The Metropolitan Electric Railway.
The power plant of the Metropolitan Railway Company furnishes the only example of double current generators and rotary converters to be found in Toronto or vicinity. The road extends from the C.P.R. tracks at North Toronto to Newmarket, a distance of 30 miles, passing through a number of small villages. The power house is located at Bond Lake, about 20 miles from the southern terminus of the road. It is located in a valley, the top of the building being but a few feet above the level of the land, thus providing an easy meanings of obtaining a supply of water for condensing purposes without the necessity of pumping.
Mr. J. W. Moyes,
Manager Metropolitan Railway.
The power house is a white brick structure, with stone foundation and iron and slate roof. The boiler room is situated directly to the south of the engine room and is separated therefrom by a brick wall.
The boiler plant consists of four steel return tubulars of the Goldie & McCulloch Company's make, their combined capacity being 700 horse power. Water is fed to the boilers by two duplex boiler feed pumps manufactured by the Northey Company.
Metropolitan Railway—Power house at Bond Lake.
The engine equipment consists of two cross-compound Wheelock condensing engines, furnished by the Goldie & McCulloch Company. They have a capacity of 350 h.p. each operating at 86 revolutions per minute. Each engine drives a 275 k.w. A.C. D.C. 60-cycle, three-phase multipolar generator connected by means of a 42-inch belt. The generators operating at 600 r.p.m. give 550 volts direct on one side and 350 volts alternating current on the other. The direct current is turned on to the entire length of road, and during times of trouble through falling trees, twigs, etc., the entire line is operated by direct current from the Bond Lake power house. The alternating current is delivered to 500 k.w. static transformers in the power house and wound for 400 volts primary. It is then stepped-up to a pressure of 16,500 volts and conveyed by the three-wire system a distance of 16 miles, to a substation at York Mills, where it is passed through step-down transformers and rotary converters and reduced to 550 volts direct current, at which it is delivered to the entire line.
Metropolitan Railway—Engine room.
The rotary converters in the sub-station are operated at 710 r.p.m. and each is excited on one side by an induction motor of 25 horse power, a synchronizing motor for operating the plant being on the south side. The generators, rotary converters, transformers, and switchboard equipment were furnished by the Westinghouse Company.
Metropolitan Railway—Generators and switchboard.
The poles for the transmission line are of cedar and set 100 feet apart. No. 4 covered copper wire is used. The trolley wire is No. 2-0 and the feed wire No. 4-0 bare copper, with a feeder into the trolley wire every tenth pole.
The company is well provided with rolling stock, the Canadian General Electric Company and the Westinghouse Company having furnished the motor equipment. For hauling freight a Baldwin-Westinghouse electric locomotive of 200 h.p. is used.
Mr. J.W. Moyes is general manager and superintendent of the road.
Cars in snowdrift.
Snowdrift in the ridges.
View at Thornhill.
One of the cars, 47 feet long.
Interior of one of the cars.