320 HIGH-SPEED ELECTRIC INTERUKBAN RAILWAYS. 



have been built. The speed of the cars is from 12i to 14 miles per 

 hour. The switching construction is highly interesting, but is not con- 

 sidered safe and is used only by empty cars. 



The Swiss " roads are very interesting because of the original engi- 

 neering methods which they embody. Most of them are mountain 

 roads and are provided with rack rails. They are largely patronized 

 b}^ tourists and charge very high fares. The road starting at Zermatt 

 and ascending the Gornergrat has a maximum grade of 20 per cent 

 and is composed of curves throughout 30 per cent of its total length, 

 which is 5.7 miles. The entire roadbed was cut from solid rock or 

 bidlt upon projections. The rack system is of the Abt type. The 

 locomotives weigh 10^ tons each and are equipped with two motors 

 having an aggregate of 90 horsepower and operating at 500 volts. 

 (PI. V, fig. 2.) The speed is only -li miles per hour, and double- 

 reduction gearing is used. In addition to the two spindle brakes, one 

 operated on the rack wheels and the other on the surface wheels, there 

 is an electric brake which comes into action as soon as the speed of 4^ 

 miles per hour is exceeded. The motors are of the 3-phase induction 

 type with wound rotors and collector rings, and in coasting they may 

 be used as extra brakes by inserting resistance in the rotor circuit. 



The longest (25 miles) Swiss 3-phase railway is the Burgdorf-Thun 

 road, opened in 1899. The standard trains weigh 56 tons and have a 

 maximum speed of 22^ miles per hour. Current is transmitted at 

 1(),000 volts, which is stepped down, by means of transformers located 

 at an average of 2 miles apart, to 750 volts for distribution to the 

 trolley line. The caivs carry four trolleys, two at each end of the car. 

 The equipment consists of two 2-axle locomotives and six d-axle motor 

 cars, with a number of trailers for passenger and freight traffic. The 

 total power of the locomotives is 300 horsepower. A small trans- 

 former is installed on each locomotive or motor car for lighting, heat- 

 ing, and driving an air compressor, Westinghouse air brakes being 

 used. At present only five trains are operated on the line at any 

 time. The fare for the entire 25 miles is -40 and 60 cents for the two 

 classes. 



The Stansstad-Engelberg Electric Railway has a total length of 13.8 

 miles, of which about 1 mile is rack construction. Three-phase cur- 

 rent is supplied to the trolley line at 750 volts, at which voltage most 

 of it is generated. The trolley line is protected l>y Westinghouse 

 lightning arresters. The rolling stock consists of three locomotives 

 and seven motor cars weighing l-l tons and seating 46 persons. (PI. v, 

 fig- 3.) 



«The imi5ortant electric installations of Italy were reviewed at some length l)y 

 Signor Enrico Bignami in The Engineering Magazine for November, 1900. For this 

 reason they are omitted from Mr. Gibson's summary. — The Editors. 



