COMFORT ON THE RAILWAY.
Electrically operated equipment for the convenience and comfort of passengers in American trains has multiplied tn such a degree as to make the generation of sufficient electrical energy on trains a distinct problem. In earlier days when electric lights were almost the sole equipment requiring electrical energy, generation by an axle generating system was ample. Present day equipment, including fans, refriger- ators, " ozonators," toasters, cigarette-lighters, drink-mixers, dish-washers, pressing-irons, radios, water-coolers, and heaters, as well as others, means that the axle generating system is now severely taxed. Accordingly tests are being made by a number of railroads, both in the United States and Canada, of devices whereby all electricity required on the train can be produced in a specially installed generator on the locomotive, with a minimum-sized storage battery on each car. If the tests prove satisfactory the method is likely to be generally adopted. It is in satisfactory use at present for lighting a number of suburban trains, but intricate complications are involved in its adaptation to long distance through trains, with their multifarious equipment.
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