Mar., I952.] CURRENT TOPICS 28 3 lines is the electrical industry's most significant 1951 contribution to the railroads.
In announcing the new General Electric a-c. locomotive designed for quantity production, G. W. Wilson, manager of G. E.'s Locomotive and Car Equipment Department, stressed the railroads' increased use of electrical equipment to help move goods and people efficiently.
"Heavier trains and higher speeds characterize modern railroading," Mr. Wilson said, "and versatile, more powerful locomotives are needed to supplement or replace those now operating on existing electrified lines."
The G-E executive pointed out that rising transportation costs have forced the railroad industry to seek a relatively inexpensive standard electric locomotive which can operate efficiently at a low maintenance cost. General Electric's contribution is a single-phase, a-c. locomotive which is designed for mass production. The design is based on fundamentals proved by 50 years' experience in electric locomotive manufacture. The streamlined cab carried on two 2-axle swivel trucks is essentially similar to the dieselelectric freight locomotives now popular on American railroads. All axles are powered by a-c. commutator motors. Dynamic braking is used--the first time it has been applied to this type of locomotive in the United States.
Mr. Wilson said that the new units operate from ll,000-volt, 25-cycle, single-phase, a-c. trolley wire, used by the majority of electric locomotives in this country.
Each unit has a continuous rating of 2500 hp., and can develop as much as 5000 hp. for short periods. As many as four units can be operated in multiple under the control of one engineer.