Railroad electrification in the United States
Railroad electrification in the United States began at the turn of the 20th century and comprised many different systems in many different geographical areas, few of which were connected. Despite this situation, these systems shared a small number of common reasons for electrification.[1]
Most of the systems discussed in this article are either no longer electrified, or are now part of the
The
Impetus for electrification
Laws banning steam locomotives (smoke abatement)
A number of municipalities passed laws in the early part of the 20th century forbidding steam locomotives from operating within city limits, after some bad accidents caused by the awful conditions of visibility in smoke and steam-filled tunnels and cuttings. The most prominent of these laws was for New York City in 1903 (effective 1908).[5]
An extensive study was also undertaken in Chicago of the problems of smoke and the feasibility of electrification as a solution.[6]
Long tunnels
Long, deep tunnels provide poor ventilation for steam locomotives, to the point where crews had to wear oxygen masks to avoid asphyxiation. The ventilation problem also limited the frequency of trains through these tunnels. The Cascade Tunnel is a good example. Also see the proposed North–South Rail Link.
Mountains
The electric locomotive has many advantages in mountainous terrain, including better adhesion, greater power at low speeds, no requirements for fueling or watering, and regenerative braking. The planned California High-Speed Rail system, for example requires electrification to achieve acceptable speeds through the Tehachapi Mountains.[7]
Traffic density
Extremely high-traffic lines can readily recoup the high capital investment of electrification by the savings accrued during operation. The savings typically result from improved utilization of trains, and lower maintenance costs.[citation needed]
Short-distance commuter operations
Suburban commuter trains are an ideal subject for electrification since electric multiple units possess rapid acceleration, fast braking (sometimes regenerative braking) and the ability to change direction without running a locomotive around. It also reduces diesel locomotive emissions in relatively high-density areas.
Freight operations
Heavy freight trains are ideally suited to electric traction due to the greater pulling power of an electric locomotive.[citation needed]
Overview of electrification in the U.S.
Electrification in the US reached its maximum of 3,100 miles (5,000 km) in the late 1930s.[8][9][10]
By 1973, it was down to 1,778 route miles (2,861 km) (Class I railroads) with the top 3 being:
In 2013, the only electrified lines hauling freight by electricity were three short line coal haulers (mine to power plant) and one switching railroad in Iowa.[11] The total electrified route length of these four railroads is 122 miles (196 km). While some freight trains run on parts of the electrified Northeast Corridor and on part of the adjacent Keystone Corridor, these freight trains use diesel locomotives for traction. The total electrified route length of these two corridors is 559 miles (900 km). Diesel-powered freight runs similarly operate over the South Shore Line and the San Diego Trolley light rail system.
History of electrification projects in the United States
Smoke abatement
Cleveland Union Terminals Co.
In June 1929 this railroad switched from steam to electric operation on a 17-mile (27 km) route between Collinwood and Linndale in Ohio. A 3000 V DC overhead system was used.[12] This change of operation was for smoke abatement. Electric operation ceased in 1953.
New York Central Railroad (Hudson and Harlem Divisions)
The
The Hudson Line is used by Amtrak for intercity passenger service to and via Albany, but these trains run to Penn Station via the
Tunnels
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The construction of the Howard Street tunnel through Baltimore in order to make a rail connection to New York City brought about the world's first mainline electrification. Operation began in 1895 with three General Electric locomotives.[13] These locomotives only worked pulling northbound trains; southbound traffic simply coasted through this section, which was all downhill. Initially the system used a unique overhead track in which the current shoe rode, but shortly after it was converted to a conventional 675 V DC third rail system. The electrification was discontinued in 1952 when dieselization made it unnecessary.[14]
Boston & Maine Railroad (Hoosac Tunnel)
The Hoosac Tunnel was electrified by the Boston & Maine Railroad in May 1911.[15] This was done to speed up trains and to reduce smoke in the tunnel.[13] Electricity was provided from the Zylonite power plant in Adams, MA. The electrification was switched off in August 1946 with the arrival of diesel locomotives on the route.[16]
Grand Trunk Railway (St. Clair Tunnel)
The St. Clair Tunnel is the name for two separate rail tunnels which were built under the St. Clair River between Sarnia, Ontario and Port Huron, Michigan. It was the first full-size (i.e. able to allow a railroad to run through it) subaqueous tunnel built in North America.
