Baldwin-Westinghouse electric locomotives

Baldwin, the locomotive manufacturer, and Westinghouse, the promoter of AC (alternating current) electrification, joined forces in 1895 to develop AC railway electrification. Soon after the turn of the century, they marketed a single-phase high-voltage system to railroads. From 1904-05 they supplied locomotives carrying a joint builder's plate to a number of American railroads, particularly for the New Haven (the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad) line from New York to New Haven, and other New Haven lines.

In 1895 a box-cab locomotive 32 feet (9.8 m) long with two four-wheel trucks and weighing 46 short tons (41.1 long tons; 41.7 t) was built at the East Pittsburg (Pennsylvania) works of Westinghouse. It was used for more than a decade of AC and DC experimentation. Sold in 1906 to the Lackawanna & Wyoming Valley Railroad in northern Pennsylvania as a 600 hp (450 kW) 500 V DC locomotive, it was in service until 1953.

No 9, the first single-phase locomotive built in America was completed in 1904. Weighing 126 short tons (113 long tons; 114 t) and operating on 6600 V AC, it had six 225 hp (168 kW) traction motors with quill drive on two three-axle trucks.

In 1905 a 41-mile (65 km) interurban line between Indianapolis and Rushville, electrified by Baldwin-Westinghouse at 3300 volts single-phase AC, was opened by the Indianapolis & Cincinnati Traction Company.

In 1905 New Haven investigated electrification for their 35 miles (56 km)-line from Grand Central Station to Stamford, with a possible extension to New Haven, Connecticut. Electrification for passenger service was required in New York. Operation of such trains to the suburbs was preferred to changing to steam outside New York. Electrification of the busy main line would increase the capacity of the existing four tracks. Proposals were obtained from General Electric (GE) and Westinghouse. Both companies submitted a variety of AC and DC schemes, though GE favoured DC electrification. But New Haven chose single-phase AC as proposed by Westinghouse, at 11 kV 25 Hz. The generating station was at Cos Cob.

An initial order of 35 EP-1 locomotives were supplied 1905-1907. The design was similar to No 9 above, with two two-axle trucks and a Westinghouse gearless quill drive, which supported the motor on the truck frame and reduced the unsprung weight. The locos weighed 102 tons and were 37 ft 6½in long. They had to operate over the 12 miles of New York Central track electrified at 660 V DC third rail from Grand Central to Woodlawn, so had AC/DC series commutator motors; the four Westinghouse 130 motors had a total hourly rating of 1,420 hp (1,060 kW). The loco could change from AC to DC without stopping; power pickup was by eight third-rail shoes which could be lowered, plus two large AC pantographs and a small pantograph for DC where short sections through switches were too complicated for third-rail supply. A second order of six supplied in 1908 had design changes, including guide wheels at each end to obviate “nose” or oscillation at high speed. The highly successful class operated to 1947, although some were retired from 1936.

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