The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1885-01-24
FAST TRAINS.
Tie Time They Save and What Might be
Accomplished by Higher Speed.

Tie Time They Save and What Might be
Accomplished by Higher Speed.
The real gain of time to business
man obtained by difference of few
miles an hour in the speed of long
journey train is Illustrated by an actual
case: A mar in New York wishes to do
days work in Chicago. He takes one
of the fastest and best-appointed trains
he can find-the Chicago limited. Ii
leaves New York al nine in the morn
ing and lands in Chicago at eleven the
next morning, having accomplished GA
miles in twenty-six hours and fifty-five
minutes, allowing for the difference of
the 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 speed can be obtained
on the Pennsylvania or any other first
class American road as on the English
main line, and what shape does tho
problem assume? On the English road,
the Great Northern, the distance be-
tween Leeds and London, 1864 miles,
is done in three hours and forty-iive
minutes, including five stoppages; on
another, the Great Western, the 1863
miles between Birmingham and London
is run in two hours and forty-iive min
utes, including two stoppages; and as
neither of these routes is particularly
level or straight, and both pass through
numerous functions, with per-
feet maze of switches and frogs,
they give full idea of what is posi-
Bile in speed on the railroads of
the country. These figures give, re-
spectively. speed of 49.S and 47.2 miles
per hour. Taking as fair average
forty EIGHT miles an hour, including
stoppages, the journey from New York
to Chicago should be done in eighteen
hours flfty-nine minutes, or say nineteen
hours, saving of nearly eight hours on
the present time; so that if the train
was arranged to leave at 4:55 in the
afternoon, the whole of this time would
be saved in the busy part of the day,
thus effectually adding a day TO our
imaginary travellers business and dollar.
making life.
1t may be thought that such deduc.
ton is unfair, as the English style OF
ear is SO much lighter than the Ameri.
can; but. as a matter of fact, the aver
age English express-car is considerably
heavier than the Chicago limited, and
conveys about three times the number
of passengers; and as trucks and oil
fabricated axle boxes are not universal
there. the tractive resistance per ton is
probably higher. 1t certainly, there
fore, seems not only possible. but FEAST
Bile, to obtain these high speeds in this
country, where, owing to the long dis
tances to be travelled, they are more
valuable than in England; and the great
step toward attaining that end is the
adoption of proper and efficient signal
ing arrangements. All the other steps
are achieved. The American passenger
locomotive of the present day is per-
fectly competent to drag heavy train
at a speed of sixty miles an hour; the
cars, as now constructed, can travel
safely and smoothly at that speed, and
the steel rail and the well-ballasted tie
and perfect workmanship of the
modern iron bridges can well support
the laundering conclusion of an ex-
press 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-sound-
ing title, which owns one locomotive
with split tube sheet and two cars
down ditch.
To run fast train clear, uninter-
rupted road is absolutely necessary, and
the reason is not far to seek. To move
body from state of rest to a velocity
of sixty miles an hour. or eighty eight
feet per second, an amount of work
must be performed equivalent to lifting
that body 121 feet. Now it is apparent
to the simplest capacity that it requires
pretty powerful engine to overcome
the resistance of train running sixty
miles per hour without every few miles
putting on brakes to destroy the velocity,
and then to lift it 121 feet again to at
tain speed, the resistance of the air and
the friction of the bearings of journals
and of flanges against rails going on all
the time. As a matter of fact, showing
what severe work this is on an engine
the Zulu express on the Grea, Western
Railroad Of England, which is the fast
est train in the world, has been re-
peatedly carefully timed, and it is
found that. though running over an al
most absolutely level and straight road.
it takes distance of twenty-six to
twenty-eight miles to attain its full speed
of fifty-eight and one-half miles an
hour. Brooklyn Eagle.