Steam locomotives were used in the early years to pull trains through the tunnel, however concerns about the potential dangers of suffocation should a train stall in the tunnel led to the installation of catenary wires for electric-powered locomotives by 1907. The first use of electric locomotives through the tunnel in regular service occurred on May 17, 1908.
The electric-powered locomotives were retired in 1958 and scrapped in 1959 after CNR retired and scrapped its last steam-powered locomotives on trains passing through the tunnel. New diesel-powered locomotives did not cause the same problems with air quality in this relatively short tunnel.
Great Northern Railway (Cascade Tunnel)
The
In 1925 work began on the new 7.8-mile (12.6 km) Cascade Tunnel, with the Great Northern ultimately electrifying a 73-mile (117 km) section of its main line route to
. The new tunnel and electrification reduced the mainline by 9 miles (14 km), eliminated 502 feet (153 m) of elevation and 6 miles (9.7 km) of snow sheds. Electric locomotives handled mainline freight and passenger trains on this section exclusively. The route was de-energized and catenary dismantled in 1956, after the Cascade Tunnel was fitted with ventilation fans.Michigan Central Railroad (Detroit Tunnel Lines)
The Michigan Central Railroad electrified the tunnels under the Detroit river in 1910. The system used a 600 V DC under-running third rail.
The electrification covered a total of 4.5 miles (7.2 km) between two passenger stations in Detroit and Windsor. The total track mileage covered around 28.5 miles (45.9 km), which included not only the station and tunnel lines but also an extensive yard.
The electrification was discontinued in the early 1950s when the tunnel was ventilated so that diesels could run through.
Mountainous Terrain
Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railway
The BA&P, a copper ore-hauling short line in Montana, electrified in 1913 using a 2,400 V DC system engineered by General Electric. It was the first primarily freight railroad in North America to electrify. Original motive power was in the form of 28 identical B-B boxcabs, which served until de-electrification in 1967, by which time diesel-electric locomotives were cheaper to run. GE used the BA&P as a model railroad for demonstrating the success of its DC electrification techniques. The Milwaukee Road electrified soon afterward using a similar technique at 3,000 V DC.
Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad (the Milwaukee Road)
The Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad ('Pacific' was not added to the title until incorporation in 1927) electrified two of its mountainous divisions using a DC overhead system.[17] The two divisions were widely separated from each other, but plans to electrify the intervening 212 miles (341 km), the relatively flat Idaho Division from Avery to Othello, were never implemented.
The electrification system was similar to that of the Butte, Anaconda & Pacific, but was at 3000 V DC rather than 2400 V DC. The higher voltage was chosen because of the load conditions with 2,500 ton trains.[18]
Rocky Mountain Division (Harlowton to Avery)
The first division to be electrified was the Rocky Mountain Division from Harlowton, Montana to Avery, Idaho. This covered a distance of 438 miles (705 km) and began electric operation in 1917. The electrification remained in operation until 1974, when diesel locomotives took over. There were two main reasons for electrifying this division. The first was to get through the Bitter Root Mountains, which are steeply graded. The second was that the line passes through an important forest reserve of the US Government. Steam trains were a fire hazard, and thus electric trains lessened the risk.
Coast Division (Othello to Tacoma/Seattle)
The second division to be electrified was the Coast Division between Othello, Washington to Tacoma, and to Black River just south of Seattle. This covered a distance of 207 miles (333 km) and began electric operation in 1919. The electrification remained in operation until 1972, when diesel locomotives took over. The main reason for electrifying was to get over the Saddle Mountains.
