ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING PROBLEMS 619 



over a distance of one hundred miles which, in the present state of 

 the art of heavy electrical traction, is certainly a long distance. It is 

 highly probable that no two out of a large number of these reports 

 would agree even approximately in all the details involved in the 

 problem, because there is no doubt that there are a considerable 

 number of pet schemes in heavy electrical traction, each one of 

 which has its ardent admirers and stanch champions. Neverthe- 

 less it is fairly certain that they would all agree on the vital questions 

 involved in the problem. These questions are: First, can the 

 existing methods of electrical power distribution over a distance of 

 a hundred miles take care of heavy traction? Second, would sub- 

 stantial administrative advantages, capable of increasing the capac- 

 ity of the existing tracks, result from the substitution of electrical 

 power for the steam locomotive? Third, could the continuity of 

 service be sufficiently well secured? 



The answer to the first question would undoubtedly be in the 

 affirmative- in every one of these reports. The powerful electrical 

 locomotive recently constructed by the General Electric Company for 

 the New York Central Railroad and the experimental results ob- 

 tained with it leave no room for any reasonable doubt that elec- 

 trical traction machines can be built, which will take care of any 

 practicable load and at any practicable speed. The Westinghouse 

 Electrical Manufacturing Company of Pittsburg is completing for the 

 Swedish Government a heavy traction electrical locomotive, which 

 is considered by some to be even an advance upon the electrical 

 locomotive of the General Electric Company just referred to. 



The answer to the second question would also be decidedly in 

 the affirmative in every one of these reports. Very substantial ad- 

 vantages would certainly arise from the substitution of the elec- 

 trical motor., for the steam locomotive. Our entire experience with 

 electrical traction so far justifies this belief, and these advantages 

 are so numerous and so self-evident, that a specific discussion of 

 every one of them would be entirely beyond the scope of this paper, 

 and would, besides, be entirely superfluous. Suffice it to state here 

 briefly the two chief advantages which would arise. They are, first, 

 the possibility of running smaller trains at much more frequent 

 intervals; secondly, higher speeds with greater safety could be 

 obtained. This means a very substantial saving of time and 

 the resulting great increase in the transportation capacity of the 

 existing tracks. 



In the popular mind the substitution of electrical power for the 

 steam locomotive seems to convey the idea that the chief object 

 of this substitution is the saving of power; but nothing is as far 

 from the actual point at issue as a view of this kind. The coal-bill 

 is a small item in the operating expenses of a road, and cuts no 



