Liquid rheostats

[NW Mailing List]

There was an earlier inquiry about the liquid that was used in the rheostats of the N&W or VGN split phase electric locomotives, but I don't remember the thread or that there was any reply to the inquiry.

I just came across a Feb. 8, 1926, N&W Motive Power memo that includes the following:
  Rheostat consists of Soda Ash Solution, 10 lbs. to 300 gallons of water.  A portion of solution is continually passed through cooling tower to reduce temperature.
Of course, the liquid rheostats were used to control the current flowing to the traction motors.  Considering the date of the memo, the description of the solution likely applied to both the N&W Class LC-1 and LC-2 electric locomotives.   The VGN Class EL-3a electrics also used liquid rheostats, and because the soda ash solution had apparently been successful in the N&W electrics and because the VGN electrics were so similar electrically to the N&W electrics, it is likely that the VGN EL-3a electrics used the same soda ash solution.

The above-cited N&W memo also included the following interesting tidbit:
  Locomotive requires about 115 seconds to accelerate from standing to 14 M.P.H. with 1600 ton trailing load on 2% grade.
Gordon Hamilton
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