Automatically controlled substations: With particular reference to their application to interurban electric railways

The paper gives a definition of an automatically controlled as distinguished from a remotely controlled substation, and also analyzes the duties of the attendant in the starting, loading, and shutting down, of apparatus in hand operated stations. It states that the changes in the conditions of the electric circuit which the attendant observes may also be utilized to operate control relays, and as reliable devices are already available to protect the machines against overload and runaway, his assistance in these matters is no longer necessary. The paper then proceeds on the assumption that converting apparatus should be automatically controlled and that the conditions which have heretofore governed both the design and location of substations can be modified to advantage in many cases. It advocates a reduction in size and an increase in the number of stations and endeavors by example to show the large saving in feeder copper which the proposed arrangement permits. Finally, a description is given of the automatically controlled substations installed on the lines of the Elgin & Belvidere Electric Railroad.