The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-01-13
RUNNING FAST TRAINS
LOCOMOTIVES THAT COVER A MILE A
MINUTE AND EVEN MORE.
strain on the Engineer Is Greater
than ON slower Trains, but Less Sc
we're than Night he Supposed.


do net take this view of it. but. while
they differ as to the degree. they agree
that the strain of running a fast engine
is greater than that of running a slower
engine. The engineer looks out for the
water in the boiler, sees that the air
pump is all right. keeps an eye on the
steam gauge. looks out for the inJec-
tors that supply the boiler with water
wax keeps an oversight on the machine
generally. Outside he looks for signals
in cities and villages. looks out for cross
ings everywhere. keeps an eye on the
track always, is always on the lookout
for the switches and does his best to be
on time, and all these things must. OF
course. on a fast run be done in just
so much less time han on a slow run.
On the New York Central g. Hudson
River railroad all passenger engineers
running to Albany go there and back
the same day, and the next "A they
do nothing. They do not always bring
back the train exactly corresponding
to the one they took up-that would de-
pend on circumstances. but whatever
train they bring back they haul 1T with
the same engine they took UP. On all
TOduS the engineer always IuiS TIC
same engine so long as 1t is In good
condition. and whatever the runs OF the
engineers may be the engine runs daily;
it does not need to rest. Thus two men
run the same engine on alternate days.
The fastest train on the Central is the
fastest train in the world for the dis
lance, the Empire State express. which
leaves here at $50 a. M. and gets to
Buffalo at 5:10 p. M; distance, 444 miles:
average speed about ffty-one and a
quarter miles an hour. The run from
here to Albany, 142 miles. is made in
two and three-quarter hours, 165 min
utes, without a stop. The average speed,
making no allowance for running at
low speed in the city n for SlOW-dOWnS
on the road, is a little more than fifty
one and a half miles an hour. while
the actual speed of the train daily over
certain parts of the run is more than
sixty miles an hour. One of the two
engineers who run the Empire State ex-
press from here to Albany is L. j.
CaSSin. Engineer CasSin is fifty years
of age. He has run everything on the
road from a switch engine up. He is
a total abstainer from all alcoholic and
malt beverages and does not use tobac-
co. Asked wherein running a fast engine
differs from running a slow one. en-
gineer Cassin said that it requires a lit
~ IiOlC llCl VIC. L a IA
perfect order there would be less worl.,
but more strain on the eyes. One would
have to keep a sharper lookout for sig
nails and to keep on time. In fair wealth
er he would probably have to look out
not to run ahead of time rather than
behind time. Mr.. Cassin said that he
should not consider the running of a
fast train a great strain. and that one
became accustomed to it. All things
considered, he thought that the actual
wearing strain of running a fast engine
was no greater than that of running
a slower engine. he felt as well when
running a fast engine as when running
a slower one; he woul prefer to run
a fast engine.
vERY FAST RUNNING.
The trains between New York and
Philadelphia over the Central railroad
of New Jersey and the Philadelphia &
Reading railroad are operated by those
roads jointly, each contributing its quota
Of cars, engines and engineers. En-
gineers of fast trains run over This route
and back the same day for two days
in succession. and on every third day
they are off. This one day off in three
is not taken because it is supposed to
be needed for rest, but to equalize the
mileage and pay of the engineers. The
engineer running a fast train gets
through his work much quicker than
| ~ SH6iIScl I'LL d SioW tIdil. IL
fastest run on the Jersey Central and
Reading is made by a train that leaves
Philadelphia at 1880 a. m. and gets to
Jersey City at 9:1S; distance about nine
ty and q half miles in los minutes. The
average speed, making no allowance for
stops or slow-downs. is a little over
fifty n a quarter miles. This train
makes altogether five stops, and it has
twenty minutes in which to run the first
ten miles. The distance from Jenkins
town to Jersey City, eighty miles. in
Guiding one stop, at Trenton Junction,
is made in lightweight minutes. For
the greater part of a stretch of thirty
miles in this distance the train is
scheduled to run seventy-five miles an
hour. Engineer M. G. Loughery. of the
Reading road, brings this train over
from Philadelphia. Engineer Loughery
is ~forty-one years old, is a total abb
stainer from all spirituous and malt
liquors. but uses tobacco, and has run
all locomotives from the switch engine
UP AS to wherein running a fast en-
CINE differs from running a slow one
engineer Loughery said the fast train
is an important train and there must
be no drawbacks TO prevent making the
time; engine and machinery mus be
right to start with. If anything gets
hot it causes great worry. where on q
slower train it would be possible to wal,
a minut or two. Mr.. Loughery con
siders that running a fast train causes
a greater strain than running a slower
u ~ 50So
line Washington train, a fast train, but
one which takes two hours and one min
ute. or 121 minutes. to cover the dis
lance that he made in the morning In
los minutes. He finds the strain goins
back less than that coming over. He
can jog along at fifty pr sixty miles al
hour, and make it up if he loses a min
ute, but it would be difficult to DO tina
on the morning run.
AS to which he would prefer to run
a fast train or a slow one, enginee,
Loughery said that at his time of lft
he liked speed; he would prefer a fas
run.
On the Pennsylvania railroad en-
gineers OF the fast trains between New
York and Philadelphia run two day
and then are off one: not for purpose
of rest, but to equalize the time. Al
engineer runs Away the same engine
The fastest train between New Yorl
and Philadelphia on the Pennsylvania;
railroad leaves Philadelphia at 7.33 q
m. and arrives at Jersey City at 1925
one hour and fifty minutes; distanc
eighty-nine and sixteenth miles. TIL
fastest Pennsylvania train from New
York to Philadelphia leaves Jersey Cit,
at Ais p, m, making two stops, and ar
irving at Philadelphia at sos; time on
hour and hfty-two minutes. The aver