Joint Meeting of British and French Electrical Engineers

Abstract

DURING the joint meeting of the British and French Electrical Engineering Institutions, held in Paris on May 21–24, a wide range of subjects was discussed. The greater part of the time was devoted to electric railway traction. The electrical equipment of purely urban and suburban railways has already become almost a mere question of economics and technical detail; the broader engineering and scientific problems are solved. So far, however, the replacement of the steam train by the electric train on main lines has only been limited, and this is a work for which the electrical. engineer is making ready. Its consideration cannot be deferred until the improvements in the economy of generating and distributing electrical energy, and converting it into mechanical energy on the train, are such that there can be no other reasonable method than to burn the coal at the pit's mouth instead of the locomotive furnace; for in the meantime the “electrification” of suburban lines must continue, and the railway engineers naturally desire to equip their lines on some system which will lend itself to main line traffic as well as suburban, without extensive alterations being necessary when the second part of the problem is taken in hand. For this reason, the presentation and discussion of six papers on electric railways by French electrical engineers of high repute was particularly well timed.