OIL-ELECTRIC CAR.

Hokitika Guardian, 23 January 1926, Page 4

OIL-ELECTRIC CAR.

EAST RAILWAY TRAVELLING

MONTREAL, December 14

When D. Crombie, chief of Transportation of the Canadian National Railways. reached Montreal at noon on November 6th, he completed a round overland trip between Montreal and Kamloops. 8.C., in faster time than it had ever been done before. Not only is it the fastest journey on record between these two points, but it is also the fastest overland journey of 5500 miles ever made.

Mr Crombie was a member of the party which left Montreal for Vancouver on board the oil-electric car of the Canadian National Railways which made the record-breaking non-stop trip to the Pacific coast in 72 hours overall time and G 7 hours actual running time.

Mr Crombie characterised the performance of the oil-electric car as amazing. Among other things which the test of this car had proved, he pointed out, is that it is no longer a dream of the future but an actual fact that it is quite possible for a man to* leave Montreal at noon any day and ho in Winnipeg, 1356 miles distant, at 7 o’clock the next night, a trip which now occupies 48 hours. The trip of the oil electric, car proved that. It left Montreal 16 hours after the Continental Limited, the crack Montrcnl-Vnn-eouver train of the Canadian National Railways, passed it at Winnipeg and arrived in Vancouver 22 hours ahead of it. From the time it left Montreal until it reached Vancouver the engine never stopped running, and such minor adjustments to the engine as were found necessary were made by those on board the car without the assistance of any outside help. Mr 8. .T. Ilungerford. operating vicepresident of the National Railways, said |!nt the trip of the oil-electric car marked a step forward in the development of railway motive power which Kin he described by no othei word than revolutionary. It made evident. he said, that “a single locomotive of this type could handle passen- ! ger trains clear across the continent ‘without being relieved. Conceivably it could start with a sufficient supply of fuel to make the entire trip. Lt would result in fewer locomotives being required for a given train service, and it would eliminate delays in changing engines at terminals, the taking on of coal and water on route, thereby making it possible to have shorter over-all schedules than is possible with steam locomotives.

“ Furthermore the employment of such locomotives would render it unnecessary to maintain water stations anil would greatly reduce the need of terminal facilities of various kinds, beside effecting economics in the cost of fuel.”