Rensselaer Republican, Volume 24, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 June 1892 — THE ELECTRIC AIR LINE. [ARTICLE]

THE ELECTRIC AIR LINE.

Great*** Scheme of Rapid Transit Yet Projected. New York Special, Juae 3. The Empire State express, which flies from New York to Buffalo, is goon to be entirely eclipsed by an electric express traveling at thunderbolt speed over a road as straight as an arrow’s course, if the story be nos a dream which Dr. Wellington Adams unfolded to the Electric Club. This wonderful train of the future, according to Df. Adams, Is to run between St. Louis and Chicago, and in comparison with it all of the present “thunderbolt” and “lightning” vestibule expresses will fade into the insignificance pf way trains, fit only for third-class traffic. Mr. Adams is the engineer of the proposed road| and as a company of St. Louis capitalists has raised $6,000,000 to build the road, the dream stage of the project, at least, appears to have been passed. The tremendous speed of this new railroad is not the only curious feature., The shape and nature of the cars, the track, the roadbed, the mode of propulsion, all are equally curious to those who have been accustomed to steam railroads, and not the least curious thing about the whole scheme is the calculation which Dr. Adams made, to the effect that one-tenth of all the visitors to the World's Fair are expected tq'pay $5 apiece for a round trip on the road.

“The bian was suggested to me while in Europe last"; year, ” TjEe doctor said, “and my original plan was to run it from New York to Boston. After returning to America I investigated this route and found it to be impracticable for high speed and a straight away and level track, because of the great-number of 4owns on the way and the hilly nature of the country. Between Chicago and St. Louis we found the conditions to be perfect. We have surveyed an air line, an absoutely straight, line between the two cities, and the distance is 248 miles. By the Chicago A Alton it is 283 miles, and by the Wabaeh it is still further. Our route lies between these routes, and is thirty-four miles shorter than the Chicago A Alton. We have already acquired over 60 per cent, of the right of way, and will soon have the rest. The road will cost $6,000,000, and will be in operation when the World’s Fair opens. For two hundred miles the country is as fiat as the surface of a billiard* table. Our maximum grade will not exceed two feet in a hundred, and that will occur at only two points,in Madison county. We will have two central stations, one at Wilmington or Fairbury, and the other at Edinburg. At the latter we own a coal mine, and at Wilmington is a ten-thou-sand horse power waterfall, which we will lease, so that we can furnish our power at a nominal cost. We will divide the roads into four sections of equal circuits. At first we will built two heavy tracks for the through express trains. They will travel at the rate of one hundred miles per.hour and they will make no stops between the two elties-.- -Wewill build spurs out to Springfield, Decatur, Bloomington and other large towns. From Springfield and Decatur through trains will run to Chicago without stops, at the same rate of speed. Eventually we will have a four track road, with the two outside tracks for local traffic. The local trains will stop every mile, and will constitute practically a continuous street car service betweeif Chicago and St. Louis. Our trains will run into the Union station at St. Louis over an elevated road, and the Chicago terminus will be at the Fair grounds. The road bed will be sloping, with a porous bottom, and there will be a drtch between the two sets of tracks and a ditch outside of each set. This will prevent the settling of the track. We will use the seventy pound continuous overlapping rail, with stone ballast, and all crossings will be overhead our road. The, trolley, or overhead wire system, will be used. The wire will run along about on a level with the side of the roof of the car.

“The car will weigh only fifteen tons and will carry forty passengers. The roof will be only nine feet above the top of the rails. Every car will be a motor oar and passenger coach combined. The passenger campartment will be in the middle section of the car. The forward end of the ear will come down to a point near the ground. The motormen will stand in the front compartment. There will be a pilot wheel on each side of the car at the front and rear, and a driving wheel six feet in diameter at the front and rear. The shape of the front of the car is calculated to decrease the atmospherical resistance. and wilt serve as a cowcatcher. At tne rear of the car will be a compartment for mail and baggage. On each driving wheel will be a motor weighing 6,132 pounds, and capable of two hundrea horsepower at a •peed of five hundred revolutions of tne wheel per minute. The armature will be mounted rigidly on the axle of the driving wheel. Each car will be equipped with air and electrie brakes. The poles for the trolley wire will be so constructed that the wire will not sag thus interfere with the speed and motion of the train while traveling at a high velocity. There will be a single wire for each set of tracks, and through this wire we can develop a power of 25,000 voltage. The trolley wheel Will be twelve inches in dianleter. The entire road will be fenced in and divided Into twenty-five sections and a transforming station in the center of each section. By our system the cars will not wear out the mis and

road bed and. we need no conductors or brakemen.” * Dr. Adam*miustrated his Iflpture with many stereepticon views of the cars, road, motors, etc. At its conclusion several 1 members of the club express mild regret that he had not not given Sway the actual secrets of his motors and the method by which he transmitted 15 so much power by a single wire; Dr. Adams smiled but did not further elucidate. Civil engineer George Forbes, of London, commended the scheme of the, proposed road, but confessed it puzzled him.