The Evening dispatch. [volume] (Provo, City, Utah) 1891-1895, 1895-05-06

DRAWBACKS III InlS OOunIFy-1AiInlUeu
Trains Do Not Pay Expenses, but They
Benefit the Service In other Ways.
The writer preached the subject of
fast trains recently to one of the shrewd
est civil engineers employed on one of
the roads entering Washington. This
employee has made railroading life
study, has inspected the railroads OF
Europe and speaks by the card. He
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, I, for one, will
predict that we can make an average OF
90 miles an hour between New York
and Chicago. say this with the Allie
ghany mountains almost staring me III
the face. We might lose time going up
that range, but engineers, as rule, like
to coast, and wouldn't they slide down
the other side with roadbed minus
curves and grade crossingsl In the mat
ter of cost in making Improvements,
few people are aware of the expense at
taohed thereto. In round numbers our
road blew in fully So, 000,0 600 in the
latter part of 1892 and the beginning of
1898. That was before the financial de-
preston set in. We are now resting on
our oars. We cut one curve over 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 to
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 178 miles, in 204 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, in
$40 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, a
distance of 400 miles, at an average out
side speed of so miles an hour.
''The farther we go west the slower
the train service becomes, thing not |
looked for on account of the miles and |
miles of track trayersing 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 "a miles an
hour The Denver limited, on the North
western road, has to hustle to score an
average gait of 80 miles an hour.
every few of the fast limited trains
in this country pay for the expense of
running them, and it is an open secret
that 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
and the Chicago limited on the New
York Central road cost their respective
roads good deal more than they bring
in, but they are great advertisers for
their respective roads.
1.-THE advantages of fast train service
on well built and we'll equipped railroads
are not confined to the carrying of pas
sengers swiftly from one point to anoth-
er. They are felt all through the operat-
ing department of road and exercise
an 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
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
the alert. Each man is made to feel his
full share Of the burden of responsibility,
and the never ceasing admonition to
watch for the fier' reduces to mini
mum personal inclinations to be slack
or negIectful The telegraph operators ,
have suspension of 80 days staring 8
them in the face for the slightest delay {
w Gu6 lluIlISu, anu sIuI11dI p6udlGl6S are {
imposed on other employees.
Besides this stimulus to duty the 8
fast trains serve as an incentive to the |
men to strive for promotion. Conduct I
ors, engineers, fremen and other hands :
III the limited get more pay than do the r
men employed on the trains of subordi- 3
nate grade. That the 'fier, in it's ge- {
lerio sense, is actually an improving in q
1uence in rai1roading is evidenced by a
he remarkable careers of the Congress
ional, the Royal Blue and the Empire {;
State express. These are the fastest =
rains in this country and have been 9
unning several years back, and, with
ne unimportant exception, have met
With no mishap. These trains pass
through year after year without sin !
lie mishap, and believe it is all from =
he discipline put upon the employees =
y the fast service The men take :
ride in the fast trains w Washington :
tar.