New Britain herald., 1924-07-01
ELECTnIIfICAIIOA

!
 dirision-passenger or freight-move
 except through the power Of eleetriei
 ty
 Elcetriheation on the New Hayel
 began during the Mellon regime, am
 it was perhaps the only achievement
 of worth executed by this much ma { ligned and abused president of th,
 road, Had he concentrated his oner
 gies upon eleetriheation. instead O
 engaging in financial adventures in th'
 purchase at fabulous prices of trolle!
 and steamship companies, all woulC
 have been well with Mellon and th'
 New Haven.
 lt Is said that, although Mellon go
 much of the credit for making be-
 ginning with electrihcation of the rail
 road, the real power behind the plar
 was J. F. Morgan. Tho financial inter.
 est Of the Morgan banking house ir
 the New Haven railroad was con.
 siderable: and Morgan. stannch he. lieyer In electrifcation of railroads
 consented to a start being made on tho New Haven. The financial chaos into which the road was plunged through other causes brought a temporary halt to the scheme: but today identification stands completed over a goodly stretch of main track, forming tho longest stretch of elcctri- fcation in the east. Only the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul, through it's rocky mountain division, can boast of a longer stretch. one of 45O miles, the current being secured from waterfalls.
 The plan of Morgan for the New Haven was the identification of the entire line from New York to Boston. Had the plan been carried out as originally intended, identification of the shore line between the two cities would have been reality by this time. Electrification of the line be- tween New Haven and Springfield probably soon would have followed.
 On the whole, identification of rail- roads has not proceeded as swiftly as was expected a decade ago. The war period was factor operating against such expenditures. The Pennsylvania for years has operated electric trains to take care of suburban service out side of Philadelphia, successfully using the third rail system over a private right of way that nowhere is crossed by streets. For an even longer period .hird rail electric trains have been operated between Camden, N J., and Atlantic City by the Pennsylvania rail- 'oad as a supplementary service to he two existing steam roads between he two cities. The Baltimore & Ohio vas the first railroad to utilize cleo ricity to propel trains, making a be- ginning in the 90's through a tunnel which traverses Baltimore. The only 'bject, however. was to prevent the &C., of smoke in the two-mile unnel.
 It is said that the Pennsylvania | 'lans to electrify the entire right of vay between Philadelphia and New orll, and then continue identification | o Pittsburgh. The New York Central | within the next decade Is expected to | lectrify the line between New York | nd Albany, and probably beyond.
 The city of Boston expended more han million dollars to provide iation for electric suburban service nder South Station, Boston, but after his considerable outlay to encourage Identification, none of the roads en- ering the station use electricity and he station meant for electric trains, 'hich is under the present station, oes unused; thousands in the city ont know it exists.
 The line between New Britain and .artford was one of the comparative : early electrified lines, but as the lird rail system was in use, with im- roper safeguards against accidents,
 was abandoned. So far as it is nown, this line was the first electri- ed line to return to steam.
 The New Ravens system of ovcr- cad wires, in use between New Haven Id New York appears to meet every quirement of safety. It is more ex- .nsive than the third rail system on count of the necessity of erecting wers to carry the wires. The most pensive system ever put up was the iginal system installed through the lltlmore G Ohio tunnel In Baltimore, | hich was a structural steel system hereby a shoe on top of the electric zines glided over a steel superstruc- I re. The system has been modified d made less elaborate.
 The steam locomotive is the most lsteful mode of propulsion known to l in. Only a fraction of the power 1erent in coal is turned into trans- the rest of 1t being wasted. ectricity. on the other hand, is the ,st economical method discovered, III l only the expense of installing the H wires or third rails, and the H