NEW PAGE - 1908 AC ELECTRIFICATION

1908 AC ELECTRIFICATION

IN 1908 FIVE MILES OF TRACK EAST OF HEMPSTEAD CROSSING
WERE ELECTRIFIED WITH 11,000 VOLT A.C. CATENARY

THE TEST TRACK HAD 70 LB. RAIL WITH NEW TIES AND GRAVEL BALLAST AND WAS DIVIDED INTO ELEVEN SECTIONS. THE FIRST AND LAST SECTIONS WERE FOR ACCELERATION AND BRAKING AND HAD WESTINGHOUSE STANDARD WOODEN POLE BRACKET CONSTRUCTION OF THE SINGLE CATENARY TYPE.
ON THE OTHER SECTIONS WERE TESTED A VARIETY OF STEEL BRACKET POLES, STEEL STRUT AND SPAN WIRE SUPPORT BRIDGES, SINGLE AND SECONDARY CATENARY CONSTRUCTION WITH SINGLE AND DOUBLE TROLLEY WIRE.
ALSO TESTED WERE VARIETIES OF HANGERS AND STEADY STRAINS. THE
TESTS WERE CONDUCTED FROM OCTOBER FIRST UNTIL DECEMBER FIRST.

LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD'S FIRST "WIRE TRAIN" INSTALLING CATENARY IN 1908

PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD 10003 RAN TESTS, SOMETIMES PULLING
EIGHT TO TWELVE L.I.R.R. AND PENNSYLVANIA COACHES

TEST EQUIPMENT INCLUDED WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING
COMPANY'S TWO-MOTOR SINGLE PHASE ELEVATED CAR AND WORK CARS
WITH TWO PANTAGRAPHS APIECE. TESTS WERE RUN COMPARING THE
PERFORMANCE USING ONE, TWO, THREE OR MORE PANTAGRAPHS.

SECTION TWO - FOUR 300 FOOT SPANS OF SINGLE-CATENARY
CONSTRUCTION SUPPORTED BY TWO-TRACK-WIDE STEEL STRUT BRIDGES.

SECTION THREE - FOUR 300 FOOT SPANS OF SINGLE CATENARY CONSTRUCTION - GUYED LATTICE POLES WITH CONNECTING WIRES FOUR TRACKS WIDE. THREE EXTRA MESSENGER CABLES WERE WEIGHTED TO SIMULATE FOUR CATENARY CONSTRUCTION SECTION SEVEN - FOUR 300 FOOT SPANS OF DOUBLE CATENARY WITH TRANSITION FROM SINGLE TROLLEY WIRE TO DOUBLE WITH A SECTION BREAK. SELF SUPPORTING STEEL BRACKET ARMS.

SECTION FIVE - FOUR 300 FOOT SPANS OF SECONDARY CATENARY
CONSTRUCTION. GUYED STEEL BRACKET POLE CONSTUCTION SECTION EIGHT - 900 FOOT SIMULATED TUNNEL