The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1917-02-02
Extending Electric Lines
Milwaukee to Electrify over the
Cascades.

The Electrification of Chicago
Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway
already completed through the
Rocky and Belt Mountains anc
nearly finished through the Bitter
Roots, will be extended to the
Pacific. Announcement of the
plans has been made today by c.. A.
Goodnow, assistant to the President
Of the st. Paul System, who has
had charge of the electrification
work.
Success Of the electriication
already completed has been so
phenomenal, = he declares, that the
electrified line will be extended
through the Cascade Mountains.
Surveys have been made and the
improvement will be completed as
soon as possible.
Four hundred and sixteen miles
Of the ST. Paul's Puget Sound Line
in Montana from Harlowton to
East Portal is now under electrified
operation ana work on the twenty
four miles from East Portal to
| Avery, Idaho, is to be completed
in February. This will finish the
original electrification program Of
IlO miles This work was done in
four units, the third of which.
from Deer Lodge to Alberton, was
completed about two months ago.
Winter weather has somewhat
delayed the work on the fourth
unit but already electric engines
are in operation from Alberton to
East Portal and month is expected
to bring completion across the
Bitter Root Mountains.
The outstanding feature of the
success of our electrifcation.' said
Mr.. Goodnow lis the ease with
which heavy freigh. trains are
handled on the mountain grades.
Five trains Of about sixty-two
cars each are moved daily each way
across the mountains by the big
electric engines and estimates are
that four hours are saved by each
train on each 100 miles.
Recently Louis w. Hill,
President of the Great Northern
and J. NJ. Hannaford, President of
the Northern Pacific, took a trip
over 339 miles of our electrified
line and they were greatly interested
in the sight Of electric engines haul
ing heavy freight trains up the steep
mountain grades at speed of fifteen
miles an hour or better where
formerly three or four steam engines
strained and puffed to move small
trains at half the speed.
The railroad presidents were even
more interested in the success of
regenerative braking They Saw the
heavy trains coast down the grades
at an even speed without Earring or
jolting or grinding of brakes. There
is no delay while brake shoes are
cooled or replaced or drawbars
repaired. Then, too, electricity is
generated and turned back into the
wires for use, for under the
regenerative braking system the
moters Of the engines are reversed
and turned into generators which
make use Of the great force of the
trains going down grade. The
comfort and the ease of the
regenerative braking is especially
noticeable on the passenger trains,
The engine which hauled Mr..
Hill and Mr.. Hannaford took them
339 miles without a stop for over
hauling, coaling or watering ON
which hours would have been spent
on steam engine on similar trip.
We have had no trouble in
maintaining schedules over our
electrified lines this winter. for
cold weather helps rather than
hinders electric engines. which also
buck through snow drifts which
stall steam engines. The time we
save on the mountain divisions has
helped insure delivery of freight
and passengers on time. Electrifi-
cation, with its increased comforts,
has brought marked growth in
our business.
The ease of operation, the time
saving and other advantages already
brought out have led the manage
ment to take up the extension of
electrification. 1t is hoped that soon
the difficulties IF the Cascade
Mountains will be solved as have
been those Of the other ranges,
Power can be developed in the
Cascades just as it has been in the
Rockies. Engineers are now at work
on other problems Of the
improvement. 1t is q big UNDER
taking but the St. Paul system
hopes to push it to completion soon. "
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