Norfolk and Western Railway
The Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W) had an electrified district of 52 miles (84 km) from Bluefield to Iaeger, West Virginia, between 1913 and 1950. It was an 11 kV, 25 Hz overhead electrification in a mountain region with a major tunnel (Elkhorn Tunnel).[19] When the grade was bypassed with a new line in 1950, the line was abandoned. Despite most other US railroads dieselizing at this time, the N&W would not begin this process until 1955, thus making the Elkhorn Grade the last American electric rail line to be replaced by steam traction.
Virginian Railway
The VGN had an electrified district of 134 miles (216 km)[20] of mountainous terrain built in the 1920s from Roanoke, Virginia to Mullens, West Virginia. It went to the N&W with the 1959 merger and was de-electrified in 1962.
Traffic Density
Amtrak
Amtrak, the national intercity passenger railroad, inherited a 1930s-era 11 kV 25 Hz electrification system from the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), which it is slowly modernizing, and has completed two electrification projects on its own lines.
A short portion of the
The
Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn Railroad
This railroad changed from steam to electric operation in 1928 using a 600 V DC overhead system. The company filed for bankruptcy in 1937, and ceased operating in 1940. In 1952 a section of the line between East Boston and Revere was bought by the
Erie Railroad (Rochester Division)
In June 1907, the Erie Railroad changed from steam to electric operation on its Rochester Division.[18] A single phase AC system was used operating at 11 kV 25 Hz. The electrified section was between Rochester, NY to Mount Morris, NY, a distance of 34 miles (55 km). The system lasted in operation until 1934.
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad completed electrification in 1907 of its New Haven–New York City mainline and was one of the pioneers of heavy electric railway use in the United States. The New Haven chose the 11 kV 25 Hz system, later used by the PRR, in addition to working with
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad carried out many electrification projects.
West Jersey and Seashore Railroad
The PRR, owner of
The electrification was opened in 1906 with cars that resembled wooden interurbans of other electric traction properties. The same year the 1906 Atlantic City train wreck occurred, in which a three-car train of the new equipment derailed and fell into a waterway; 53 people died. Other cars were built in 1909 bringing the fleet total to 80 MP1 and MP2 class wooden MU coaches. The 19 purchased in 1909 had steel instead of wooden ends and featured PRR porthole style windows on each end. There were six MO1 class passenger-baggage combines including two with steel ends, four MBM1 baggage-mail cars and two MB1 baggage-express cars. In 1912, the PRR assigned two MPB54 all-steel combines and 15 all-steel MP54 coaches to WJ&S. WJ&S and the Reading subsidiary Atlantic City Railroad were merged into Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines (P-RSL) in 1932.
Electric MU service between Newfield and Atlantic City ended Sept. 26, 1931 so P-RSL only inherited the electrified Millville commuter rail service from WJ&S. On Oct. 20, 1948, New Jersey's public utility regulators ordered P-RSL to remove all remaining 26 wooden MU coaches from service as a safety hazard should they be involved in fire or collision. P-RSL management already was considering replacing the MUs due to an aging power distribution system and obsolete rolling stock. So nearly two-thirds of the MU fleet was removed from service. With only the PRR style all-steel MUs left for passenger service, P-RSL cut back the electrified commuter service to Glassboro, New Jersey in fall 1948 and management then ordered an end to all remaining electrification as of Sept. 8, 1949. On that date a morning commuter run from Glassboro to Camden ended 43 years of electrification. Non-electrified commuter rail service to Glassboro and Millville continued until March 5, 1971.
