I22 POWER DISTRIBUTION FOR ELECTRIC RAILROADS.
mit all the power to the Bedford station, in case the Cuya-
hoga Falls plant should be operated by water power. And in
case it should prove desirable these same convenient gener-
ators could supply polyphase current to the trolley line
through the medium of static transformers. The polyphase
motor has much to commend it for railway service as we
shall see later, and to be prepared is to be on the safe side.
As regards the general design of the station in ques-
tion, it is good. ‘The Westinghouse composite generators
lose no efficiency by the addition of collecting rings, and
direct belting to a Corliss engine is, with the possible ex-
ception of direct coupling, as efficient a method of operation
as could be desired. And direct coupling to composite gen-
erators involves great practical difficulties, as will be ex-
plained in the discussion of "alternating apparatus and
methods.
As to the economy of the arrangement of stations
adopted in the case of this road, it is quite safe to say that
the distances involved and the terminal conditions demand
the use of two stations rather than one, and each station is
sufficiently large to ensure tolerably economical production
of power.
Of the possibility of using one station as the generat-
ing point and transmitting power to the other we will
speak later in discussing special substations.
Roads like the Akron, Bedford & Cleveland, how-
ever, can very frequently be best operated without recourse
to special methods of power transmission, particularly if
the working voltage is carried somewhat above 500 volts,
as it should be. It should be noted that as regards the
best type of substation working these interurban roads
stand in a position quite different from that occupied by
the extension of similar methods to long distance traffic at
high speeds, such as has often been suggested and will
probably be tried ere long. The interurban road has rela-
tively more trains and more stopping places, thus produc-
ing a more uniform call for power than would be found in
an electric express service. Hence each substation would
