| Show NORFOLK WESTERN TO ELECTRIFY the norfolk and western railroad which extends from the tidewater at norfolk virginia to the coal fields of west virginia has contracted with the westinghouse electric manufacturing company to supply all the electrical apparatus required to electrify the bluefield vivian section of its line some 85 miles in length the contract calls for the manufacture and delivery of twenty six ton electric ele locomotives of the single phase two phase type together with all required power house gene generating Tating machinery and transmission apparatus single phase alternating current of a frequency of 25 cycles and at volts pressure will be supplied to the locomotives through an overhead suspended trolley wire and will be the identical type of the overhead system that has long been successfully used by the new york new haven and hartford railroad on its main line by the boston and maine in the hoosac tunnel by the grand trunk railway in the sarnia tunnel a and nd by the new york westchester and boston railway and for which installation the westinghouse electric and manufacturing company has furnished over locomotives the norfolk and western single phase two phase locomotives besides being very large and of enormous hauling capacity will embody many unique features and requirements of design which it is expected will result in their showing unprecedented flexibility and economy of operation the bluefield vivian section serves the celebrated pocahontas coal region the largest coal fields in the the tonnage of coal handled amounts to tons per day necessitating trains weighing as high as tons it is to facilitate the handling of this heavy traffic that the electrical operation has been decided de upon there are a number of grades on this section the maxi maximum murn being two cwb per cent and at the present three mall mallet et locomotives the most powerful type of steam locomotives built are required per train one loco motive is used at the head of the train and two for pushing only two electric locomotives will he be required for this service and the present speed will be doubled the extent to which this quick train movement will enlarge the capacity of the railroad is quite apparent one of the present impediments to rapid operation of this section of the road is th the e extension of a foot tunnel which is difficult to ventilate this tunnel under electric operation will of course owing t to 0 the absence of smoke and noxious gases offer no impediment to frequent train amov movement ement since the norfolk and western locomotives are intended for handling what is known among railway men as tonnage trains they will be buit built for running speeds of approximately seven fourteen and twenty awen six miles per hour the design of the electric equipment will kg be such that the tonnage can be readily in lor creased eased in the future as the service demands I 1 power for the entire electrified section will be generated in a central power house located at bluestone BIu estone west virginia wah an installed capacity of kilowatts in turbo generators supplied by the westinghouse company t the traffic conditions of this section of ahe the road are especially well adapted to elec 1 operations it is in reality a separate engine division at present and can be op aerated electrically without affecting the cost of engine service on other sections of the line conditions that are conductive to high economy in an electrification like that of the norfolk and western are 1 traffic requirements such that a minimum electrical equipment will give practically continuous service 2 fewer engine crews per train 3 the speed of 0 operation over the divi gion aion will be nearly double that possible with present steam equipment 4 increased capacity of electrified section 5 electric locomotives are not limited to the short hours of service on account of boiler and fire conditions as in steam locomotives 6 watering and coaling delays incident to steam operation will be entirely eliminated |
