Abstract :
THE Reading Company began operation on July 26, 1931, of the first portion of its electrified suburban service running out of Philadelphia. Multiple-unit cars are now operated over 64.6 miles of route embracing 156.9 track miles and the electrification of two more branches is in progress, the completion of which will bring the total electrified mileage to 86.9 route miles or 203 track miles. Single-phase, 25-cycle, alternating current is supplied by the Philadelphia Electric Company through outdoor frequency changer sets located on the railroad´s property at Wayne Junction, and is distributed to the trains over a 36,000/12,000 three-wire system with 12,000 volts between the overhead contact wires and the rails, and 24,000 volts between the rails and the feeders carried on the catenary structures. Provision has been made on these structures for supporting transmission lines of higher voltage when future extensions of the electrification make it necessary. Over a part of the right-of-way steel towers are to be used jointly by the power company for highvoltage transmission and by the railroad for supporting its catenary system. All of the power switching is handled from a single supervisory control board at Wayne Junction, at which point also are located the repair shops and storage yards for the car equipment.
