Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-02-10
RAILWAY SPEED IN ENGLAND AND
THE UNITED STATEN.
The Rapid Trains.
IRON the New York Sun.

Srom the New York Sun.
tabular statement of the greatest speed of
railway trains in Europe and the United g.aIes
published in German Journal BE Ttrke'srszei-
hsnq, shows t',at people generally exaggerate
the rapidlty with which long distances are ira
versed even In the cases OF trains specially IA
nous for their speed.
One OF these trains is that which runs on the
Great Northern road. from London to Edin-
0Urgh. via York. The distance is So miles and
the time is nine hours. The average speed
therefore, Is ~ | miles an hour. The distance
from EGstOn is i0l miles. and London and
Northwestern trains make the run in ten hours
or 80. niles an hour. BY the Midland railway
the distance Is i4 miles and the time is ten
hours and five minutes or very nearly the same
speed.
1t must be remembered however that these
are great distances. and that time is necessarily
lost IN stops. one OF which is very considerable
one. 10 get nigh average speed there must be
long Intervals between stopping places. for time
Is lost not only at the stations. but also lin get
ting into and out of them. Tie actual speed
when the tram il running at its fastest is there
fore much greater than the average speed and
this explains Why passengers who time the train
while 1t is going over certain distances without
stopping are s;!rprised when they are given the
average rate of speed.
The fastest tram in the world is the Flyinc
to SwindOn in 81 miles an hOur. One train
runs to Peterborough at 81 miles an hOur. which
Is about the speed repeatedly made i'm the run
from London TO Grantham. The Great Northern
trains run from London to York 1873 miles at
the-rate OF ~ miles. whereas. as we have seen
Tor the whole of the distance to Edngburmh 397
miles. the average speed is only a miles. The
quickest run In the United states is that be-
tween New York and Philadelphia 412% miles
an hour. Some OF the fastest trains in the
world are those run between Leeds and london
The distance by the Great Northern is 1861
Miles, and special train makes the run in
hours and minutes. or at an average speed of
45.4 miles an hour. The distance by the Mid
land Is 1876 miles and is traversed in hours and
~ minutes. an average speed of 49, miles an
hour.
About the most perfect piece of mechanism
we have on q large scale is our modern loco
motive. and it does not seem probable that it's
development will go much further. 1t is hard
to beat. as the London Engineer SAYS: but its
age speed of sixty miles an hour for long runs
may be obtained with a comparatively light
train. That high limit may be reached in the
future. and il is 10 doubt rot difficult OF attain
ment. especially with orr American locomotives.
less cumbersome than those of England But
there seems to ne little disposition among rail-
way managers ut present to- endeavOr to reach
That end The tendency is not toward trains of
extraordinary rapidity, though the average
speed OF all trains may be increasing. The
reason fer this is that the wear and tear of the
road are too great for economical management
with locomotives so heavy andyelOc!ty SO enor-
nous But an average speed of sixty miles an
hour, even Tor long runs Is entirely feasible.