Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1916-11-09
WASTED WATER POWER
WILL RUN RAILROADS
Trains Of Future to Be Ope-
rated by Electricity.

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. Electriication of railroads has
already made sufficient Roadway to
demonstrate the desirability OF 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
passage of bills now before congress.
Fifteen years ago the late e. II. Har !
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 $350000 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
& st. Paul Railway began operating
electrically a division of it's line 115
miles long. crossing the Rocky Noun
At. do In,
a few months additional main line to-
| falling 44O 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-
quired to do the work. The electric
engines pull heavier trains and make
better time. The steam locomotives
formerly averaged Ia miles in twen-
ty-four hours. The electric trains make
200 miles 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. year for coal to operate this
mountain division with steam locomo-
tives Operated electrically, the power
bill is about 100000 year.
Hartman planned to build water
power plants to generate electricity
solely for the operation of the Cen
trail Pacific. The Milwaukee Railroad
buys what power it 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
third the former cost of steam,
buying it's 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 65,O00 steam locomotives, will
an aggregate capacity of between 80.
, 100000 and 6O,000,OO0 horse power
, These locomotives burn about 100000,
600 tons Of coal and 100000 barrels
: of oil annually. Their fuel bill amounts
, to something over quarter of bill
, lion dollars a year.
These locomotives actually use, OF
the average, only about one-fourth tn
power they are capable Of general
I ing. Probably two-thirds of the fue
|. they burn is wasted, in that 1t doe
+ not generate steam used to turl
|. their wheels. To this economi
waste must be added the loss of us
> of probably one-third of the rollin
stock of all the railroads, now ker
busy hauling fuel to be burned in tn
e locomotives.
u 1t is estimated that II all the raj
l. roads In the country were electrifie
and served by central stations a
t the traffic on all the lines could b
II operated with about 100000 hors
e power of electrical current. Nor
e than three times this amount Of pow
It er flows unused in the rivers an
streams, large proportion Of whic
v will be put to work for operating raj
IL road trains. and for other useful pu
. poses, as soon as Congress passes tt
II kind of laws that will encourage waite
~ power development, instead of oil
coGraging such enterprises as the pre-
. ent laws do.
. Cheap power, and in large units,
= :, vital to railway identification. Som