Connecticut western news., 1895-03-14
RAILROAD PLIERS.
LITTLE PROGRESS IN DEVELOPING
 SPEED OF LATE YEARS.

LII LIE fHOGhESS IN OENELOfiNI
 SPEED OF LATE YEARS.
 Fast Time Is Made on American Roads.
 while There May Re Changes In Motive
 Power, Curves Are the Worst Trouble.
 Tho mile n minute railroad record, on n average, has not yet been reached, and perhaps tho present generation of renders 90 years hence may not be witnesses to its accomplishment The fastest train In this country at the present time, running be- tween New York and Chicago, attains m average speed of 40 miles nn hour, and frum the present outlook 1t will be many years before this average is increased. In 1866 an nvoIagc speed of 2S miles an hour was recorded between the same cities. It is astonishing, all things considered, how little progress tho railroads have made in spead. The progress Is so small compara. lively that one familiar with the facts can not fail to be puzzled or to havo suggested to his mind the question whether the sys- tenn itself is not inherently nt fault whether 1t was not begun and developed on the wrong lines.
 The man who stands in the open coun- try and sees the limited express fit by like an angry, pantlng ghost is filled with wonder at the speed and thinks it fast enough The traveller who sits in his lux urious parlor car and looks out at the sta tions as they slido past his window in long blurred streak of black and gray finds bis exhilaration heighten in proportion as the train acceleratcs its onward motion. No speed is too great for him, provided the road is straight and tho motion smoath. Tho switches click like clock ticks in his ear, and he looks with the eye of fasc;na- tion on tho landscape, distorting itself in all directions as though made of india rubber People like to travel fast. They enjoy the feeling of superiority which comes with rapid speed They want to go quick, whether they are In hurry or not.
 It is ar open question whether the rail road has reached the limit of speed consist ent with safety. Eminent engineers and practical railroad men arc divided in their opinions, some arguing that the limit has been reached, others insisting that if the curves are modified CT cut out almost en- tirely, trains can be run from onc-third to one huff faster than at present. Will 1t bo necessary to modify the shape of the wheels and tra,;kf Will the present type of en- zine or motor have to be changed tu one where there will be no power lost in the back stroke of the piston? Will steam give way to electricity or some other forcef
 Theso nre the principal! points which arc in doubt, and about which engineers draw very different conclusions from their ex- perience. There is now very little, if there is any, doubt as to whether steam will give way to electricity or somo other force which produces a better relative result, with less noise and less wear and tear on machinery and is less susceptible to the weather. l. Is no uncommon thing for a fast expreS engine to slow down speed in very cold weather, owing to what they call freezing out the steam.
 Tberc Is no theoretical doubt that the rails and wheels can De so modified IS to make Inc engine and train stick to the track better and reduce the margin of dan ger. There is also no doubt, in theory, that an engine could travel much faster if some plan of mechanism could he devised which would do away with or reduce to the nhsolute minimum tho effects of the back stroke of the piston and connecting rods. The shrewd railroad managers of the country have about come to the con clusion that the motive power has almost reached perfection. and that their road. beds arc now the real obstacles to great average speed. With curves and the dead ly grade crossings eliminated who can tell what mny be done? Cities and towns, no matter how small the latter may be, have rights which must be respected and while they are the speed of trains must suffer
 In England everything Is plain sailing When the roads were originally construct ed, they found thickly populated districts on all sides In America we built rail roads first and imported the people after ward to patronize thom. Over on the Hit tic island' everything is fenced in, md grade crossings aFo unknown. The engi- neer pulls open the throttle, the train starts, md Ee knows Inc will have to look out for nothing but tower signals and other trains. American engineers are look ing forward to the establishment of n sim liar state of things in this country.
 Of course the real danger in increasing the speed of express trains driven by steam does not lie In incidental risks. It Is not denied that n modern locomotive might be built which could run up to DO or pos sibly 100 m1es m hour, if the lines were straight It is the curves of the existing lines which render any such speed impos- sible unless the weight of the locomotive and train were nlso increased far beyond what the bridges and permanent way would bear. At the first sharp curve the 100 mile express would fly of the rails. Tho necessary relation of these curves to speed Is accurately known, and 1t is thnt, and not tho want of power or novel dan ! gers from wind pressure or boiler xplo- sions, which sets the limit to modern train speed.
 As the force tending to throw of the line train running at the speed of l50 miles m hour would be about 6IS times greater than that which a steam express train resists curve when running at 50 miles an hour, 1t is plain that the present lines could not be used for the lightning | express, even though tho electromotor were substituted tor the steam engine. The lines must not only be stronger, but straighter than would be possible by any modification Of their present form.-Wash- | ington Star