The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-08-31
REVOLUTION IN RAILRoADING.
The Plant System's Fast Flyer Makes
a Stir Among Railroad Men.

/ The Plant systemic Fast Flyer Makes
Stir Among Railroad Men.
/ The remarkable run this week to
Washington by the Plant system aud
Atlantic Coast Line special train, marks
the beginning Of a new era of railroading
/ in the south. The official report Of the
run was received yesterday by Master Of
| Transportation jackson, from Assistant
Master Of Transportation Hutchens, who
| had charge Of the train, and who is now
/ in New York
! The tram beat the record Of all long
| distance runs in this country. Its speed
for the entire distance, rs miles in
elusive, was 49.6 miles per hour. The
longest fast run up to then was that Of
the worlds fair special from New York
70 Chicago, in May, 1888 which ran 964
miles at an average speed, inclusive. of
49, miles per hour, making the run be-
tween New York and Chicago in 10 hours
and 81 minutes, over the New York Cen
trial ana the Lake Shore roads. The New
York Central and Hudson River railroad
made the run from New York to Buffalo,
1872 miles, in June. 1891. in hours and
IS minutes at an average speed Of 1872
miles per hour That record
has, up to this week, been
the unchallenged as the fastest run
for that distance, except that made
short time afterward between New York
and East Buffalo, 1861 miles in Z hours
1872 minutes, at an average speed of
59i5 miles an hour. This is
beyond question the fastest time
hat
distance. The Plant system train had
run over 300 miles longer, over seven diff
ferent roads with as many changes of
engines, and in all thirty-three stops.
The time to Washington from Savannah
was ~ hours and 30 minutes, and to New
York IS hours and few minutes. Had it
been possible to have maintained the
speed the entire distance that was made
over the Plant lines and the
Charleston division of the Atlantic Coast
Line the special would have overtaken
the West India fast mail, which left here
q hours and 40 minutes ahead of it, before
reaching Washington. AS it was the fast
mail was given close race At the rate
at which the train Travelled it would have
taken 1t just seventeen days to have
girdled the globe.
The speed at which it travelled would
have opened the eyes of Savannahian of
twenty years ago, when it took the best
part Of day to go from here to Charles
ton, and trip to New York a few years
before that was frequently a matter of a
week or so.
The speed at which the fast trains of
the world now travel is something more
than remarkable. Two years ago the
Empire State Express Of the New York
Central reached a speed for one mile of
ll2H miles an hour. This is the highest
speed ever attained for any recorded dis
lance. This distance was covered in 81
seconds.
The fastest regular trains in the United
States for short distances are believed TO
be the Baltimore and Ohio trains between
/ Washington and Baltimore, 40 miles in 10
minutes, at speed of 5318 miles an hour,
or practically the speed Of the Plant
| special on its recent run, excluding stops
The quickest run between New York and
| Washington is hours and II minutes,
| the average speed being something
over So miles an hour The
recent performance Of the Plant special
Is more remarkable than any of these in
view of the long distance 1t ran, the mum
Der OF roads and the number of changes
in engines. Without any knowledge that
! such was to be the case it was found that
all the engines selected by the various
roads TO handle the train were the same
dimensions of cylinder and driving wheel.
The engineers in every instance got the
utmost speed possible out of the engines.
and with what result the record of the
run shows.