The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1896-01-31
RAILROAD NEWS DEPARTMENT.
HIGH SPEED RAILWAY RECORDS.

LAofA NESONoos
During the closing days of last month,
the two great competing railways that
run from London to the north of Scot
land, known respectively as the East
Coast and West Coast routes, COM.
menced an acceleration of service on
their through trains. In the active
competition that followed. the West
Coast companies covered the total dis
lance of $40 miles in the unprecedented
time of 5I2 minutes, or at the rate of
63.25 miles per hour.
The sustained speed was remarkable
in any case, and especially so when it
is considered that it was made by a
regular daily train starting on schedule
time, and that the latter half of the
journey was made through a mountain
GUS country, in which. for a distance of
60 miles, the grades are very severe,
varying from I per cen to 1888 per cent.
The engines, moreover, that hauled the
train were not the largest on the road,
DSN - WIN wiz u hCPS Nhc"A
as the President class, that is now some
rs years old, but which, on account of
its excellent performance, is still in
active service.
On Thursday, September 18th, the
New York Central Railroad made up a
special train that was a counterpart of
the Empire State Express, drawn by
their latest and most powerful engines,
and set out with the express purpose Of
"~breaking the record" of their transat-
lantic brethren. Over a course that is
100 miles shorter and over a line that is
remarkably level and free from gradients,
this special train, which was considerably
heavier thar the English train, made an
average speed that was one mile per
hour faster than that of the West Coast
train, being o4.34S miles per hour, as
against 65.25 miles per hour for the
English train. These are both very re-
markable performances. For purposes
of comparison, however, they are useless,
IL Nc 4 III pOooSSolOL VI Oil IL \Ol-
ditions that prevailed. The bare ques-
ton of speed is in itself no test of loco
motive performance. This is a fact
little understood by the public at large;
but well understood by engineers them
selves. To judge of two performances
it is necessary to know:
The rotio of the u,a;nJt IF a,niro RI
the weight of the train hauled.
2. The ratio of the amount of coal
burned, water evaporated, and oil used
per mile to the weight of train hauled.
3. The state of the weather, whether
wet or dry, and the force and direction
ofthe wind.
i. Most important of all, the amount
and extent of the grades and curvature
on the two roads on which the record is
made.
With all these data to hand a very
close estimate could be made in each
case of the actual units of work per-
formed in a given unit of time. Only
after such a comparison, based on &C
curate data, as above, could it be even
approximately stated which performance
was the most satisfactory.-Scientifc
American.
George Bunting has received a letter
from his chum and fellow-worker, Al.
O'Niel. Al. is in Chicago, and the letter
states that he is having a sportive time
with the girls and boys, that his fingers
are slowly healing, and that he will be
in Republican about the Ist of February.
An ovation will be rendered him on his
arrival. We regret to say it, but every
indication now points to the early aban-
donment of the Red Cloud round house
and what shops were connected there
with. Master Mechanic Archibald went
down the line, Tuesday morning, to SUI
pervise the taking out of machinery, and
it is said that for the future but one en-
CINE will be retained to do the yard
work. The enginemen along the line
ave been notified to take their work to
the McCook shops, and altogether, ap-
pearances for the railroad future of Red
Cloud are anything but cheerful. Mr..
Archibald has discharged four men and
removed twelve families to Hastings and
McCook. The opinion is we'll nigh uni
versal that the company will soon make
Republican City headquarters for all
their interests between Wymore and Nc
Cook. Stick to it, boys, this is going to
be the valley town.-Republican City
Democrat.