The Evening dispatch. [volume] (Provo, City, Utah) 1891-1895, 1895-09-04
SPEED ON RAILWAYS.
THE FLIERs ON AMERICAN, GERMAN
AND ENGLISH LINES.

Curves and Grade Crossings the Great
Drawbacks In This Country-Limitet
Trains Do Not Pay Expenses, but TheJ
Benefit the Service In Otter Ways.
The writer preached tne subject q
fast trains recently to enc of the shrewd
est civil engineers employed on one Of
the roads entering Washington. This
employee has made railroading lifts
study, has inspected the railroads Of
Europe ana speaks by the card. Hs
said:
eff our railroads could spare the
money to elevate their tracks in cities
and at crossings, to say nothing of COM
plotting the work Of Strengthening out
curves, now going on, l, for one, will
predict that we can make an average OF
30 miles an hour between New York
and Chicago. | say this with The ALLIE
ghanv mountains almost staring me in
the face. We might lose time going uI
that range, but engineers, as a rule, liBH
to coast, and wouldn't they slide down
the other side with a roadbed minus
curves and grade orossingsl In the mat
ter af cost in making Improvements,
few people are aware OF the expense at
tached thereto. In round numbers our
road blew in fully SO, 600, 900 in the
latter part of 1892 and the beginning o.
1898. That was before the financial de-
preston set in. We are now resting on
our oars. We cut one curve over a mile
long, and the work cost us fully $780,
900. Other roads have been doing like
wise, and with the return of prosper
Gus period we will surprise the world,
and especially the English, with the av'
erage speed our trains will attain.
MANY people will be surprised *
learn that Germany and not this coun.
try or England furnishes the fastest train
in the world. The United States comes
second and England third. The German
train runs from Berlin to Hamburg, a
distance of 179 miles, in 2V4 minutes,
an average outside speed-that is, not
counting stops, of over 90 miles an hour.
The Empire State express on the New
York Central road runs from New York
to Buffalo, distance of 440 miles, ID
$50 minutes, and its outside speed aver
age is nearly 81 miles an hour. The
fastest English train, that comes third
ON the list, is called the west coast fiier'
and runs from London to Edinburgh, .
distance of 400 miles, at an average out
side speed of so miles an hour.
1.-The farther we go west the slower
the train service becomes, thing nc;
looked for on account of the miles and
miles of track traversing prairie land
The Burlington roads best train aver
ages about SO miles an hour. That on
the Milwaukee road. the limited, can
only reach an average of 81 miles an
hour. The Denver limited, on the North
western road, has to hustle to score an
average gait of 20 miles an hour.
Very few of the fast limited trains
IN this country pay for the expense Of
running them, and it is an open secret
shat the limited between this city and
New York, the limited between New
York and Chicago and the Empire State
express between New York and Buffalo
snd the Chicago limited On the New
York Central road cost their respective
.oads good deal more than they bring
n, but they are great advertisers for
sheir respective roads,
1.-The advantages of fast train service
IN we'll hnilt and well equipped railroads
are not confined to the carrying of pas
sengers swiftly from one point to auoth.
er. They are felt all through the operat
ing department. of road and exercise
m important disciplinary influence. The
running of such extraordinary fast trains
as the Congressional limited and the
Empire State express has had wonder
full effect in increasing the vigilance and
efficiency of all the trainhands. The
schedules on which such trains are run
require the most arbitrary enforcement
and they consequently keep the men all
along the line traversed constantly on
she alert Each man is made to feel his
full share Of the bur den of responsibility,
and the never oeasing admonition to
watch for the fier' reduces to mimi
mum personal inclinations to be slaoH
or neglectful The telegraph operators
have suspension of 80 days staring
them in the face for the slightest delay
to the limited, and similar penalties ana
imposed on other employees.
Besides this stimulus to duty the
fast trains serve as an incentive to the |
rnen to strive for promotion. Conduct
ors, engineers, fremen and other hands
on the limited get more pay than do the
men employed on the trains of subordi'
nate grade. That the 'fier, in its ge-
nerio sense, is actually an improving in.
huence in railroading is evidenced by
the remarkable careers of the Congress.
sional, the Royal Blue aud the Empire
State express. These are the fastest
trains in this country and have been
several years back, and, wit,
one unimportant exception, have met
with no mishap. These trains pass
through year after year without sin.
gle mishap, and believe it is all from
The discipline put upon the employees
by the fest service The men take
PRIDE u The Fast tra6ns ~ Asa.ingtos
at~z