Discussion on “choice of motors in steam and electric practice”

Mr. McClellan has brought to our attention a factor in the working out of heavy traction problems. I think that the first thing the electrical engineers will have to do, or will have to try to get steam railroad people to permit them to do, is to fix upon a standard form of electric current and electric pressure for the service of heavy locomotives. If, for instance, it were decided to deliver power to large electric locomotives uniformly at 25 cycles and 6 000 volts, single phase, it would be then possible to design quite a variety of interchangeable electric locomotives for trunk line service. There are a number of locomotive systems that have been suggested which are equally adaptable to this work. If locomotives of these systems can be arranged to be interchanged between different railroad systems, as the traffic on eastern lines increases and the western lines become electrified, the old locomotives can be put in service in the west and the electrified roads will become more or less a single inclusive system. I personally feel that it is useless for us to hope that there will be any greater uniformity in the design of electric locomotives than there has been in steam locomotives.