The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-09-16
A MILE A MINUTE.
Railroad Trains Which Have Be
come Marvels of Speed.
Nv for tba roos+ irororta,

Railroad Trains Which Have be
come MarVels of Speed.
By far the most important ele-
ment in the comfort of the traveller
is the rate of continuous speed
attained by a railroad train. The
high rate of the accommodation
train does not Offset the worry and
fret of the frequent stops, and a
long run without getting over much
ground is an annoyance almost as
grievous as being side-tIacked in
the broiling sun on hot sdmmer's
day to wait for a belated freight
train, or an aggravating excursion
which blocks the way. England, as
a recent essay by Mr.. A. l.. Roch
shows, surpasses US both IN
the number and speed of its
fast trains, but Germany, though
only little behind, canj hardly
claim any superiority over this
country in the matter Of fast trains.
The fastest train in the world for
some years, and it probably is so
still, though its time has been someN
what reduced, Is "The Flying
Dutchman," which used to cover the
distance between London and
Bristol, 11814 miles, in two hours.
Germany follows with train from
Berlin to Hanover, which runs 1928
miles in three hours and forty eight
minutes, which is at the rate of
51.7 miles an hour.
The palm fer speed in this cOun-
try is closely contested by the two
companies performing the service
between Philadelphia and New
York. During the Centennial, two
hours and a half was the shortest
time known between New York
and Philade phia. Since then, two
hour trains have become frequent
upon the timetable, and the COM
petition as to which road should
make that time the oftener has
been very sharp. According to
! schedule, the train leaving Jersey
city by the Pennsylvania at 4.08
pm. runs at the rate of AIS miles
an hour, while that on the Bound
Brook route runs at the rate of
All, but has mile less distance
to run and less populous towns to
traverse. 1t is difficult to say which
best deserves the palm for fast
time. For long distance, the New
York and Chicago limited is with
out rival in the world, making, as
it does, 913 miles in twenty-five
hours. The fastest distance
train, and the fastest train for any
distance of more than fifty miles, is
the express on the Orleans line be-
tween Paris and Bordeaux, which
runs $50 miles in nine hours and ten
minutes, or thirty-nine miles an
hour.
The elements entering into the
shortening of time between two
distances are many, and they in
crease rapidly, even out of proper
ton to the gain N speed. Excep-
tional runs have been made on
nearly every railway in the coun-
try,and there are few frst-class roads
over which a passenger coach has
not been hauled at the rate of a
mile minute. Mr.. Vanderbilt has
often travelled one hundred miles in
one hundred minutes, and an engine
has drawn a single coach between
Philadelphia and New York
in ninety-fYe minutes. The
4.08 train previously spoken
Of always runs some part of the dis
lance at rate of more than a mile
minute, and its easiest run is from
New Brunswick to Trenton
twenty-five miles in tWenty-six
minutes and half. This speed is
only possible, however, with a
heavy engine, heavy steel rails, a
solid road-bed, comparatively
light train, slight grades and easy
curves. All of these elements have
their force, and how great force will
be better understood when it is
known that the Improvements now
making on the Pennsylvania will
enable the company to shorten the
time between New York and Phil
adelphia ten to fifteen minutes,
without any faster running
than is done on many long stretches
now. The Strengthening of the track
and the moving of the bridge across
the Passaic, and the finishing of the
last cut through Bergen hill will
save four minutes in the eight miles
between Newark and New York.
and the reducing of the grade and
sinking of tracks through the north
ern part of Philadelphia will help
almost as much more. When the
work is completed, ito New York
in one hundred minutes" will be q
reality rather than possibility
Philadelphia Press.