The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1883-10-27
High Speeds on Railways.

High Speeds on Railways.
While there can be no doubt that as re-
CARDS cheapness and rapidity of construc-
ton, general excellence of bridges, locomo-
tives and cars, the railways of this country
are ahead of the rest of the world, the sig
mailing arrangements here, with few excep-
tions, are rudimentary and inefficient, and
render fast travelling matter of consider
able difficulty, if not danger. 1t is impos-
siblc to run really fast express train if
the signals are ambiguous, and if every
level crossing is made a compulsory stop
ping place The saving in time by fast
trains can only be fully felt in great coun-
try, where very long journeys are not only
possible, but are frequently undertaken; but
hitherto this fact has been little appreci-
ated, and people have been content to travel
at slow speed and put up with frequent
stoppages because the railways were new,
the rails roughly laid, and many bridges
unsafe at high speed. But of late years
these conditions have been materially
changed. The widespread use of steel
bed and the introduction of iron bridges of
frst-class Workmanship, have rendered high
speed perfectly safe and easy on most parts
of good roads in the Eastern and Middle
States; but it is rendered unsafe where
switches are SO arranged that they may be
left open to an approaching train without
any signal warning the engineer, or the
signals are so formed that the difference to
the eye between clear or albright signal
and danger or stop signal is slight in
snowy weather, OF under certain atmos-
pheric conditions which render the differ
ence between colors imperceptible, though
a difference in form may be perceived.
The real gain of time to a business man
obtained by difference of few miles an
hour in the speed of a longjourney train
is best illustrated by an actual case. A
man in New York wishes to do days
work in Chicago. He takes one of the
fastest and best appointed trains he can
fnd-the Chicago limited 1t leaves New
York at 8 a m, and lands him at Chicago
at IL the next morning, having accom-
plished 911 miles in 26 hours 55 minutes,
allowing for the difference in time between
the two cities. This makes an average
speed of 1873 miles per hour, including all
stoppages But assume, what is surely not
extravagant, that as high a speed can be
attained on the Pennsylvania or any other
frst-class American road as on an English
main line, ard what shape does the problem
assume? On one English road, the Great
Northern, the distance between Leeds and
London (1062 miles, is done in hours 45
minutes, including five stoppages; on an
other, the Great Western, the 1294 miles
between Birmingham and London is run
in 2 hours 45 minutes, including two stop
pages; and as neither of these routes is
particularly level or straight, and both pass
through numerous functions with perfect
maze of switches and frogs, they give fair
idea of what is possible in speed on the
railroads of this country. These figures
give, respectively, speeds of 1913 and 47.2
miles per hour. Taking as a fair average
48 miles an hour, including stoppages, the
journey from New York to Chicago should
be done in 18 hours SO minutes, or say 10
hours, saving of Z hours 55 minutes on
the present time; so that, if the train were
arranged to leave at So minutes past in
the afternoon, instead of o'clock in the
forenoon, the whole of this time would be
saved in the busy part of the day; efectu-
ally adding day to our imaginary travel
er's business and dollar making life.
1t may be thought that such deduction
is unfair, as the English style of car is so
much lighter than the American; but, as a
matter of fact, the average English express
train is considerably heavier than the Chi
cago limited, and conveys about three times
the number of passengers; and, as trucks
and oil-lubricated axle boxes are not yet
universal there, the tractive resistance per
ton is probably higher. 1t certainly, there
fore, seems not only possible, but feasible,
to attain these high speeds in this country,
where, owing to the long distances to be
travelled, they are more valuable than in
England; and the great step toward attain
ing that end is the adoption of proper and
efficient signaling arrangements. All the
other steps are achieved; the American
passenger locomotive of the present day is
perfectly competent to drag heavy train
at speed of over 60 miles an hour; the
cars, as now constructed, can travel safely
and smoothly at that speed; and the steel
rail, the well balasted tie, and perfect
workmanship of the modern iron bridge
can well support the laundering concus-
sion of an express train at full speed. But
this speed can only be maintained for a few
miles at time, if the engineer who guides
this train be doubtful whether the dimly-
seen signals imply safety Or danger, or if
the laws of the state bring him to a full
stand where his road is crossed by small
corporation with high-sounding title,
which owns one locomotive with a split
tube sheet and two cars down ditch.
To run fast train, clear, uninterrupt-
ed road is absolutely necessary; and the
reason is not far to seek. To move body
from state of rest to velocity of go
miles per hour, or 88 feet per second; an
amount of work must be performed equiv
alent to lifting that body 121 feet Now,
it is apparent to the simplest capacity that
it requires a pretty powerful engine to
overcome the resistance of train running
at 60 miles per hour without every few
miles putting on brakes to destroy THIS We
locity and then to lift it 121 feet again to
attain speed; the resistance of the air, and
the friction of bearings on journals, and Of
Aanges against rails going on all the time
As matter of fact, showing what severe
work this is on an engine the Zulu express
on the Great Western Railway of England,
which is the fastest train in the world, has
been repeatedly carefully timed; and it is
found that, though running over an almost
absolutely level and straight road, it takes
distance of 26 to % miles to attain its
full speed, about 594 miles an hour
! Science.
How to Tell Good Potato.