Electric railways.

Ontario electric railways.

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Metropolitan.—This line starts immediately north of the C.P.R. track at Yonge st., in North Toronto, & runs to Bond Lake, 18 miles north. The track of the Toronto Ry. goes to within a few feet of the Metropolitan's starting point on the south side of the C.P.R. track, but there is no connection between the two electric lines. Lately the C.P.R. started to put in a switch at North Toronto, with the apparent intention of connecting with the Metropolitan, but the connection has not yet been made. President C. D. Warren, of the Metropolitan, says the Co.'s plans are to extend the straight northern branch out Yonge st. as far as Newmarket, passing through Aurora, & to cut across country north-westerly to Schomberg. After the system has been pushed out to these points the Newmarket line will be carried to Roach's Point, on Lake Simcoe, & the spur line to Schomberg will extend farther north-westerly to Tottenham. The new power-house is erected at Bond Lake, to which point the Co. succeeded in carrying the line last fall, & but for the early cold weather the tracks would have been laid much farther. At Bond Lake it is expected that the new & modern plant of 1,000 horse-power will be in position during April. Surveys have been made to Newmarket on the north, which point for the time will be one of the termini. The northwest extension survey has been made to Schomberg, a distance of 15 miles from Bond Lake. The reason that the line is cut across country at an angle is that it is a territory supplying greater facilities for the construction of the road, & it is shorter, being but one side of a triangle, which otherwise would have to be traversed on two sides, i.e., the other route taken would have to be from Schomberg to Newmarket east, & then south of Bond Lake. The next surveys to be made will be north from Newmarket to Roach's Point, 18 miles, & north-west from Schomberg to Tottenham, some 9 miles.

The Company has bought all the Bond Lake property, comprising 200 acres, which it intends making into picnic & camp grounds. The lake is from 50 to 90 ft. deep, & is 650 ft. above the level of Toronto

As soon as frost is out of the ground sufficiently 200 men will be started on construction, while in the meantime preliminary work is being done. In order to obviate possible objection of any municipality to the construction of the line through its territory, the Company secured an act, whereby the whole of Yonge st. north of the C.P.R. tracks was placed in the control of the County of York, so that there is no possible difficulty with regard to the extension of the line to Roach's Point, the northern terminus of Yonge St. & Lake Simcoe, It is expected that with ordinarily good weather the line will reach Aurora by May 15, & that Newmarket will be connected with before May 24. The northwest spur will, it is though, be completed before Sep. 1. The same general kind of cars which are operated by the Co. now will be used all over the line except that they will be larger. The President says that with 1 motor the Co. could put on 8 or 10 trailers if there were as good street to travel on as those in Toronto, & that there were 2 cars coming which would be capable of hauling 25 loaded freight cars over any ordinary grade.

The Co. looks for large excursion parties to Bond Lake, which point can be reached by the new system in an hour, starting at the C.P.R. tacks. The Newmarket trip can be made in in 1 1/2 hours, & a person can get to Aurora in 1 1/4 hours, & the time occupied in getting to Schomberg will be but 1 1/2 hours. At present it necessitates half-a-day's travel to reach Toronto from Schomberg, for people have to drive either to Aurora or Kleinburg, which alone takes 3 hours, before a train is reached. The line, it is estimated, can be operated with 20 or 30 men. When this system is completed the places along it & benefiting therefrom will be: Deer Park, Davisville, Eglinton, York Mills, Lansing, Willowdale, Newtonbrook, Thornhill, Langstaff, Richmond Hill, Elgin Corners, Jefferson, Bond Lake, Oak Ridges, Aurora & Newmarket. On Schomberg branch: Eversley, Kettleby, Pottageville, Lloydtown & Schomberg. President Warren says the general trade of Richmond Hill has increased 35% since the electric line has been built through there, & he expects that the other towns when reached will take just as great a stride forward. It cost $150,000 to build the road to Richmond Hill.

The Co. has let a contract to the Westinghouse Co. for the power transmission plant. It is proposed to have the freight traffic provided for by cars equipped with motors, & also by electric locomotives. The distance is too great for the operation of the railway from a single power-house, & consequently a second power-house will be provided, which will receive its power in the form of alternating current from the first power-house. The generators in the central power-house or generating station at North Toronto, will be two 275 kilowatts machines, both of which will be adapted for supplying either alternating or direct currents. The direct current will pass directly to the trolley lines for supplying the cars near the generating station. The alternating current will be raised in pressure by four 125 kilowatts step up transformers to 15,000 volts. The current required for transmitting the power at this voltage is so small that comparatively thin wires can be used for transmitting the power to the sub-station near Aurora, some fifteen miles away. Here the pressure will be reduced, & the alternating current passed through rotary converters, which will deliver a direct current to the trolley line. The cars & locomotives will be equipped with the most modern type of apparatus, & the whole will constitute one of the model plants of Canada.

Railways: C.P.Ry., Met.Ry., S. & A.Ry. , T.Ry.Co.

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