The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-02-02
ELECTRIC TRAINS
 PROVE THEIR MERIT

onstrated. The second is the relation of electricity may ebe developed to any ca pacity for the movement of trains with out the expenditure of single pound of coal The energy that is many of our water powers which is an inexhaustible natural resource, is sufficient to create electrical energy of any conceivable power
 It might also be properly reported that this latest achievement of electricity fully justifies the prediction made by George Westinghouse some years before the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Rail- read Company equipped long section of it's road with electricity of sufficient en- ergy to haul trains over the Cascade mountains and the Continental Divide. MT. Westinghouse. whose name wiz hereafter be associated with the remark able development of electricity for rail- road hauling purposes, was convinced after long and patient experiment that electricity could be procured through the conversion of water power in sufficient amount for any conceivable railroad traf- fic He predicted that iii the course of time many of the railroads of the soutt would be operated by electricity energy  had been converted. He did not at that time know, nor in fact did any of the railroad managers know that when 2 few years had passed one of the railroad lines leading to the Pacific would be equipped in one of the most difficult ana longest sections with electric energy. That however, has now been done, and the Westinghouse people, in association with the Baldwin Locomotive CompafC, Ihave manufactured and recently installed the most powerful passenger locomotive ever constructed. There is none other like it anywhere in the world
 MT. Westinghouse reasoned that cleo tricity would be found superior to steam in operating railroads because more pow tricity is used than when the train is hauled by steam energy. He knew that water power of sufficient energy 70 de- velop all the electric energy needed for the movement of trains could be mSde available in many parts of the country, especially in the south and the north west.
 LIMIT IN SIZE OF ENGINES Careful experiment and long confused tests have shown to the builders of raii- way locomotives operated by steam that the limit in the size of the engine is about 300O horse power. Electric locoIao- tives of much greater power than this have already been built, and not even the ablest of the constructing engineers are able to give positive opinion as to the maximum capacity of electric loco motives Some, in fact, have gone so far as to say that it would be practicable and may in the future become econom- ical to employ as high as 5000 horse power for train operation when electricity 1 is used.
 Had it not been for the concentra- 1 ton of attention upon the European war there is no doubt that the hitherto unsurpassed extension of electrified ton by the St. Paul railroad, especially over the continental divide, would have attracted not only the men of science, but of railroad managers the world 1 over This railroad is now using cleo ] tricity for hauling traffic over the Gas 1 cade mountains from point near seat l tie to Othello in the state of Washing 1 ton. It was necessary to. Arocure addi- tional electrical equipment and not the l least important part of this equipment
 was locomotives. As many as ten of l these very high power locomotives are now under construction land one was completed recently and delivered to the railway company. Satisfactory tests have already been made with it.
 THE NEW LOCOMOTIVE 1 Proba bly, the most striking charac- teristic of the new type of locomotive | is it's great length. Certain that would | be the feature of the locomotive whicf
 would instantly attract the eye. The | locomotive, in fact. consists of two du- l plicate Mallard- Pacific type running gears placed back to back. These art | covered by a single cab. The lengtf from one end to the other is almos
 ninety feet
 | A locomotive engine of such lengtf as this is curious looking object tt the experienced eye. It has alread,
 been spoken of as the most remarkable looking thing on wheels. The though instantly occurs that so lengthy loco motive would necessarily have to be 1T perfect control, running very slowl, when going around sharp curves. Thi' difficulty has been overcome by mak ing each of the several trucks inde depent. The action is somewhat sim
 liar to that of the passengers cars upoI | the elevated railroads which easil.
 take curves that are almost righ
 angles.
 From St. Paul comes the report tha | those who have ridden upon this great est locomotive in the world speak witt enthusiasm of it's so-called riding qual ities, and because of the ease and th' smoothness with which this giant oper
 ates it has already been called tn
 Pullman locomotive"
 WHAT THEY CAN DO
 This electric locomotive can develol
 a total of 4,200 horse power for on
 hour and normal starting draw ba pull of 100000 pounds. This pull how ever. can be increased without injur.
 to the electric apparatus. The tota
 weight of the locomotive is 275 ton and the weight on the drivers is 000 pounds. Sometimes the question ha been asked: Can this locomotive mak good speed? The question needs n longer to be asked, for tests hay shown that it can make fixty-six mile Ian hour hauling heavy steel Pullma | cars on the level and make twent
 miles an hour up steep grades. I
 working out the plans. the constructin
 engineers have provided skillfully fo
 meeting down grades. That is done b
 so-called regenerative braking. Tn
 engineer controls the speed by merel
 changing electrical connections.
 This latest of electric locomotives | to be used upon the original continen | tai divide section. A different type
 now under construction for the Gas
 cade section. There can be no dout that these modern, high-power locomc
 tives, the successful equipment of raj
 1 road tracks with electric apparatu
 and, to no small extent the utilizatio
 of hydro electric power will. when nol
 mai times return and when new cap
 tai is porvided. lead railway manager
 in many parts of the United tSates ult
 mately to substitute electricity fe
 steam.
 E:f. W;Iouor Murriao