I forewarded the battery oil comments to a railroad buff (Dan Gukkickson)
in Fairbanks AK, and got some interesting comments in return.  Thought you
all might enjoy them.  TVRR is the Tanana Valley Railroad.  Cheers ca

>Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2000 20:59:43 -0900
>From: Durand Family <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
>X-Accept-Language: en,pdf
>MIME-Version: 1.0
>To: Dan Gullickson <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: Battery oil?
>
>Dan if TVRR use telegraph then they used battery oil.  The glass battery
cases
>used at each station to provide the power for the Telegraph key and
>transmission were commonly topped off with oil which floated on the
electrolyte
>solution to stop evaporation and release of explosive hydrogen gas.
Follow up
>with the Edison battery history for details.   Every old time telegrapher
>should be able to tell you the story.  Check with the Telephone Pioneers
>organization in Fairbanks or at ATU in Anchorage.
>
>Patrick J. Durand


>Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2000 20:16:04 -0900
>Subject: Re: Battery oil?
>From: "Nillo Koponen" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: Dan Gullickson <[log in to unmask]>
>Mime-version: 1.0
>X-Priority: 3
>
>The "Tanana"-the Edison Beach electric car used those big glass batteries
>to power it's motors. The Edison -Beach cars had a whole rack of them
>under the floor. They were recharged overnight and had to be kept warm
>(I don't think the "Tanana" operated at all in the winter) The acid would
>have been "topped off" with oil of vitriol....and they probably had to
>replace the battery acid after an accident. One old timer told me years
>ago that the glass battery cases were broken when the car turned over
>in an accident about 1917 and the car was sidelined and a auto with rail
>wheels used. Dr. Bunnell claimed he got the Army to rebuild the car with
>a gasoline powered generator down in the Anchorage shops for the "College
>Electric Car Service " for the opening of the College. That must've been
>about 1921/22????? The archives in Anchorage may have that info.
>                                                  ......niilo
>