The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-04-05
SPEED ON RAILWAYS.
THE ELIERS ON AMERICAN. GERMAN
AND ENGLISH LINES.

THE FLIERs ON AMERICAN. GERMAN
AND ENGLISH LINES.
Curves and Grade C~rossings the Great
Drawbacks In This Country-Limited
Trains Do Not Pay EXPENSE, 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 a life
study, has inspected the railroads of
Europe and speaks by the card. He
said:
IF 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
so miles an hour between New York
and Chicago. l say this with the Allie
ghany mountains almost staring me in
the face. We might lose time going up
that range, but engineers, as a rule, like
to coast, and wouldn't they slide down
the other side with a roadbed minus
curve and grade crossings! 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 s., OOO, 900 in the
latter part Of 1899 and the beginning OF
1898. That was before the financial de-
preston set in. We are now resting on
our oars. We cut n curve over a mile
long, and the work cost us fully $780,
600. Other roads have been doing like
wise, and with the return Of a 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 u
try or England furnishes the fastest train
in the world. The United States comes
second and England third. The German
train q from Berlin to Hamburg. a
distance Of 1873 miles, in 2O4 minutes,
an average outside speed-that is, not
counting stops, of over SO miles an hour.
| The Empire State express on the New
York Central road runs from New York
to Buffalo, a distance of 44O 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 flier'
and uni from London to Edinburgh, q
distance Of 400 miles, at an average out
side speed of SO miles an hour.
1.-The farther we 60 west the slower
the train service becomes, a thing not
looked for IN 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, OF the North
western road, has to hustle to score an
average gait of 80 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
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 a good deal more than they bring
in, but they are great advertisers for
their respective roads.
THE advantages of fast train service
ON we'll built and we'll equipped railroads
are not confined to the carrying Of pas
sengers swiftly from n point to anoth-
er. They are felt all through the operat-
ing department of q road and exercise
an important disciplinary influence. The
running of such extraordinary fast trains
~ the Congressional limited and the
Empire State express has had a wonder
full effect in increasing the vigilance and
efficiency of all the trainhands. The
! schedules OH 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 f1ier' reduces to a mini
mum personal inclinntions tn be slack
or neglectfuL The telegraph operators
have a suspension Of 80 days staring
them in the face fM sh1 slightest delay
to the limited, and similar penalties are
imposed Oh other employees.
Besides this stimulus to duty the
fast trains serve as All incentive to the
men to strive for promotion. Conduct
ors, engineers, firemen 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 &C.
neric sense, is actually III improving in
fuence in railroading is evidenced by
the remarkable careers Of the Congress
sional, the Royal Blue and the Empire
State express. These are the fastest
trains in this country and have been
running several years back, and, with
one unimportant exception, have met
with no mishap. These trains pass
through year after year without a sim
gle mishap, and l believe it is all from
the discinlina mt upon the emDloyees