Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-06-01

one Grand Army OF the Republic.
Railroad Speed and Development.
The chief problem with the great trunk |
lines OF railroad just at present is how TO
increase the speed of trains. The reason for
this is obvious The great aim of the aver
age American is to gain time. Even il be
is going on a pleasure vacation tour he is
pretty certain to want to cover the distance
between his starting and objective points in
as short a period Of time as possible. OK
any number Of rival lines of railway by
which he can travel, be is more than liable
10 ratronize that one which will carry him
to his journeys end the soonest. Hence the
present strife between the trunk lines be
tween tho East and West in the matter Of
fast trains.
Wide attention has been attracted in
railroad circles by the announcement that
the New York Central and other Wander
bilt lines would put on a train with the ex-
pectaton Of making the trip between New
\ ork and Chicago between the close o.
the business day in the metropolis and the
opening Of exchanges in Chicago on the
next day. The engine which the other day
made the remarkable record OF 1924 miles
an hour, or at least reached that rate Of
speed, is to lie used on of
these fast trains. 1t is believed that
on one of the early trips to Chica-
60 which this engine will make II
will reach a speed of u mile in thirty
onds, or two miles minute, with this train
OF five cars. The expectation of those in
terested IN the development OF this high rate
OF speed Is that it will show that steam 10
capable of doing quite much as is claimed
for electricity, and TINT within the next
! few years the greater railroads of this
country will I've running regularly trains
between tie larger cities of the United
States at speed of from 50 to 100 miles
an hour as 4 regular thing.
But with the development OF very rapid
railroad travel has come the necessity for a
change in mechanical appliances and tho
appearance Of the train which was to make
the first OF these fast trips to Chicago re
vealel what had been safely guarded as "a
secret. The latest device for fast passenger
trains is a hydraulic coupler and buffer,
operated on the principle OF tao ordinary
hydraulic jack, and it holds one car rs close
ly to that ono which is next to 1t "a though
they were really one car 1t would be i'm e
possible to put a razor blade between the
joint The machine which operates this
buffer is small one, taking up not more
than three feet in corner of
the palace car, aud it is possible
by this machine to procure press
ure of 500 pounds to tue square inch, a
pressure which practically brings the two
buffers together SO closely that they are one
piece. BY very ingenious mechanical ar
rangement the motion of the cars in going
around curve reduces the pressure upon
the outside and increases ii upon the inside,
so that Notwithstanding the solidity Of the
train the cars yisld sufficiently TO take the
curve without danger
The train has already been tried aud &C
cording to the New York correspondent OF
the Philadelphia Press the new device is L
great success The train was brought OF
from Buffalo at mile minute speed for
large part OF the distance, and some ex
periments were made which showed thai
the oscillatory motion and the reboundins
motion of a car had been practically over
come by this and other mechanical arrange
ments. 1t is stated that it was possible t.
write as easily as it would have been in al
office aud the barber shaved his patrons
not with a safety razor, which is used upoI
fast trains by BARRIERS now, but with al
ordinary razor, saying that there was n
more apparent motion than as though tn
train had been standing still
This new mechanical appliance is the ide
Of Vice President Webb OF the New Tor
Central, and it is believed that it makes
train, far as construction is concerned
not only safe as ingenuity can devise
but it renders the train comfortable 70
even the highest rates of speed. The pre-
gress which has been made in the equiv
, ment OF fast trains during the past fe'
years is wonderful, and it is impossible t
con lecture what the next few years ma
bring forth in the matter Of railroad spec
and development.