Evening star., 1938-03-20


car riders laid end to enc
~ equal one 44-foot street car
or, if they are using tokens at 6 fol
50 cents, they make it 10000.
But the beauty of it is you don't have
to lay them end to end in one of these
new, $4,000. streamlined cars, such as
were recently put into service and to
which the company will add another so
in the next few months; you can seat
the riders comfortably in groups of SO
and still have plenty of standing room.
Because these new cars are so differ
ent in appearance, operation, and con-
structlon and I overheard so many
questions about them (not to men
ton my own curiosity) I went on a
little reconnaissance tour and here's
what 1 found:
They're much easier and safer to
operate than the older style cars" was
one operators answer to my question.
For instance, instead of the old
type hand-controlled and hand-oper-
ated brakes or airbrakes, you now use
an accelerator and brake pedal Just as
in an automobile. The old controller
provided only nine speed points, and
1t stayed wherever you set it, even ii
you took your hands Off The foot-type
accelerator has 80 speeds, which means
. smoother, quicker acceleration, and
when you lift your foot it springs back
to the off position"
Something like the little foot con-
troller that came with my wife's eIec-
trio sewing machine?' suggested.
. Exactly the same, only bigger" he
replied, then went on:
Extra safety is added by the emer-
eency control
Whats that?"
ITS this pedal over here on the ex-
a treme left. I must always keep
that pressed down with my left foot in
order to operate the car. If I should
have heart attack. faint. or somebody
slugged me, my foot would relax and
the pedal would then pop up auto
matlcally shutting off the power and
applying the brakes for an emergency
stop.
Now this other pedal" he said,
pointing to it. lis brake pedal, lust
as in an automobile except that it op-
crates more brakes. When you press it
down a little way it brings into play a
dynamic brake-which in this case
means that each of the motors becomes
q generator, thus reversing their func-
ton and taking power from the mo-
mentum Of the car itself so that they
act as drag to slow the car
Much the same as the compression
IN an automobile engine acts as a
brake to slow the car when you lift
your foot off the accelerator, you
mean?" ventured.
,; Right again." he said. Then, after
Che dynamic brake has acted, if YOU
push the pedal still more the mag
netic track brakes clamp down on the
tracks with 30,0O0-pound force
much the same as though you were
running along on dry road and sud-
denly you came to stretch where
there was fresh tar-you might be
able to keep running, but there would
be an awful drag and you would soon
be brought to stop"
so that's what those bars are that
hang down between the wheels! I'm
glad to know. I've noticed them Jig
Cling just above the track and then
seen them clamp down and slide, and
I don't know how many people have
asked what they were!"
, He laughed. "Yes, they're great big
electro-magnets. When the brake
pedal reaches certain point current
from storage battery flows into these
and magnetizes them and they are
pulled down against the track with
terrific force. When the current is
released they lose their magnetism
and springs pull them back up away
from the track"
WE GOT out and took a look at
81, these track brakes while he
pointed out just how they were hung
and connected. and also how they
were braced so that the drag of the
car wouldn't pull them back against
the wheels behind
And finally, when you push the
pedal all the way down." he said,
picking up his explanation of the
brake pedal where he left OF, there
Is . regular air brake that is applied
80 you see you have three brakes
on one pedal-the dynamic brake, the
magnetic track brakes and the air
brakes"
:. Suppose they should all fail?"
He laughed. 1--WE never heard of
them failing. but If they did there
Is still this long lever over here point
ing to it, just forward of the fare
box) which is hand brake-just as
in an automobile, and while it Is an
emergency brake, yet 1t is generally
only used for 'parking'-when the car
Is, to sit still for long time at one
point. But, as said, I've never
heard Of all the others falling"
He ought to know, I thought, glanc-
ing at the two gold stars on his sleeve,
which meant 10 years service-a star
for each five. He also had 10 gold bars,
each one of which stands for one years
service without complaint or accident.
he could have prevented.
you spoke Of the motors a moment
ago; are there more than one?" ~.
Yes. There are four motors, each
Of : horsepower, and they will drive
thec at speed up to ~ miles an