Electrification analyzed, and its practical application to trunk line roads, inclusive of freight and passenger operation

The object of this paper is to place before the practical engineer and railroad man the facts concerning trunk line electrification, and bring home to him the simple truth that it can be treated in a class of its own; practically no exceptions existing therefrom. I would recommend that we be wary of the old expression so often repeated — “Every situation is a study in itself”, and see if we cannot recognize a standard that will apply to all. In this connection I venture the opinion that there is no trunk line situation that exists to-day, but what there is a construction drawing in the New Haven engineering files that would have immediate application. No one can extract any individual credit for this fact; it is entirely due to the system itself, as it possesses the required elements of simplicity and flexibility. The religion of this paper is to preach the doctrine of universal use of single-phase current on trunk line roads inclusive of suburban and terminal territory, as applied to freight and passenger operation, and I offer for consideration the standardization of 11,000 volts on the contact wire and a system frequency of 25 cycles. In suggesting 11,000 volts on the contact wire, this is advocated for application on railroad right-of-way which may be adjacent to foreign road territory to permit of one company's equipment operating upon the right-of-way of another. This voltage is recommended as a minimum potential; it being recognized that there is no objection to a higher voltage on other lines individual to themselves where transmission economy can be obtained by the use of the higher voltage.