Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-03-15
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zEsE; Fisdi:>T TRAIN ~ ENGLAND
Era "EIying Sco,chnnan'' Speeding
f"s:- sl"md-ed !siics ia N;nc ESours.
FT,t,l Chamber rs Journal
The trains of Great Britain rum in the opinion
of the British public far more swiftly than those
of &.y other nation: but at the same time
there IS o general vagucncss with regard to
then actual rate Of motion that mas a great
effect in cxag@erating the reports of their speed
Every one naturally claims that the train by
which he himself Frequently travels is the first in
point OF speed The tourist Or the sportsman
flashing down TO Scotland believes in the living
Sc0tchinaI. the great 10 O'clock morning train
from Kings Cross. which runs into Lincoln
shire without a stoppage: and. after allowing
thirty minutes at York for a llasty midday meal
Reaches Edinburgh at Z o'clock. I'm time for 4
substantial dinner in the northern capital
Another candidate for the honors OF speed is the
Flying Dutchman. of Bristol and Exeter celc-
hrity. 1t is a brcad-gaugc train and there is a
Vers prevalent idea that no matter how great
the speed of other lines may be- the great " ;dth
that Brunei introduced enables a higher velo-
city to re obtained on the Great Western
than anywhere else A third competitor with
many rartisans. is the wild Irshman." car
rying the HO'yhPad mall not only tor Ire
land. but for America. and. via San Fran
cisco. for Australia and New Zealand The
va"nest ideas. as already said, prevail as to the
running speed of thesetrainS The speed of the
Flying Scotchman is generally assumed to ne
NIFTY miles an hour: the Wild freshman is credite
with the same rate: hnt the friends Of the Fly
ing nutchman maintain that the run from Lon
don to Bristol averages sixty. and that it is far
ahead of all its rivals i'm regard to speed.
Among such diyersitics of opinion it may be
interesting to give a few particulars of these
champion trains. The partsans of the Wild
lri hman will be disappointed when they
hear mat whatever may be the result of the
negotiations now pending or that may have
been completed between the London and
Northwestern company and the post office. the
Irish mali cannot even be named in the com
petition. The quickest of the tour trains known
by this naine-and it may be noticed that it
stops more frequently than its three name
sikes-ayerages 400 miles an hour; so that
tho1"h, by the help of the steamer, the route TO
Dublin Is probably the quickest sea and land
Journey IL the world, still. as Il train. the Wild
freshman is inferior TO other trains of the Lon
don and Northwestern COMPANY which does not
pretend to run the quickest train in England.
BRADSHAW Is 80 rerplcXing a study to many
persons that in order 10 save further trouble. it
may be well to admit that the struggle for the
first place in speed lies between two well-knovn
trains. the Flying Dutchman of the Great West
crn and the Flying Scotchnan of the Great
Northern and the competition between them is
extremely keen.
The Flying Dutchman is a troad-gaure train.
leaving PaddinGtOn station at Il.5 midday. AMI
II runs as far rs Swindun without a stoppaue
1t is the custom for all Great Western trains to
come to :. halt at this station, and the Dutch
man stops for ten minutes. devoted to refresh
men's. after which it resumes its course and
after momentary stay at Bath it reaches Rris-
t0i at I'll AFTER run of ISL miles. NOtwith-
standing the importance of the city Of Avon,
only five minutes for rest are allowed. and at
:,:2j the rEtchman has resumed his wild career
and is rushing at full speed for Taunton where
Ear Ia nan hard Ix- Sfn
O'Clock in the aft ernoCn the train rolls into Exc
ter. i:GI miles from London. The speed. not
allowing Tor stoppaSes. must have been 4o6
miles Per hour.
The other train whose claims have to be ex-
amincd is the Flying Scotchman. This Is a mar
row-gauge train leaving Kings Cross. London.
ut 10 a. m. en- route for scotland Its first start
Is impressive, for it opens with the longest run
without pause i'm England and probably in Il lie
world. in the shape of a run to Grantham in Lin
colnsh!re. distance OF 1G5 miles. SIX minutes
are gracously allowed tor breathing time. and
then the ScOtcillnan takes wing for York. The
speed is IS high as ever. and at the end OF 1S9
miles-completed in five minutes less than four
hourS-the train enters the handsOmest station
III England. that of the Northeastern cOnpany
at York. Even the Flying Scotchman must,
like the Flying Dutchman. stop for re-
frcs!lments: tut, as the distance covered
Is greater, the pause is longer. Half an hour
Is allowed the passengers at York, and at %
minutes past - the tram once more makes \
start. A respectable run of 81 miles to New
castle is followed by stoppa@e there for five
minutes; andanot!Icr pause OF the same dura-
ton at the old border town of Bcrwick-on- Tweed
FERNS the last halt before at o'clock in the
evening. the Sc0tehman runs into the Waycry
station, Edinburgh.
The total distance is 59G1. miles. covered in
exactly nine hours, including all etoppagcs: and
on applying the same calculation to the Scotch
man as has been already applied to the Great
Western train. it Will be found that the North
ern trains average running speed is exactly ii
miles an hour