Scientific American Volume 59 Number 23 (December 1888) . eing a trialof a new Daft-electric motor, named the BenjaminFranklin, weighing about ten tons. Its four wheelsare connected for the purpose of increasing thetractive power. Notwithstanding the driving rain,it hauled a train of three regular elevated railroadcars very easily up heavy grades for a mile anda half. At the end of the route, the motor switchedoff, backed, andhitched on to theother end of thetrain, with the samefacility as with thesteam locomotive: infact, it seemed to bedone with greaterease. The totalweight of the trainwas e
Scientific American Volume 59 Number 23 (December 1888) . eing a trialof a new Daft-electric motor, named the BenjaminFranklin, weighing about ten tons. Its four wheelsare connected for the purpose of increasing thetractive power. Notwithstanding the driving rain,it hauled a train of three regular elevated railroadcars very easily up heavy grades for a mile anda half. At the end of the route, the motor switchedoff, backed, andhitched on to theother end of thetrain, with the samefacility as with thesteam locomotive: infact, it seemed to bedone with greaterease. The totalweight of the trainwas estimated a tsixty tons. The cur-rent was suppliedfrom dynamos locat-ed in a station inFifteenth electrical cur-rent is conveyedfrom the station andalongside of thetrack by a copperrod % of an inch indiameter. The cur-rent is taken fromthis rod into the mo-tor by a metallicbrush which pressesupon and slides alongthe rod. The trialwas undoubtedly asevere one, inasmuchas the rails and con-necting rod were sa-turated with number of promi-. THE ROCK HOPPER PENGTTIN. nent railroad engineers, officials, and electricians werepresent, and were perfectly satisfied as to the result ofthe trial. It appears to be only a question of timewhen our city elevated trains will be hauled as rapidlyby electricity as with steam. The EleGtrioal Review says : In the power station,four dynamos, of 50 horse power each, supply the cur-rent, and a fifth, of smaller size, serves to light the power dynamos are connected with a switchboard,which permits of their being used inparallel or inseries, as may be desired, without trouble or delay. These terms merit a word of explanation, as the firstof them describes a disposition which is an importantfactor in the economical generation of dynamo elec-tricity. When two rB&chines are connected—both posi-tive poles to one leading wire, and both negative toanother—they are said to be in parallel, and thecurrent obtained is greater than
Size: 1372px × 1822px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectaddress, bookyear1888
