Crittenden record-press., 1916-08-24
WASTED WATER POWER
WILL RUN RAILROADS
Trains Of Future TO Be- ODs.
rated by Electricity.

Opinions expressed at the recent con.
vention Of the Railroad Master Me
chanics in Atlantic City that the steam
locomotive will be relegated to the
scrap heap and all railroad trains will
be operated by electricity In the COM
paratively near future are shared very
generally by railroad men and engi.
neers. Electriflcation Of railroads has
already made sufficient headway to
demonstrate the desirabillty os its gen.
eral adoption. and extensive equip
ment Of many trunk lines for electrical
operation is being held back only un-
I'll such time as cheap electric cur
rent, which In many sections must he
water power. is made available by the
passage Of bills now before congress.
Fifteen years ago the late e. II. Har.
rtman decided to operate the Central
Pacific Railroad by electricity gener-
ated by water power. Engineers CON-
pleted plans and told Mr.. Hartman
that by elect!fhcatlon OF the Slerra
Mountain division the road would
save $4,000 year In coal bills and
labor, but that the interest on the in
vestment necessary to equip the dlvi-
sion electrically and develop the water
power would be about $4,000 year.
Last winter the Chicago. Milwaukee
& St Paul Railway began operating
electrically a division OF its line Ii5
miles long, crossing the Rocky Noun
tains In Montana and Nevada. Within
few months additional main line to-
falling 40 miles will be operated by
electricity. On the ilJ miles now In
operation nine electric locomotives han
die all the traffic, whereas twenfy-four
steam locomotives were formerly re-
quired to do the work The electric
engines pull beaver trains and make |
better time. TIE steam locomotives
formerly Averaged IA miles In TWEEN. /.
ty-four hours The electric trains make
600 miles day. Less labor Is employ. /
cd and the repair bills are smaller.
There are no cinders or smoke 20 an.
noy passengers. The electric engines
DO their own braklng. the motors being
converted into dynamos on the down
-rndes. the trains momentum general.
Ing and putting back into the wires
about hfty rer cent. OF the current
used to pull tie train uphill Steam
locomotives freeze up and lose power
N cold weather The colder the wealth.
,r the better the electric engines work.
IL cost the Milwaukee road Si,TJI,-
100 n year for coal 70 operate this
mountain division with steam locomo-
ives. Operated electrically. the power
Dill is about $4,000 a year
Hartman planned to build water
'ower plants to generate electricity
olely for the operation OF the Cen
raj Pacific. The Milwaukee Railroad
'uys what power II needs from the
iontana Power Company. which owns
nd operates several hydro-clectnc {
lants. ;
The Butte. Anaconda and Pacific
Hallway Is operated by electricity at !
ne-third the former cost OF steam. I
uying its current from water power ,
ompany.
As soon as Congress makes laws [.
'hich guarantee the safety Of invest. /,
lent In hydro-electrh projects It is as. }
arted that many lar-e water power
lants will be built In the South sad I
iest, which will supply current for O
perating number Of trunk line rail.
,a1s by electricity.
Every engineer and railroad man I
nows and admits the wastefulness OF I
sing steam locomotives Tor hauling
iilway trains. There are IN service y
the railroads Of the United States I
bout ZOO steam locomotives, With u
aggrc~1te capacity OF between 80.
1000 aud 100000 horse power U
hese loo -otlves burn about 10000. c
. tons OF coal and 30OO0,0OO barrels p
oil annualy. Their fuel biz amounts =
something over a quarter Of n bll. L
m dollars a year. A
These locomotives actually use. on
c average, only about oue.fourth the -
'wer they are capg1'e e. genernt I
2. Probably two.thirds OF TIE fuel a
ey burn Is wasted. In that Il does q
i generate steam used to turn :,
cir wheels To ths economic a
aste must be added the loss OF use +
probably onc.third Of the rolling
ock Of all the railroads. now kept
sy hauling fuel TO be burned In the y
'omouves.
Il Is estimated that II all the rail. =
ads In the country were electrified
d served by central stations an
e traffic on all the lines could Le
Grated with about 100000 horse
wer Of electrical current More
an three times this amount of pow.
hows unused in the rivers and
cams a large proportion of which
u be put TO work for operating rail.
nd trains. and for other useful pur.
ses, as soon MS Congress passes the