Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume I

ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVES. gine had no load, but in other trials steam engines of the largest class were employed to haul equivalent trains. On the first run the two complete trains started together, but the electric locomotive fell behind at first, mainly owing to inequality in current supply. At three thousand feet from the starting-point the electric locomotive reached the same speed 221 locomotive, and without a load speeds up to 85 miles per hour. Reference must now be made to the famous German high-speed trials of October 1903, when the highest known railway travelling speeds were obtained. In connection with a Government institu- tion, a little more than 14 miles of railway is Jig. 5.—A RACE BETWEEN AN ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE AND A STEAM LOCOMOTIVE ON THE NEW YORK CENTRAL RAILWAY. as the steam locomotive, and at a distance of two miles from the starting-point passed its rival. When steam was shut off the electric locomotive was two train lengths ahead. The maximum speed of the steam locomotive was 50 miles per hour ; that of the electric locomotive 57 miles an hour. On other runs the speeds were 53 and 56 miles per hour for the steam locomotive, and 60 and 616 miles per hour for the electric locomotive. There were several other runs with trains, and in each case the electric locomotive proved its superiority. It must, however, be borne in mind that this was mainly due to the acceler- ative powers of the electric locomotive—of itself a very important feature—whereas the steam locomotive was to some extent handi- capped by the shortness of the run. With one coach a maximum speed of 79 miles an hour was obtained by the electric operated, mainly for experimental purposes, between Marienfelde and Zossen. On this line high-speed trials were carried out in 1902, between experimental locomotives con- structed by the great electrical firms of Siemens and Halske and the Allgemeine Elektrizitäts Gesellschaft—familiarly known as the A.E.G. It was found, when maximum speeds of almost 100 miles per hour had been reached, that the track would require strengthening before the trials could be continued. Even then, how- ever, remarkable work had been done, and the photograph reproduced on page 219, illus- trating the Siemens and Halske locomotive then employed, will be of interest. The use of three-phase high-tension currents necessitated the employment of the complicated current collectors shown. In 1903 the trials were con- tinued, on a strengthened track, fitted with guard rails to prevent possible derailment,