NATURE 
[OcToOBER 9, 1913 
190 
Italian State Railways Electrified on the Three-phase 
System. 
In service In construction 
| a 
; 2 = 5 
Location of line al gif o8 3 s 
c - 
of] 48.| Fee o | os 
oor $| des 365 || £5 og S29 
Bees] Gea | 24bR | SOS] Bs | ees 
VOoL| Goo | oa S ll a.e oo cao 
30n0|/ Cam} ans | avo, Qe | One 
Lensth, inkilometres| 107 19 58 45 38 28 
Heaviest grade per 
mille ve vee 22 35 30 25) || ore 17 
Numbering of trans- 
forming stations ... 10 4 7 4 4 2 
Transmission voltage | 20,000 | 13,000 | 59,c0o 62,000 | 25,0c0 | 57,000 
Trolley voltage ‘ 3,000 3,000 3,300 3,300 3,300 3,000 
Frequency (cycles per | 
BECONG)! sie cee 15 15 165 168 164 15 
Source of power Water | Steam | Water Water | Water | Water 
(steam | (steam | (steam 
“ode ox reserve) | reserve) | reserve) 
umber © electro- | 
Motives ...0 ws. a. 14 20 15 61 for the three lines 
Number of motor 
‘tape ae Seateedee 10 _ _— — = = 
eight of/minimum 150 190 _ re 
trains (maximum | 370 380 220 J DOD Een 
Three-phase Electromotives on the Italian State 
Railways. 
Type... 034 036 038 050 " 030 
Maker ... Ganz : Ganz Ganz | Westtaw: Wee 
Number in service ... 2 3 4 40 _ 
Number building .. — _— _ 45 16 
Total weight, tons ... | 45 € 62 60 65 
Weight on drivers ... 45 43'5 435 60 48 
Number of driving 
AXTeSic. Suan 1e00,) eas 4 3 3 5 3 
Total number of axles 4 5 5 5 5 
Weightondrivers,tons) = 11°3 14°5 4°5 12 16 
Diam. of drivers, m.m. 1,396 1,600 1,600 1,270 1,630 
Frequency (cycles per . 
Second) cee aces eche 1S 15 15 15 | 16% 
Method oftransmitting Quill and 
torque of motor to flexible } Cranks and connecting rods 
driving axles ... coupling | 
Speed, in kilometres — 
Per DOWNY.) ses, fees 30 32—64 |22—45—63| 22°5—45 |37°5—SO— 
: Rasead 
ascade 
Matos of speed regu}! — |Cascade| Cascade | Cascade fer. pole- 
Beto Asa ecameer|| changing 
The most recent example of single-phase electrifica- 
tion is that of the Loetschberg line establishing direct 
communication between Berne and the Simplon line. 
I am indebted to Dr. Behn-Eschenburg, the designer 
of the electromotives, for the following information. 
The power at the one-and-a-half-hour rating is 2500 
horse-power, and the total weight of the engine is 
108 tons, of which 85 tons is taken by the five driving 
axles. At the normal speed of 50 kilometres per hour 
the tractive effort is 10 tons. This can be increased 
at starting to 18 tons. On the heaviest grade (27 per 
mille) the tractive effort is 13°5 tons, which suffices for 
a train of 310 tons. The maximum speed is 75 kilo- 
metres per hour. There are two 1250 horse-power 
motors on each engine. Each has its own transformer 
and controller, the principle of duplication being carried 
out in all the details, so that in the event of a defect 
to any one part the other remains serviceable. The 
potential difference between fappings is 45 volts, and 
the last step gives with 15,009 volts on the trolley 
520 volts. This is in excess of what is required by the 
motor, and thus provides for the event that the trolley- 
voltage should for some reason fall below the standard 
pressure. The normal voltage of the motors is 420, 
NO. 2293, VOL. 92] 
and the full-load current 2700 A. At starting on the © 
level the line-current is about one-third of the full — 
load-current, and the power 10 per cent. of the full 
power. When starting on an up-grade of 27 per 
mille with a train of 310 tons, the current taken from 
the trolley is 4o per cent. of the normal full-power 
value, and the acceleration o'05 metres per second per 
second, The current is taken from the overhead 
trolley by two pantographs, the pressure being 15,000 
volts, and the frequency 15. 
under the electric control of a master controller, so that — 
the driver is relieved of any physical exertion in at- 
tending to the regulation of the motors. These have 
16 poles, a compensating winding to increase the 
power-factor, and commutating poles shunted by a 
non-inductive resistance to insure sparkless collection. 
The power-factor is about o'95 over a wide range oi 
load. The motor is geared by double helical wheels 
(ratio 1: 2°23) to a blind axle, from which the turning 
moment is transmitted to the drivers by cranks and 
connecting-rods. The weights are as follows: Motor, 
118 tons; gear, 2 tons; transformer, 7°5 tons; and 
controller, 1 ton; total, 22°3 tons; or at the rate of 
178 kilogrammes per horse-power on the one-and-a- 
half-hour rating. The total weight of the electro- 
motive is at the rate of 43 kilogrammes at the same 
rating. This is a remarkably high weight-efficiency, 
which has up to the present not been reached by any 
continuous-current electromotive, and has only been 
surpassed by the three-phase 2000 horse-power electro- 
motives (taken at the one-hour rating) of the Italian 
State railways, which works out at 30 kilogrammes 
per horse-power. 
In conclusion, let us briefly glance at what is being 
done in the electrification of the Gothard line, that main 
link of commerce between Germany and Italy. I am 
indebted for the following notes on the subject to 
Mr. Huber-Stocker, the scientific adviser to the Swiss 
Government in the matter of railway electrification : 
The part to be electrified first is that between Erstfeld 
and Bellinzona, a total length of 110 kilometres, of 
which about 29 per cent. is in tunnel. This part also 
contains the longest and heaviest grades, so that the 
limitations of steam as compared with electric traction 
are here most prominent and a relief most urgent. 
On this section the average daily train movement, 
taking both directions together, was, in 1911, not less 
than 1,680,000 kilometre-tons, and the maximum on 
any day 2,282,000 kilometre-tons. It is estimated that 
in 1918 the average train movement will have in- 
creased by 35 per cent. over 1911, and in 1928 by a 
further 30 per cent. In the 45 kilometres on the north 
side of the tunnel the train climbs 569 metres, and in 
the 65 kilometres on the south it descends to Bellin- 
zona goo metres, with a steepest grade of 27 per mille. 
The section Erstfeld-Airolo is to be opened for elec- 
tric traction in four years from now, and the southern 
section one year later. The present arrangements are 
made with the intention of extending the electric ser- 
vice. on the north to Lucerne (60 kilometres), and on 
the south to Chiasso (55 kilometres) at some future 
date not yet fixed. There will be two large power- 
stations, one at Amsteg, where at first. 32,000 horse- 
power will be available on the turbine shafts, and 
56,000 to 60,000 when the station is completed; and 
the other at Piotta, where at first 40,000, and finally 
50,000 horse-power will be available. The head of 
water in the northern power-house is 267 metres down 
to the Reuss, and an accumulation of one million cubic 
metres is provided for to compensate for diurnal 
variations. In the southern power-house the head of 
water is 900 metres, and there the Ritom Lake offers 
a natural reservoir, with 19 million cubic metres, to 
The controller drums are 
each worked by an electromotor and rocking pawls. — 
shes 
? 
Cepia 
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