326 The N.Z. Journal of Science and Technology. [Nov. 
with loaded truck, was 13-4 miles per hour. In the opinion of the manage¬ 
ment the line and two of its branches had reached their utmost capacity 
under steam conditions. Electrification has increased the average speed 
from 13*4 to 20 m.p.h., and the speed on the ruling grade from 7 m.p.h. 
to 16 m.p.h. The following is an example of the improvement effected 
on one of the sections. The steam-engines used were of the Mastodon 
type, 108 tons (83 tons effective), tender 55—total 163 tons ; one of these 
was used per train of 16 cars, made 6 trips per shift, or 96 cars per shift. 
The electric locomotive, weighing 160 tons, takes 25 cars per train and 
makes 8 trips per shift, or 200 cars per shift. The general result is that 
in five years the traffic has increased 50 per cent., and no difficulty has 
been found in dealing with the increased traffic. 
Another interesting and instructive example is the electrification of the 
Rocky Mountain division of the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railway, 
regarding which the assistant to the president of the railway states : “It 
is a fact that the present electrification has eliminated the Rocky Mountains 
as far as railroad operation is concerned on the St. Paul ” ; also, “It is 
quite within the fact to say that Milwaukee has forgotten that the 
Continental Divide exists.” The electrified portion is 440 miles long, 
extending from Harlowtown in the east to Avery on the west of the Rocky 
Mountains. It was worked in four locomotive divisions. The ruling 
gradient going west is 2 per cent., and going east 1*7 per cent. The 
locomotives used were of the Mallet type, 257 tons inclusive weight and 
200 tons adhesive weight. The general result of electrification has been 
that the time between Three Forks and Deer Lodge (120 miles) has been 
reduced from twelve hours to eight hours for heavy freight trains, and 
in addition the tonnage has been increased on the maximum grades from 
1,700 to 3,000 tons. This tonnage is now handled at 16 m.p.h., whereas 
the lesser weight was handled by the steam locomotives at a maximum 
of 8 m.p.h. The running-time required over each section of the electric 
division has been reduced from 12-16 hours for steam haulage to 7-10 hours 
for electric haulage. The time over the entire division of 226 miles has 
been reduced to one-half the total time required by steam haulage. 
The Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul now propose to electrify a further 
portion of the same line. The new zone extends from Othello on the east 
to Seattle on the west; it is 250 miles long, and includes a tunnel five 
miles long; and it is important to notice that there is a gap of 225 
miles between the western end of the Rocky Mountain division, already 
electrified, and the eastern end of the Othello to Seattle division, which 
will continue to be operated by steam. 
Examples of Main-line Tunnel Electrification. 
Reference has already been made to tunnels as an obstacle to increased 
traffic by steam locomotives. Usually where there are steep grades there 
are tunnels, in which case the conditions become aggravated, and an 
example has already been quoted on the Genoa-Giovi line in Italy. 
Even where the grades are easy there are numerous instances of tunnels 
becoming an obstacle to the development of trunk-line traffic, the only 
remedy for which is electrification. The two following examples will help 
to illustrate the nature and extent of the obstruction caused by tunnels to 
steam-locomotive service. 
On the Great Northern Railway in the State of Washington, about 100 
miles east of Seattle, there is the Cascade Tunnel, 2-63 miles long, on a 1*7 
per cent, grade, near the middle of a mountain division. The locomotives 
