"Electric "L" Cars"

http://teslacollection.com/tesla_articles/1896/new_york_herald/edward_j_wessels/electric_l_cars

New York Herald

July 5, 1896

Pending to repair the text.

Te|ls’a Discovery of the Rotating lhgnetio Field Has Solved the Problem of Motive Power. TEST FOR THE MANHATTAN. ~0illcials Will Watch an Early Kpphca- lion of the bystem at the Westinghouse Works. GREAT PROMISES ARE MADE. Speed, Safety and Economy Result, It lx Claimed, from Tes- HAT electricity wlll he the motive power on the New York ele- vated rallvvnyn ls qulte w r\ll nssured, and promlses to bc eertaln wlthln s few dsys_ 'Phe trlsl trlp of u new motor ls to be rnsfle nt Pittsburg by the Westlnghouse Elec- tno Company so soon as arrangements are made wlth the elevated rallwsy people to Wltness ll. "The trlal trlp wlll llkely be made wlthln ten days, though ll may he longer," saltl Mr. George Westinghouse, two days ago, when I law hlm ln hls olflce. "We are now almost ready. and wlll notify the elevated people nc- cordlnl, to the understsndlng between us. The experiments snd severest tests have pro- duced the most satlstactory results. In rect. the new motor ls away heyond our expects- ttons. It ls 'I’esl.a'a greatest discovery. and aolves the problem or rnpld transit rnotlvc power. It cannot help being the power to be used." nonflxrz xmxz-rlr: rxmn. Nlkola-Tesla was found in his laboratory, In East Houston strc:-t, surrounded hy the rnysterlous appllsnces of hls sclrnre, and qulte ready to give lnformatlon of lnterest to the public. . “Thls polynhsse sllernatlng current as tsled ln the new motor to be noon put on lts trial trip ln Pittsburg ls sure to furnish thc motlvo power for our elevated roads," he ssld. “It cannot he avoided, nlmply because it wlll do the wnrk surely, safely and econ» omlcally. Thru lt ls so esslly managed, and 'wlthout the constant danger ot requiring an expert elcctrlrjan to core for lt.' "Now, the whole secret lles ln my discovery nt what ls knnwn as the rotstlng magnetlc Ileld. What lt ls I cannot exploln. nclther ls lt explalnnble. I canlonly give the fucts WV-lnh have been discovered through experi- rnfmt. The discovery of these sctentlllc facts has done enttroly sway wlth the commuta- lor, which has heretofore been used on all 'electrlc motors. This commulslor, with Its close adjustment, delicate and lntrlcnte parts, has been the cause of s.ll of the trouble. lt ls that compllcatsd piece of mschlnery wltlch shows tho scores of plecus ot brass lrrsngad fan llka, only making An entlre circle. A slight Injury to this commutaton 'srhlch may srlse from the presence ol’ even A drop ot wster, may destroy the whole ms- elxlnle. The danger ls now sll ,done sway uit] by dlscur lng the commutator en- re . - Is's Latest Find. “Thls result ls sccompllshed bf utlllslng the Fbflllhq' mnfnetlc lleldpwh ch slmply lrlalns thst 1' s. c rculsr metal disk ls placed on an axle snd brought near the sectrlc rhll It w1ll revolve. T e dlsk touches nath- nl but lts own bearings, yet lt revolves Ind thus produces power. This power ls what la used ln the new motor." x'nxP.uusn run 1-me -rm/tr.. ln the yards ot the Westlnghouse Electric Company. at East Plltalxurg, s new comm- patlon electrlt; locomotive engine and Eas- lenger car la now hclng equlpped with t ese new motors, snd ln a (cw dnys wlll he ronrly The New York Herald july 5. 1896 {or the trial trip. VVhen all is in r<>adlm~»\s he motor car wlll he coupler! to tlve pus- gznger coaches and the spvclnl test for lhn notlt of the Manhattan Elevatod Hallway nfllclsls wlll be glven An actual demon- `n\ratlon ot results novv known wlll follow and the gas and smoke producing enzlnc ¥lllk‘dlsappear from the streets ot New I r ` The new locomotive, which was in plncc lost week. ls forty-slx feet long on the out- stdo and thlrty-eight fact lnsldo. Thero am seats on both slden running longthwlsc uno exactly like couches. Thu motormnn wlll. stand st one end of the car, There wlll be a controller or .lever sv. elther end, ana lt wlll not be necessarg' to turn the locomotive. A pilot wlll be nt elt er end to brush olxstruce tlons from the track. There will ba.nu llremln on the new loco- no Ive, which wlll be equlpped with ttlr an Wall as hsnfl brakes. It has xt rust Iron pot- mm to :Ivo ll sdhealon snd weight. On the heavy axles ara (our motors ol 100 horse 'Bower each, and the hnultng cairactty wlll equal to that of 400 horses. he motors have been tested and were found equal to the task of haullng six or seven "L" passen- ger coaches ln sul ltlon to the locomotlve at a maximum speed of l.wenly»e||§ht miles per hour. The svernhqe that wou d be msln- tslned on the snhattun system. it ls clalmed, would be from sixteen to eighteen rrlles per hour. 