The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1917-07-06
ELECTRICITY FOR
MOUNTAIN LINES
IRRIGATION TO LINES
IN THE WEST.
Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Is OPP
Grated by Electricity; Success of
MilWaukee's Experiment to he
Followed by the Identification of
Great Northern.

AOAAo">N Ny Ollt1 ol
Great Northern.
The success which has attended the
identification of 44O miles of the
Milwaukee railroad from Harlowton
to Avery, Idaho, is attracting much
attention in the railroad world, and
it is not at all improbable that in a
snort time all roads crossing the
will be similarly equipped. The
Great Northern is preparing to cleo
trify long stretch of it's mountain
lines, and after the Great Northern
the Northern Pacific will probably be
equipped electrically. The success
of this experimental identification is
to be followed by the creation of a
new electrified zone on the Milwau-
kee, over the Cascade mountains
from Othello, Washington, west to
Seattle on the Pacific coast, involving
about $50 miles of main line electri-
cally operated.
How 1t Originated.
In addition to the Milwaukee, the
Butte, Anaconda & Pacific, a road
owned by the Anaconda Copper Min
ing company, and running from Butte
to Anaconda, and west to the South
ern Cross mining country, with it's
branches totaling about 80 miles of
railroad, is being operated very sue
cessfully by electricity. 1t was orr
ginated with group of Montana
men, John D. Ryan, John Morony and
Max Hebgen Of the Montana Power
company, while the power used to
pull these trains over mountain
grades was generated at Great Falls,
Thompson Falls, and other points
along the line of the Milwaukee.
R. BeeuWkes. electrical engineer of
the Milwaukee, writes of the Milwau-
kee experiment as follows:
"The first electric locomotives
were placed in operation on the
Rocky Mountain division of the Chi
cago, Milwaukee & st. Paul railway
on December 8, 1915, between Deer
Lodge and Three Forks. In April,
1916, electrical operation was ex-
tended to Harlowton on the east, and
early in 1917 the entire 440 miles
was equipped for electrical operation.
'"The 440-mile electrified section
is now divided into two operating di-
visions, of which only one - the
Rocky Mountain division-has been
running long enough to get reason
ably reliable data concerning opera
ton. 1 may say, however, than on
the Missoula division we have been
handling 3,000ton trains as STAN
dard through the worst winter
months, and the entire operation is
working out very successfully.
Doubles Cruising Radius.
with the Introduction of electri-
city we were able to double what l
may call the cruising radius of our To-
comotives. AS far as the railroad is
concerned we have eliminated Three
Forks-a station formerly used for
changing steam omotives-entire-
ly. All locomotives run the entire
226 miles from Deer Lodge through
to Harlowton with only light in
spection of bearings and photographs
at Three Forks. The shop and
roundhouse are entirely closed down,
seven or eight miles of tracks have
been removed, and the comparatively
large roundhouse force previously
employed has been replaced by
single electrician. All locomotives
and cabooses are pooled, the men be-
ing given suitable locker space to
store their lanterns, flags. tools, etc.
Through freight trains do not leave
the main track and often are not
switched at all. At Harlowton the
engine is given rough inspection
and any light repairs made that are
necessary. Detailed inspection and
maintenance work is done at Deer
Lodge.
'The same change in operation has
sion, Avery to Deer Lodge; in this
case Alberton being the steam en-
CINE division point which has been
eliminated"
Seventy Miles an Hour.
Recently special train of three
cars and an electric locomotive was
operated over the mountains from
Butte to Piedmont at various speeds
up to 20 miles an hour. On the same
day two electric locomotives took a
train of 48 loaded cars, 5000 tons
in all, from Butte up the two per cent
grade to the summit of the Rocky
Mountains at speed of 1855 miles an
hour. A. H. Armstrong of the en-
cheering department of the General
Electric company says:
"The operation of the heaviest
freight and passenger trains by cleo
trio locomotives has been demonstrate
ed as entirely feasible. The record of
reliability, the low cost of mainten-
ance of the electric locomotives, and
the flexibility of this new type of mo-
tive power to meet the varied con-
dition of haulage service leaves no
room to doubt that electricity is des-
tined to play a most important part
in the future development of our
railroads. Not only can present