ELECTRIC OPERATIONS OF STEAM RAILWAYS 217 



installations already mentioned have announced that the electrical 

 operation of the former steam service is being handled with the con- 

 sumption of only 60 per cent, of the amount of coal, resulting in a 

 saving of nearly $350,000 per year. Figures have been published 

 showing that the Manhattan Eailway under steam operation secured 

 about 1.5 ton miles to a pound of coal; under electric operation this 

 figure has increased to 3.85. These and other careful estimates indi- 

 cate that in the general electrification of through railway lines a saving 

 of 50 per cent, in coal consumption may be effected. It is to be noted, 

 however, that the cost of fuel alone is only about 12 per cent, of the 

 total cost of operation ; therefore, a saving in this respect would be only 

 6 per cent, of the total operating expense. In the kindred items of 

 firemen, roundhouse men and other expense peculiar to the steam loco- 

 motive a further saving of about 5 per cent, is possible. It is interest- 

 ing in this connection to consider the effect of this fuel saving on the 

 total coal supply of the country. The fuel consumption of all the locomo- 

 tives in this country in 1905 was about 52,000,000 tons, which was 

 about one eighth of the total coal production of that year. The total 

 coal consumption, therefore, would be reduced by about 7 per cent, if 

 all the railways in the country were electrified. This does not appear 

 to be a very important reason why railways should electrify; but with 

 trans-Atlantic liners burning 5,000 tons of coal per voyage and the 

 end of the coal supply of the state of Ohio in sight within 25 years, 

 any influence tending to check coal consumption must soon assume im- 

 portance. 



The repairs to steam locomotives amount to about 8 per cent, of 

 the total operating expense. The repairs to an electric locomotive 

 amount to far less. The greater simplicity of the electric locomotive 

 has already been noted. There are now available plentiful data based 

 on experience indicating that the above figure of 8 per cent, may be 

 reduced to the neighborhood of 2 per cent. An additional saving in 

 the maintenance of track and other less striking items offsets 

 the repairs to track bonding and overhead construction and leaves 

 an additional saving in favor of electric operation of about 3 per cent. 

 The aggregate of the above economies in operating expense amounts to 

 20 per cent., which should be readily available by any of the large rail- 

 way systems in the transformation to the electric method of operation. 



Considering further the several pioneer installations of electric serv- 

 ice, we find that they differ materially in their characteristics and 

 there are several so-called systems at present available. The early de- 

 velopment of the electric railway for operation in cities was entirely 

 dependent on the use of the direct current motor as the only motor 

 available. This motor had been developed in spite of the fact that the 

 earliest electromagnetic generators were of the alternating current 