'Tho new locomotlva ls entirely dlffereht fromrthn flrst electric locomotive equipped at the Westinghouse works and by which lt was tntsnded o mslto the "L" test. This mu- chlne ls now used excluslvel ln shtftlng frelght csrs ln snd about the {Vestlnghouse YI s. Then s. second one, whlch was an lm. provement on the nrsl. was eqnl ped. ‘lt ln turn gave way to the Buburbsn enwtrlc loco. motive. whlch contstns all the Improvements lmtzwn to date. This ls what has delayed the as . This wlll be the llrst tlme the Tesla nys- tem wlll be used for rsllway work, and It 1| Oipected to revolutlonlze the present trolley and steam railroads. The cars are standsrrl lluie and the test wlll take place on tho trac s of the Turtle Creek hrsnch of tho Pennsylvania Rallwar. The line has been wlrsd the double trol ey system bein; used, and the tracks rsbsllastad, so that the htgh- est s§>eed.can be attained. The test track. whlc ls about three mlles long, hss been dlvlded with posts set ln the lround every quarter of a mlle. These posts are num- herod.from'o|\e un. arulrekrasent the "L" statlons. At these posts t e trnln wlll he stopped and started as ll runnlnl on the ele- vsted tracks ln New Yorls. , Wlth stop watches the time of stoppin; snd ltartln wlll be tsksn. ln a prelmlnsry last with the dlrect curnnt a speed ot ten mlles per »0ll=ir:é\Nl s distance ot slxtytest nu The trsln wlll be exactly the ums weight u ll;J'L" gain, :nd svsrigaw wllltlie ar- fl-Tl( I0 attetestw as .too- ournd ln New York. " DOI! 01' Till ADVANTAGII. One advantage clalmed for the new system. and one that wlll be appreciated ln New York. ls that the current used to run and light the tralns could also be utlllsed to llght the statlons and operate s passenger ele- vqor service. _ The great sdvsnta¢e ot the Alternating system ls that It saves lives ln cue ‘A Dtrson takes hold of s llvo wlrs. Uslnf the dlrout current 500 volts are necessary or ordlnary street car worlt. Thls must be transmitted over exgenslve copper wlre. By_the inven- tlon of osla the current can he tl~s.nsmltted_ lon¥ dlstsnces over ordlnary Iron tsletrsph or emzhone wlres. The voltslre can e so roduc that a person mlght take hog!! of g llys wlre wlth safety. .Hs would be s ocked out would not be kllled. wma ¢hs_g¢nersl» lntroductlon of the new system lt ls elilmed that electrocutlons from thetrolley wlll be' r e. 'lgvthe dlrect current motor the commu- -tstor, which sthers the electrlclty from he srmsture amfcarrles lt to the brush, and ti); brush ttsel! are expenslvessnd neceass features. They are contlnually ‘bresltTJ. wesrlng out and needlng repalrs, snd d lsrxely to the maintenance and operative costpf the system. Wlth the Tesla polyphase motor. these rlltllcultles are obvlste . The hesvy.coPD¢P feed wlres, whlch are always dasgerous ny reason of havln: to carry at least ,500 volts. wlll be replaced by llghter vnres-hsvtnx a voltsgs o -about 110. No eommutat .oe brushes are needed. thesrnusxx -D nlvln atleld. The power plubtogt t many mlles awsy !rom the rand J d 8O\lllPY» If the new system ls adopted .ln.~New York( on;1p;n;:r plant ltn Wngtpgstarttgrauldéunnlsh su ce power oops ; _t ' iuest and surface rosds ln tllettaty. Thls would do swag wlth the expense-of having to erect power ouses where land'ls;vslual»le. and where the smoke would prove j|.,nu‘lss11ce7 ' When lhe,|zrest revolutlon ln street rsllwsy motlve power wlll be completed `lL ls tillllcult toessfy. for both sldes hsveémovod -slowly and been conservatlve. 1'h6£`trpst.dr\llwsy people hsve been slow to dec e;