Electricity as a Motive Power for Railroads

Electricity as a motive power for railroads is no longer an object sought by mere theorists and experimenters, says the New York World. It has been reduced from tests, while admitting electricity can already generate more power than thought it can be applied to trunk lines.

There has been a great change in opinion during the past few months. Rufus Hill, master mechanic of the Pennsylvania Railroad, said:

“Last summer the Pennsylvania Railroad made its initial experiment in the use of electricity on a line from Burlington to Mount Holly, in New Jersey. The success of this experiment was beyond question. Within a month the time schedule was made at the rate of over sixty miles an hour, with frequent trains. The service has been found to be far superior to anything known in steam railway practice and the economy in operation more than we expected. An electric locomotive has been used, not merely in hauling trains, but in switching service in the yards.

“The Pennsylvania has an innumerable number of branches which have been seriously affected by the competition of trolley lines. These have, in many instances, taken away our business, until we are forced to adopt electricity ourselves.

“We have the invaluable assistance of the Westinghouse Company and the Baldwin Locomotive Works, who have been working in harmony to solve the problem.

“We believe now that every difficulty has been overcome, and believe that inside of five years the greater part of the entire Pennsylvania system will be operated by electric locomotives.

“One of the serious drawbacks on trunk lines has been the question of transmission of power. About fifteen miles has been considered the limit of economical transmission. This would necessitate the establishing of power-houses every thirty miles over our entire system. Now Tesla has perfected a system of transmission which we think can be applied to trunk lines, and Mr. Westinghouse is confident his company will soon have an alternating current motor, practically adapted for any railway service.

“With the perfection of this motor all obstacles will have been removed. The success in the transmission of Niagara’s current to New York has opened to us such a field as we scarcely supposed was within our reach. In the coal fields of Pennsylvania we have an unlimited supply of culm, the commercial value of which has been so small that it did not pay for shipping. The Board of Trade of Scranton made an appropriation six months ago for the establishment of an experimental plant for burning this culm at the mouth of the mines, where it is stored in vast heaps, thousands upon thousands of tons each.

“Now, if the transmission of electric power 150 miles from Niagara Falls to New York is possible — as it has been shown to be — is there any reason why we could not make use of these vast culm piles, which are scattered along within fifty miles of our railroad from Pittsburg to Philadelphia? The owners of the coal mines place no value whatever upon these banks; and, in fact, they would be glad to get rid of them.

“The Pennsylvania Railroad Company is an enthusiastic convert to electricity, and during the summer we shall make wide extensions in that direction. Eventually — that is, within a few years — we hope to have every mile of the Pennsylvania Railroad system operated by electricity.”

Colonel N. H. Heft, chief electrical engineer of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railway, said:

“Our company has, perhaps, more short lines upon which electricity can be used than any other railroad in the country. We have proven by the operation of the Nantasket Beach line that electricity is economical. I look to a rapid substitution of the current for steam.

“The Dedham branch, twenty-four miles long, is now being transformed and very shortly electric motors will be drawing all the cars there. Our motor cars at Nantasket haul with ease Pullman and passenger coaches.

“In five years we may be running into New York from Boston behind electric locomotives. There is nothing to prevent this. The heaviest freight trains are being hauled into Baltimore behind electric locomotives. We run our Nantasket trains at a speed equal to that of the swiftest steam trains.

“I have never been so sanguine of the ultimate adoption of the electric motor on all roads as I am now.”