New York Terminal
Electrification was installed from
Paoli
A section of the Chicago-Philadelphia Main Line (now part of Amtrak's
New York - Washington
Extensive electrification after 1925 occurred on the PRR's New York-Washington line (now part of the Northeast Corridor), the Chicago-Philadelphia Main Line between Paoli and
Since its takeover by Amtrak in 1976, both the Northeast and Keystone Corridors are undergoing extensive wire replacements, either by Amtrak or
Rock Island & Southern Railway
This railroad electrified 52 miles (84 km) between Rock Island and Monmouth, Illinois using an 11 kV 25 Hz system.[23]
Spokane & Inland Empire Railroad
In 1906, this railroad electrified from Spokane to Colfax, Washington and Moscow, Idaho using a 6600 V 25 Hz system.[23]
Suburban Commuter Operations
Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn
From 1928 to its abandonment in 1940, the narrow-gauge
Caltrain
The
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad / Morris and Essex Railroad
What are now
Denver RTD
In 2015 a new commuter rail system commenced operation in the Denver metropolitan area with a new electrification network operated at 25 kV 60 Hz. Lines emanate from Denver Union Station and run to Denver International Airport, Westminster, and Wheat Ridge, and Thornton.
Illinois Central Railroad
The
Long Island Rail Road
The
The LIRR utilizes
New York, Westchester and Boston Railway
This railroad operation its suburban train service with electric service.[18] The 4-track main line ran for 7 miles (11 km) from Westchester Ave. in New York to Mount Vernon, NY. From Mount Vernon the line split into two 2-track lines; one to New Rochelle, NY (2 miles (3.2 km)) and a second to White Plains, NY (9.4 miles (15.1 km)).
Reading Railroad
Electrification on the
Extensions of electrification over intercity lines, such as West Trenton-Jersey City, Norristown-Reading-Harrisburg, and Lansdale-Bethlehem were planned, but because of the
Since the takeover of the Reading commuter lines in 1983, SEPTA has rehabilitated the catenary wires between the Center City Commuter Connection and Wayne Junction, and on all ex-Reading tracks owned by SEPTA. Those sections of ex-Reading tracks owned by Conrail, and later by CSX, are being done on a step-by-step basis.
South Shore Line
Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District operates electric service along the South Shore Line, which runs from South Bend, Indiana to Chicago, partly via the Metra Electric line. Commuter trains are fully electrified via 1500 V DC overhead line. Freight operations along the line utilize diesel locomotion.
Freight operations
Texas Transportation Company
The Texas Transportation Company operated a small Class III railroad in San Antonio until 2001, mostly serving the Pearl Brewery. It had a connection to the Southern Pacific Railroad, and briefly hosted passenger service in the 1980s with a former San Antonio trolley.
Black Mesa and Lake Powell Railroad
The BM&LP was an isolated
Muskingum Electric Railroad
This line operated between a coal mine and power generation station in southeast Ohio. It was electrified its entire life from its construction in 1968 to its dismantling around 2004. The line utilized 50,000 volt AC catenary to power GE E50C locomotives.
Mason City & Clear Lake Traction Co.
This is a 10-mile (16 km) line in Iowa that was built to connect Mason City with Clear Lake. Initially it operated a passenger service using a 600 V overhead system. In 1961 it was sold to investors and renamed as Iowa Terminal. In 1987 the line was purchased once more and was renamed to Iowa Traction Railway (IATR) where it now operates as a freight only railway.
Deseret-Western Railway
The Deseret Power Railroad (
from Deserado Mine to Bonanza Power Plant. It was built in 1983 and opened on January 4, 1984. Electrification is at 50 kv AC overhead wire. The coal it hauls on the 33 miles (53 km) is used by the power plant at its western terminus to power the line itself. The line does not connect to the national rail network.The Navajo Mine Railroad (reporting mark TNMR) operates between the Four Corners Generating Station and BHP's Navajo Coal Mine in New Mexico. The line started operation in 1974 using diesel locomotives and was electrified in 1984 because diesel operation was too expensive with the increasing train loads, fuel prices and problems with clogged oil bath filters on the diesel locomotives due to the excessive coal dust. Electrification is at 25 kV 60 Hz AC overhead line. The railroad does not have any connection to the rest of the American rail network.
Martin Lake Line
The Martin Lake Line, owned by
Testing
The Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, Colorado maintains a test track 48 miles (77 km) in length. Acela trains are tested at this site.[29]
See also
References
- ISBN 0890240280.
