Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-10-27
FAST RAILROAD TINE.
SOME OF THE BEST RUNS EVER
MADE IN THIS COUNTRY.

The Fastest Record on an American Road.
A Burst of Speed-A Remarkable Long
Distance Run from New York to San
Francisco.
The liveliest interest was manifested by
railroad men in the recent account Of the
race between the Flying Scotchmann and
the "West Coast Flyer" from London to
Edinburgh, in which 400 miles were covered
by the winner in seven hours and twenty five
minutes This was an average OF something
over ffty-three and one half miles an hour.
There was general jogging of memories and
overhauling of the records of fast railroad
trains on American lines. And much com
fort was found by many in going over those
| records
The best run on record in this country
which can be fairly compared with the En-
| glish run was made over the West Shore road,
| from Buffalo to New York, on July Q, 1885,
| when 40 miles were covered in Z hours and
| q minutes. Quite large number of railroad
men, including officials of the Baltimore and
| Ohio, Wabash, Grand Trunk and West Shore
roads, happened at Buffalo together en- route
| for New York 1t was decided to see how
| quickly they could move over the new road.
| At the start the railroad men had their
watches out, and soon the mile posts were
| flying past every 43 seconds. That speed was
held so steadily that the greater part of the
run was made at the rate of IS seconds to the
mile, or from 20 to So miles an hour. From
East Buffalo to Genesee Junction, 81 miles
took So minutes; from East Buffalo to New.
ark, 93 4 miles, 81 minutes from Albany &c
Genesee Junction, 1868 miles, 80 minutes
The 81 minutes TO Newark included stops Of
0 minutes, making the actual running time
for the 9S4 miles, 50 minutes. From Newark
to Frankfort, where the conditions for run
ming were not so good as before, the run oi
loss miles was made in 1874 minutes, includ
ing Il minutes for stops. From East Buffalo
to Frankfort, ZOE miles, tho time was 24i
minutes, of which IS minutes were consumed
in stops.
On Oct s, 1885, over the same road,
burst of speed was tried for II miles, be
tween Genesee Junction and East Buffalo, t.
satisfy Superintendent J. E. Laying, who wa
on the train. The run occupied 5l2 seconds
an average rate of "A miles an hour. Thre
of the miles were made at the rate of 80 mile
an hour, one at Il and one at 70.
On the New York Central road news
paper train with two cars, weighing GO tons
hauled into Syracuse, Sunday morning, Aug
s, 1886, at 10 o'clock an hour late. The trai
was booked to go from New York to Bui
falo in 9lS hours Orders came to try t
make up the time on the further run of las.
miles to Buffalo. John W Cool, one of th
best engineers on the road, mounted his cal
bound to obey the order. He started out 6
54}]5 miles an hour At the end of the thre
miles his speed increased TO 6G miles an houl
and then to 74l5. He stopped at Rocheste
t for water, and slowed up after passing Cri
g tenden. His average speed from Syracus
to Rochester was 675J. miles per hour; frol
: Rochester to Buffalo, IS Y miles per hou
Il and from Syracuse to Buffalo, $50 miles a
, hour The run of 1887 miles was made
l36 minutes.
The most remarkable long distance run G
e record was when the Jarrett-Palmer comb
nation went from New York to San Fral
cisco in half time, or 81 days. Their trai
I, left the Pennsylvania station in Jersey Cit
at 1858 on the morning of June l, 1876, The
were not TO make stop until they reacht
Pittsburg An engine and baggage car, {
the approach of the special to Harrisbur
got up speed of about fifty miles and pass,
mails to the special by running along an a
joining track for several miiI :, while Il
mail bags were thrown from train to trai
The run to PittSburg, 43S1S miles, took
hours and 5 minutes, an average of 49, mil
an hour, notwithstanding the Aleghanie
From Pittsburg to Chicago, 45S.3 miles, toc
II hours and 6 minutes, an average of A.
, miles. including % stops and 4 changes
" engines. From Chicago to Council Bluff
49l miles, took 11% hours, an avera
of 426 miles, although there was
record for part of this journey
622 miles. Over the Union Paci
the run of 1,O32.s miles from Omaha
Ogden was made in "a hours and IA minut,
4 at an average of fl miles and a maximum
- miles an hour. The brakes became wo
at Ogden and hand brakes had to be use
retarding the onward journey somewhat,
the men feared they might loso control of
train. San Francisco was safely reached
iS 1851 on June 4, quite in time for the dim
that had been ordered for the company
that day. The last stage of the journey "
run at an average of 81 miles. During t
entire run 20 engines were used, there We
- stops, and the running time for S,Sl:
miles was 81 hours II minutes, an average
y 40 miles an hour.-New York Times