| Posted by on June 26, 2025 | |
Interesting to see CN's contemporary GE power under the century-old remains from a system that only lasted five years (given both heavily-oxidized and deteriorated surfacing condition of rails plus overgrowth of trees in Lt.-background, the two near tracks appear to be o-o-s). Pre-cast concrete arches are all that's left-of the former DT&i electrified 16 mi. of double-track main between Ford's River Rouge plant and yard @ Flat Rock in SE Michigan. Henry Ford acquired control of the 365 mi. line in 1920, and announced electrification was planned three years later. The 22kV-AC, 25 cycle catenary (insulators for-same hung centered between arched ends and "keystone" over double-track, or on end of "cantilevered ½-arch" sections over single track) began operating in 1925 w/a unique 2-unit D+D electric "boxcab" loco built by Ford w/Westinghouse electrical systems (#501A/B). Each had a 2,000kW 22-1.25kV transformer in its "A" end and a 750-rpm synchronous AC motor w/600V-DC generator in the opposite end. A 225hp traction motor mounted-in a Westinghouse "quill-drive" powered each axle; total length of both units was 117 ft., 372 tons, and a starting t.e. of 250,000 Lb.s - max. speed was 43MPH w/max. rating of 5,000hp. Electrical power was from Ford's expanded River Rouge (steam) generating plant, and catenary was planned to extend 12+mi. to Toledo, Ohio as-well-as possibly over the entire RR. Judgement following a lawsuit forced Ford to sell the DT&I in 1929, and electrified operations were immediately suspended w/scrapping of the catenary and both locos the following year.
The transformer-AC synchronous motor-DC generator concept was carried-over into electric locos for both the then-GN (2-unit BLW-West.1-D-1 Z-1 #'s 5000A/B-5008A/B of 1927-28, GE 1-C+C-1 Y-1 #'s 5010-5017 also in 1927-28 & 1931, and GE W-1 B-D+D-B pair #'s 5018 & 5019 in 1948 - all were retired w/end of electric operation in 1956). and VGN (their pair of 2-unit GE B-B+B-B EL-2B #'s 125-128 of 1948 to N&W w/Ry in 1960 and scrapped two years later).
Ref. p.'s 167 - 180 (GN), 195 - 199 + 202 (VGN), and 364-365 & 372-375 (DT&I) in When Steam Railroads Electrified by W.D. Middleton ©1974 Kalmbach Pub.
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