- ^ "Oppose Rail Electrification & Support Sensible Climate Policy" (PDF). Association of American Railroads. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
- ^ https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions#transportation
- ^ https://railroads.dot.gov/sites/fra.dot.gov/files/fra_net/14659/The%20Energy%20and%20Environmental%20Impact%20of%20Railroad%20Electrification%20Aug%201984%20Report%20date%20Sept%201977.pdf
- ^ Wadsworth, G.R. (October 20, 1905). "Terminal Improvements of the New York Central & Hudson River in New York". Railroad Gazette. 39: 366.
- ^ "Report of Chicago Committee on Smoke Abatement and Terminal Electrification". Electric Railway Journal. XLVI (23). Dec 1915.
- ^ "2012 Business Plan" (PDF). www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov. California High-Speed Rail Authority. pp. 2–17. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-11-12.
It is important to note that high-speed, electrified train service is the only effective means to close this Bakersfield-to-Palmdale passenger rail gap. ... Electrified trains can efficiently ascend greater gradients and maintain higher speeds climbing and descending the Tehachapi Mountains. Thus, the only effective means to bring intercity passenger rail service across the mountains that separate Los Angeles from the Central Valley is with an electrified high-speed rail line...
- Kalmbach Publishing: 44–47.)
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help - ^ Дмитриев, B.A. (1976). "Народнохозяйственная эффективность электрификации железных дорог и примениния тепловозной тяги" [National economic effectiveness of railway electrification and application of diesel traction]. Транспорт (Transport) (in Russian). Москва(Moscow): 116. Dmitriev claims that there was almost no new electrification in the US from 1938-1973 which lends more credibility to the guesstimated time of the peak.
- ^ "Transport statistics in the United States, Part I: Railroads, Second Release, Roadway and Track". Washington D.C.: Interstate Commerce Commission (Bureau of Accounts).
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help)
Data on the extent of US electrification was available in a table in this annual US government publication which gave the data for one year only. Each publication listed electrified mileage operated by kind of track, by district, and by railroad, Class I line-haul railroads. - ^ "Electric freight railroads in the US". 2013-06-12. Archived from the original on 2016-10-14.
- ^ "Cleveland Terminal Electrification Plans Completed". Electric Railway Journal. 73 (17). August 1928.
- ^ OCLC 6201422.
- ISBN 0-89778-155-4.
- ^ "Electrification of the Hoosac Tunnel". Electric Railway Journal. 38 (1). July 1911.
- ^ Howes, Mark. "Hoosac Tunnel History". www.HoosacTunnel.net.
- ^ "Progress on the C.M. & St. P. Electrification". Electric Railway Journal. XLVI (16). 1915-10-16.
- ^ ISBN 978-587167932-6.
- ^ "The Electrification of the Norfolk & Western Railway". Electric Railway Journal. June 1915.
- hdl:1811/33774
- ^ "The Paoli Local: 100 Years of Electrification on the Pennsylvania Railroad". 11 September 2015.
- ^ "The Electrification of the Pennsylvania Railroad from Broad Street Terminal, Philadelphia, to Paoli". The Electric Journal. XII (12). Pittsburgh, PA: The Electric Journal Co.: 536–541 December 1915.
- ^ a b Austin, Edwin (1915). Single-Phase Electric Railways. New York: D. Van Nostrand.
- ^ Peninsula Corridor Electrification Project (PCEP) Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) (Report). Caltrain. January 2015. Figure 2-2, Chapter 2: Project Description.
- S2CID 51671530.
- ^ "The Gladstone Branch". Long Hill Township, Morris County, NJ (Unofficial website). Archived from the original on January 13, 2011. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
- ^ Huneke, Arthur John. "Arrt's Archives". Arrt's Archives. Retrieved 2012-09-18.
- ISBN 978-0-253-33979-9.
- ^ "Amtrak tests new train in Pueblo". NBC. KOAA. 22 May 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2020.