Page:Shore Line Electric Railway Predecessor Companies 1961.pdf/11

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SHORE LINE ELECTRIC RAILWAY
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street to and over the New Haven Railroad main line, the tracks then ran down railroad Avenue to the connection with the Pawcatuck Valley Street Railway near the Westerly depot

To continue with the street Railway Journal article:

As the line was built primarily for high speed operation, curves and grades are few in number All curves have the Outer rail elevated, according to standard steam railroad practice for passenger train speeds. The maximum grade is 4.5 per cent. There are many cuts and fills on the line, some of the former being through rock. This disadvantage was balanced in one way as it enabled the company to use a great deal of rock ballast.

In the open country, the track consists of 70-lb "T" rail laid on wooden ties. The city sections are laid with 107-lb. girder falls to comply with the local regulations. The track is double bonded with two 0000 Chase-Shuwmut soldered bonds. The overhead construction is primarily of the side pole type carrying a 4/0 trolley wire, a 5000,000 circ. mil feeder and a 16,000-volt three—phase transmission line from the power house to the substation.

Operation between Norwich and Hallvile (in Preston), about 5.6 miles, commened August 18, 1906, and the cars began running through to Westerly on November l2. For a brief period, cars ended their runs at the intersection at West street and the present Friendship street pending completion of the bridge aver the New Haven Railroad.

From the rail-road station, cars ran through Canal and High streets to Dixon House square and up the

Broad Street spur to the Mcinorlzll Library.

According to the U. S. Street and Electric Railway Census of 1907, the Norwich & Westerly, in addition to its 21.5 miles of main track including that of the Westerly & Connecticut Railway] had 2.55 miles of sidings and turnouts, for a single track equivalent or 24.15 miles, of which 21.02 miles were on private right-of-way. Overhead construction included 16.6 miles of side bracket and 5 miles of span wire suspension.

Power

THE POWER HOUSE at Hallville was avrick structure with a 70-ft. radial brick stack 175 ft. high. Details about its equipment were included in the Street Railway Journal article on the Norwich & Westerly Railway Company.

The boiler outfit consists of four 307 h.p. Franklin water tube boilers with a workign pressure of 160 lbs. cach, Every boiler is furnished with a superheater capable of raising the temperature of the steam 100 degrees.

Coal is brought into the boiler room in changing cars running on a narrow guage track led from an outside coal supply secured by dumping from cars which are run up a trestle outside the boiler house.

The principal steam units consist of three Hamilton—Corliss cross-compound engines operated at 150 lbs. pressure with 150 degree super-heat. Each engine is coupled to a 400 KW. 3-phase revolving field generator operating at 25 cycles, 370 volts 107 r.p.m

There are two exciter sets and two 300kw rotary convertors giving 600 volts direct current. . . All of the electrical apparatus was furnished by the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company.

The railway's substation near White Rock was a small brick building and was equipped with two 300 Kw. rotary convertros and six 100 Kw. 0il insulated, self-cooling transformers to reduce the 16,000 volts transmitted from the power house to 370 volts for the convertors.

Rolling Stock

ONCE MORE quoting from the Street Railway Journal:

The equiptment consists of four double truck semi-convertibles 2, 4, 6 and 8) four-closed passenger cars (Nos. 3, 5, 7 and 9) and one motor freight car. No. 1. Two at the closed cars (Nos 7 and 9) are of the combination passenger and baggage type, with folding seats for smokers in the baggasge compartment, and two others (Nos. 3 and 5) have a regular smoking compartment seating 14 people, All of the closed aars have a toilet compartment. There cars were furnished by the Southern Car Company they are about 47 ft. long and equipped, about 35 tons. They were furnished with end doors for convenience in train operation. The semi-convertibles are fitted with Wheeler rattan seats and the closed carswith Heywood plush seats.


(The four semi-convertibles and the two coach-smokers had six double windows and two small

FlR5T TRIP over the Norwich (7 Westerly Railway was made in inrerurban car No 2, November 12, 1905. Photo stop was on right-of-way, rear of Wheeler High School, North Stonington.