The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1916-10-19
WASTED WATER POWER
WILL RUN RAILROADS
Trains Of Future to Be Ope.
rated by Electricity.

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. Electrihcation of railroads has
already made sufficient Roadway to
demonstrate the d~esirability OK its gen
eral adoption. and extensive equip
ment of many trunk lines for electrical
operation is being held back only I'M
til such time as cheap electric cur
rent, which in many sections must be
water power, IS made available by the
passage Of bills now before congress.
riman decided to operate the Central
Pacific Railroad by electricity gener-
ated by water power. Engineers COM
pleted plans and told Mr.. Hartman
that by electrificatiOn of the Sierra
Mountain division the road would
save $350,OOO a year in coal bills and
labor, but that the interest on the in
vestment necessary to equip the divi-
sion electrically and develop the water
power would be about $4,000 a year.
Last winter the Chicago. Milwaukee
s. st. Paul Railway began operating
electrically a division Of its line 115
miles long. crossing the Rocky Noun
tains in Montana and Nevada. Within
a few months additional main line to-
falling 40 miles will be operated by
electricity. On the 115 miles now in
operation nine electric locomotives han
die all the traffic, whereas twenty-four
steam locomotives were formerly re-
CURED to do the work. The electric
engines pull heavier trains and make
better time. The steam locomotives
formerly averaged ia miles In TWEEN
ty-four hours. The electric trains make
200 miles a day. Less labor is employ
ed and the repair bills are smaller.
There are no cinders or smoke to an
noy passengers. The electric engines
do their own braking, the motors being
converted into dynamos on the down
grades, the trains momentum general
ing and putting back into the wires
about fifty per cent Of the current
used to pull the train uphill. Steam
locomotives freeze up and lose power
In cold weather. The colder the wealth
er the better the electric engines work.
1t cost the Milwaukee road $1.750.-
600 a year for coal to operate this
mountain division with steam locomo-
tives. Operated electrically. the power
bill is about 100000 a year.
Hartman planned to build water
power plants to generate electricity
solely for the operation Of the Cen
tral Pacific. The Milwaukee Railroad
buys what power 1t needs from the
Montana Power Company, which owns
and operates several hydro-electric
plants.
The Butte, Anaconda and Pacific
Railway Is operated by electricity at
one-third the former cost of steam.
buying its current from a water power
company.
AS soon as Congress makes laws
which guarantee the safety Of invest
ment in ~hydro-electric projects 1t is as
serted that many large water power
plants will be built in the South and
West, which will supply current for
operating a number of trunk line rail
roads by electricity.
Every engineer and railroad man
knows and admits the wastefulness Of
using steam locomotives for hauling
railway trains. There are in service
on the railroads of the United States
about $4,000 steam locomotives. with
an aggregate capacity of between So
100000 and 6O,OOO,OOO horse power.
These locomotives burn about 10000
600 o n Of coal and 100000 barrels
Of oil annually. Their fuel bill amounts
to something over q quarter of a bill
lion dollars a year.
These locomotives actually use, on
the average, only about One-fourth the
power they are capable OF general
ing. Probably two-thirds Of the fue!
they burn Is wasted. in that 1t does
not generate steam used to turn
their wheels. To this economic
waste must be added the loss Of use
Of probably one-third Of the rolling
stock Of all the railroads, now kept
busy hauling fuel to be burned in the
locomotives.
1t is estimated that II all the rail-
roads in the country were electrified
and served by central stations all
the traffic on all the lines could he
operated with about 100000 horse
power Of electrical current, More
than three times this amount Of pow
er flows unused in the rivers and
streams. a large proportion Of which
will be put to work for operating rail-
road trains. and for other useful pur-
poses. as o O as Congress passes the
kind of laws that will encourage water
power development. instead Of dis
couraging such enterprises as the pres
ent laws do.
Cheap power. and in large units. Is
vital to railway electrifcation. Some
electrihcation has already been accom-
plished with current generated by
steam plants. Where coal is cheap and
the traffic is heavy this has been found
economical.
E1on<riooI onut,norc Hrn,~ Al. oIon