[toast0]

They probably weren't sending loaded trains only downhill and only sending unloaded trains uphill.

They also didn't have the same kind of battery capacity as we have today.

Electrified rail avoids shipping the engine and the fuel with the load, which ia often a big win in efficiency.

[sidewndr46]

Electrified rail is not magic, you still need an engine on at least 1 car. You still need some way of converting electrical current to a force to push you down the tracks.