furnished a substan-
| tlal amount OF money To assist the Cen
tral Vermont in financing electric ser
vice between Brattleboro and West
Tdwnshend, on the West River road.
and Brattleboro and AIillers Falls
| Mass, on the New London road. an
| electric ear made the trial trips between
those points yesterday to test out the
| equipment. ...-
Nineteen Passengers.
| \ run to AIillers Falls and return
was made Yesterday without incident,
| between ! / and @ clock, but the real
| test came III the afternoon. when
| trial trip was made To West -rownshend
and back. On this latter trip there
were ~ persons ON board the car,
which is equipped with Edison storage
| batteries. The trip was Il decidedly
novel aud enjoyable experience for most
of those who went. and it also was
successful and demonstrated that elec-
tric service on the West River road IS
not impracticable. James Thurston. who
has been an engineer on the New Lon
don road, was motorman, and the veter-
| IN New London railroad conductor
Robert +. Wheeler of Brattleboro was
conductor. Among the passengers were
}. MeCraw, superintendent Of the
New London division. Clarke G. Fits,
Station Agent Samuel Ashbv, the sup
>
Il newspaper man aud several others
start was made at , o'clock from
the spur track in the rear OF the Ameri-
can building, which will be the car S
stall for the present. After going a
few rods it was necessary to stop to
make an adjustment of electrical appar-
atus, but no other stop was made for
; the purpose during the whole trip In
passing the lodges between here and
; West Dummerston a few stops were
made to make sure that the ear would
; not scrape the rocks, and this caused
a little delay, so the outward trip to
| West Townshend was IA minutes slower
l than regular time. The distance is %
? miles. The car is wider than ordinary
ears, and at one point it cleared the
rocks by only about six inches. If that
space is considered too small the pro
lection can be blasted off or the track
can be moved a little.
S Before the motor-driven vehicle had
been long on it's way the passengers
began to remark upon the absence OF
dust and Cinders that go with u steam
: hauled train The windows were wide
/ open, making it practically an open car
> and the fresh air and mountainous
J. scenery were delightful The regular
= train was met at the West Dummerstor
granite quarry. and its crew, as we'll a.
" section hands and citizens all along til,
e line, waved their hands and gazed in
= terestedIy as this new thing whizzeo
. past.
), Voltage Ran Low
Another element was injected int
is the return trip, which increased tn
IS novelty Of the situation. When the ca
b. left Brattleboro if was not fully charg
as ed, having but 464 volts. On the out
to ward trip 200 volts were used, leavin
es but 204, but it was figured that as Brat
tleboro was 500 feet lower than Yves
n Townshend there would be enough cul
lis rent to Get home on. At Townshen
as the voltage had been reduced to III
M Then came the long climb up the grad
to Newfane. the worst grade on til
line, and the voltage decreased ral
idly, necessitating one or two stop
Finally the crest was reached, and frol
that time, with the exception of tw
Tn or three small grades, it was cas-
coasting to Brattleboro and the c;
sailed into her stall with 30.volts lef
"A Everything was new and consequen
nh " stiff and logy, including the fruel
.be and batteries, and after few trips lie
ol. voltage will be required in propellil
or the car With the voltage up to 81
, > or more there appears to be no reast
he WHY the batteries will not carry al
till required load. The ear is only ira
ls- er equipped temporarily with batterit
and if the service works out as is e