Vol. X. MEW YORK $ CHICAGO, JULY. JVo. 7. u CINCINNATI AND ITS STREET RAILWAYS. b Cincinnati is the city of the double trolley, full connections. Most of the difficulties experie grooved girder rail, and of vestibuled cars. There are double trolley in the early history of these lines have" been also other characteristic features pertaining to the street overcome, and, with the exception of the fact that the railway systems of the city, which will have attention overhead construction is a little more complicated and later on. unsightly, and that it requires a little more attention on Although the employment of the girder rail, and the the part of the conductor to handle the trolley poles at use of the vestibules were compulsory, and in the face of switches and crossings, there are no serious difficulties earnest protest by the managers of the Cincinnati Street that have not been overcome. Railway Company and the Mount Adams & Eden Park The principal difficulties which were first encountered Inclined Railway, their employment has been attended were those of providing overhead crossings and switches, with less difficulties than was originally supposed, while to prevent short circuits at the crossing of positive and FIG. 1.— EDEN PARK VIADUCT— MOUNT ADAMS & EDEN PARK INCLINED RAILWAY, CINCINNATI. they have developed a number of commendable features, negative wires. These have been overcome in an ingen- so that the management has now come to regard them ious manner, as will be seen from the accompanying illus- favorably, and has ceased all opposition to their introduc- trations of switches and crossings (Figs. 2 and 3). In tion. In fact, the double trolley, having been adopted case of double turnouts, it has been found better to pro- with misgivings, has so worked its way into the favor of vide a second set of trolley wires for one track, rather the management that, in answer to a direct question on than to attempt the insulation of the crossings, in which the subject, John Kilgour, general manager of the two case it is necessary for the conductors, on entering some systems, informed us that had he the introduction of elec- of the curves, to transfer the trolley poles to a different tric traction in a city like Cincinnati, or, in fact, any of set of wires. This is readily done, however, as the poles the large cities of the country, he would in all cases em- have a considerable reach to the right or left, and on some ploy the double trolley. streets the cars of the different systems pass over the same The advantages are that both arms of the circuit are tracks, with a different set of overhead conductors for more equally balanced than where a track return is em- each system, in which case four wires are required. At ployed, and that it avoids the necessity of the tearing up one or two of the points in the system, notably on Walnut of the streets, and for making repairs to bonds and return Street, cars equipped for both the double and single 414 THE STREET RAILWAY JOURNAL [Vol X. No. 7. trolley pass along the same tracks without any difficulty, The introduction of the grooved girder rail first came the wires of the single trolley system being mounted to about through the demands of the citizens of Avondale the left of those for the double system. It will be noted two years since, when it was proposed to extend one of from the illustrations that there are certain dead parts at the lines through this suburb, and although the company the switches, over which the cars pass by momentum, and protested it at length yielded to the wishes of the citi- then, again, that the current is carried past these dead zens, and demands of the local engineer, and a full points by insulated cables above the switches. grooved girder rail was provided. This differs somewhat The ordinary sized span wires are employed for sup- from the English type of the grooved rail, and is locally porting the two trolley wires, but the side poles are placed known as the Stanley rail, having been designed by H. J. a little nearer together than usual, being spaced 100 ft. Stanley, the city engineer of Cincinnati. Where the apart. Owing to the presence of soot in the atmosphere, streets are paved, and kept in clean condition, the grooved from the employment of soft coal in the manufacturing rail has proved very acceptable both to the public and establishments, the employment of galvanized iron for the street railway company. Where the rail is laid care- span wires is not permissible, as the soot causes it to rust fully to gauge, and the wheels properly mounted, it is not observed that it requires very much more power to oper- ate the cars than over a side bearing rail, but it is not adapted to macadamized streets, nor streets that are left habitually dirty. With these conditions the experience that has been had with the grooved rail in New York, and other cities, is being repeated, that where dirt accumu- lates in the groove, traction is from 30 to 40 per cent, greater than with a side bearing, or T rail. The experi- ment in Avondale led to the adoption of the same type of rail in all the new construction throughout Cincinnati. FIG. 2.—SLIGHT ANGLE INSULATED CROSSING With this rail the pavement, whether it be of brick, as- phalt or granite, is laid flush with both sides of the rail, so in the course of six months, so that it is necessary to out that vehicles do not follow the tracks, as is the case with silicon bronze for span wires. employ other types of rail. This avoids blockading the cars, and causes that originally led up to the adoption of The there is very little tendency for wagon tires to cut into the double trolley in Cincinnati, were that after thoroughly investigating the subject, the management was convinced of its superiority; and second, the fact that most of the business streets of the city had recently been paved with granite blocks and asphalt, and a city ordi- nance prevented the tearing up of the streets for the re- pairing of tracks, or renewing of water pipes for five years, so that in a measure it became an agreeable neces- sity for the Cincinnati Street Railway Company to employ the double trolley. The company is now congratulating itself on the fact that it is able to operate so success- fully with the two wires, and is not uneasy over the question of the destruction of water and gas pipes by electrolytic action, which is now disturbing some of the FIG 4. -PLAN OF WIRING AT CROSSINGS. street railway companies of the country. The cost of the installation for double overhead con- the pavement along the edge of the rails, and the rail is struction is somewhat more than that for the ground re not distorted by heavy loads, resulting in a great saving in track repairs. To comply with the requirements of an Ohio state law, for the employment of vestibules on all electrically propelled cars for winter service, the Cincinnati Street Railway Company last winter provided most of its closed cars with vestibules. The ordinary construction of these additions is shown in the accompanying illus- trations. Generally only one end of the cars is vesti- buled, and an opening is left on one side. As a general thing the motormen take kindly to the vestibules, as they provide protection to a considerable degree in cold and stormy weather. In case, however, the cars are to be run backwards, the conductors find it very difficult to handle the trolley poles through the vestibule window. All of the tracks of the Cincinnati Street Railway Company's system make a loop at the city terminal, and all touch or encircle Fountain Square. Turntables or NOM- INSULATETD PORTION „ loops are also provided at the suburban ends of the lines, FIG. 3. -ADJUSTABLE INSULATED CROSSING. so that the cars are turned and always run in the same direction. turn, where the rails alone are depended upon, but not Cincinnati is now a city of 340,000 population, and is provided. more than where a good return ground wire there are numerous suburban cities, or villages, to which that the feed wires It is necessary, of course, to provide the street cars cater, and which are shown on page 417. on both arms of the circuit balance. Cincinnati Street Railway Company and Mt. Adams & Eden The trolley poles or masts, as will be noted from the Park Inclined Railway Company. accompanying engravings, are attached to a single stand on the roof of the cars. With a single base the wheels do The majority of the mileage in Cincinnati is con- not adjust themselves as readily to spreading wires as trolled by the Cincinnati Street Railway Company, and Inclined Railway, which are they do where a double base is provided, as was described the Mt. Adams & Eden Park are in our last issue in connection with the cars of the Cov- both virtually under the same management, and ington system, which operate on a double trolley on the locally known as the consolidated system. Of these general manager, Cincinnati side of the river, but there is less danger from systems John Kilgour is president and short circuiting in the case at the single base, as the poles James A. Collins secretary, and John Harris and John C. engaged cannot come in contact with each other.