The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1915-12-16
Passing of the Steam Locomotive
C. Brewer in scentdc Americanl

American the Pennsylvania. in Sep
TENDER inaugurated an electric train
service over that part of it main line
between Philadelphia and Paoli, on a
stretch of its 4-track road carrying
fast through trains between the east
and the west and hauling almost the
heaviest traffic of any railroad in the
world.
Another recent and even more sig
nificant instance of q great railroad,
operating in close proximity to the
coal fields, abandoning a part of its
coal burning equipment in favor of
electric traction is that Of the Norfolk
Western railway on a division be-
tween Bluefeld, w. Va, and the coal
mines
Heretofore special conditions have
dictated the substitution of electric
for steam locomotives such, for eX-
ample, as in the case of the Baltimore
& Ohio railroad, the first main line
railway by the way, to adopt the cleo
trio locomotive. There the problem
was to avoid the smoke and gas in its
Baltimore tunnel. The Hoosac tunnel
in Massachusetts, the Pennsylvania
approach to New York city under the
Hudson, and the Great Northern's
tunnel under the Cascade mountains
were doubtless dictated by similar rea-
sons. The New York Central and the
New York, New Haven & Hartford
railways were forced to electrif1catlon
nv legislative action, as a result OF a
serious collision in the tunnel Leading
into the Grand Central station, New
York city. Other notable examples OF
identification are at the st. Clair and
Detroit rivers for railroads between
the United States and Canada. Both
installations are in tunnels. Typlcal
examples of electric installation TO Sc
cure the advantages Of frequent SER
vice and short trains for SUBURBAN
and interurban traffic for the Pennsyl-
vania's West Jersey road between At
lantic City and Philadelphia and the
lines of the Long Island railroad.
Why Electricity Was Adopted.
The reasons for adopting electrlhca-
tion on the Pennsylvania's main line
and on the Norfolk Western rail-
way were, however, influenced ny
problems which constantly confront
the railway officials of almost every
system. Here we see in one case the
steam locomotive supplanted DANGER
ously near the heart of the Pennsyl-
vania coal fields, and in the other case
Of the very mouth of the West Vlr-
ginia mines. No question OF the utHl-
cation of water power entered INTO the
consideration in either case, Both re-
ceive power from boiler installations
MIGHT If not be we'll to ask: VINO
shall be bold enough to prophesy now
long the roar and puff Of the steam
locomotive will be heard? And, es-
necially, how long will they be hearu
in the great west, where coal is maui
cd hundreds Of miles to mock the
great water powers along when II
steams?
Steep grades and heavy freight I
traffi dictated the change on the NOR {
Folk &, western road. Because, under T
steam operation only ~ miles per /
bopr could be made by its freight G
trains with two locomotives and +
nusher, steam has given way TO eiec- e
tricity. The new electric engines maui T
heavier loads at twice the speed over
the steepest grades and nearly FOUR 2
times the speed over other parts OF v
the run. b
Vet MANY of the grades in the west il
are almost twice as heavy as tiiose t
where this electrical installation mas t
heen called in to solve the problem OF c
heavy grades. Two engines are useu G
every day on grades on many western
roads for short passenger trains. The
writer was recently d passenger on G
train in the west where three locomo-
tives were required for IA cars, ana {
saw a. photograph of the Denver q MO
crande railway using five locomo- !
tives for II passenger and man /
coaches. One of the principal diVl-
sions Of this road parallels the oeauu-
ful Gunnison river for over 100 miles,
in which distance there is drop OF
nearlv 1000 feet. And the volume OF g
the water in this river is so great that +
the government in an irrigation pro- >
iect diverted a part of it to feed an
other river by tunneling six miles uh- 7
der the mountains. /
Identification requires large sums t
of money. The governments conser-
walton policy, too, has been biameu
for the slow development of water t
power in the west, and Secretary |
Lane in strongly advocating the Fer
ris bill, states that development Will p
not take place until law is passed S
which will give such promise Of safety c
IN the investor as a reasonable man c
may ask. e
EIectrification Of Norfolk G. Western y
The steam locomotive which mas
been supplanted on the Norfolk q
western railway is the famous Maiie'
type with mechanical stok-
ers and superheaters; the last WORD Oh
the locomotive builder =.
The new Baldwin Westinghouse