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Railway electrification as a means of traction emerged at the end of the nineteenth century, although experiments in electric rail have been traced back to the mid-nineteenth century. [1] Thomas Davenport , in Brandon, Vermont , erected a circular model railroad on which ran battery-powered locomotives (or locomotives running on battery-powered ...
Third-rail systems are a means of providing electric traction power to trains using an additional rail (called a "conductor rail") for the purpose. On most systems, the conductor rail is placed on the sleeper ends outside the running rails, but in some systems a central conductor rail is used.
The third rail system resulted, not surprisingly, in a number of accidents. It also resulted in a decree from the Connecticut Supreme Court on June 13, 1906 forbidding the use of third rail electrification within the state. [2] The New Haven was forced by this decision to design their main line electrification system using overhead catenary.
Both overhead wire and third-rail systems usually use the running rails as the return conductor, but some systems use a separate fourth rail for this purpose. In comparison to the principal alternative, the diesel engine , electric railways offer substantially better energy efficiency , lower emissions , and lower operating costs.
A 675 V DC third rail (Top Contact) system was used. [18] Electrification was later changed to 11 kV 25 Hz overhead catenary, when the PRR electrified its mainline to Washington, D. C. in the early 1930s. Third rail is still installed in the East River Tunnels in order to provide power the LIRR trains.
Converted to 25 kV 50 Hz as a test bed for the future main line electrification system South London line: London Victoria to London Bridge: 1909–1928 Converted to 660 V (later 750 V) DC third-rail supply 8 kV: 25 Hz Germany: Karlsruhe: Alb Valley Railway: 1911–1966, today using 750 V DC 10 kV Netherlands: The Hague – Rotterdam: Hofpleinlijn
Modern European systems predominantly make use of bottom or side contact power rails. There are numerous urban rail systems, including these running mostly in tunnels, which do not use third rail at all. Such systems can be found in Asia, which may have been influenced by the overhead power supply formula followed by Tokyo Metro after 1960
Dual electrification is a system whereby a railway line is supplied power both via overhead catenary and a third rail. This is done to enable trains that use either system of power to share the same railway line, for example in the case of mainline and suburban trains (as used at Hamburg S-Bahn between 1940 and 1955). [1]