, 1897-12-10
SOME RECORD RUNS.
UNION PACIFIC TRAINS AGAIN
SHOW PHENOMENAL
SPEED.
All Records Broken Between Cheyenne
and North Platte-Seventy-five
Miles an Hour on the Wyoming
Division-Other Railroad News OF
General Interest.

During the past ear the veteran
Union Pacific has demonstrated to the
railroad world that other roads are not
the only pebbles on the beach when it
comes to fast passenger and freight
train runs and has shown time II
again that the locomotives on the great
Overland" are capable of attaining as
high speed as those of other roads, not.
withstanding the fact, however, that
these wonderful bursts of speed have
been made in a mountainous country,
on steep grades and with heavy trains.
while a majority of the fast runs on
other roads nave been made over
smooth and practically level stretches
of country and with light trains. For
some years it was supposed that the
! New York Central was the only rail-
road in the world that could make fast
time with it's trains and when a speed
Of sixty miles an hour was attained on
that line people were i~ncredulous n
we're with difficulty convinced that en-
CINE 999 had really made the fast time
reported. But the performance on the
New York road was soon repeated on
other eastern railways and in many
cases the remarkable time was eclipsed.
The impression was created, especially
in the east that this fast time could not
be made only in that country. but peo-
pie were treated to a surprise a couple
of years ago when the information was
flashed over the wires that a train on
the Union Pacific had made sixty miles
an hour. This news was no surprise to
the west. for a speed Of sixty miles an
hour had been attained so often that
people paid little attention to the facts.
1t was not long, however, until the
Union Pacific gained for itself an en-,
viable reputation for fast time, and the
passenger and freight business in.
creased wonderfully in consequence.
Record breaking runs were almost Of
daily occurrence and the newspapers
Of the country devoted many columns
in detailing accounts OF fast runs.
During the past month some remark
able performances in the way Of races
with Father Time have been witnessed
on the Nebraska division and it would
seem there is no limit to the speed
Qualities of the big locomotives or the
nerve Of the daring engineers who han
die them. Whether Cheyenne has a
better class Of engineers or a more
nervy set of engineers is difficult to
say, but judging from the number of
fast runs which have been made in and
out of this city and too. over some OF
the steepest grades on the Union Pa
cific, it would seem that this was true.
However, there is no doubt but that
there are more skilled engineers here
than at any other point in the country.
The latest feat in fast running on the
Union Pacific was accomplished yes
terday and under the circumstance the
run is regarded as being the most re-
markable in the history Of the road
No. 2. the east bound fast mail. did not
make it's connection with the Oregon
Short Line at Granger, owing to I'M
avoidable delays on the latter road, and
the train came through as first section,
the Short Line connection following a
few hours later as second section. The
first section reached Cheyenne on time.
The second section. or the o. s.. l..
special, as it is called, composed Of four
cars, one baggage. one mail, one coach
and one sleeper. left Green River at
7:43 p. m. Tuesday. or five hours and
ffty-three minutes behind the regular
train. Between Green River and Chey-
enne the train was delayed thirty-Rve
minutes for inspection, but notwith-
standing this and other vexatious de-
lays, a remarkable run was made, the
train reached this city at Abs yester-
day morning. or two hours and thirty
five minutes behind the regular section.
Between Upton and Wamsutter, west
OF Rawlins, the train made some hair
raising bursts Of speed, and at different
times ran at the rate of 80 miles an
hour. The distance from Granger to
Cheyenne is $50 miles. and the run was
made in eight hours and eighteen min
utes. Engine S47, Engineer Hodgeman.
brought the train over from Laramie.
The special which made the fastest
run btween this city and North Platte
In the history of the road. left at ASA,
being hauled by engine 1909. in charge
Of Engineer Fred Post and Fireman
Guy Rockafeld. Link Woodmansee was
the conductor. The start from the de-
pot was made at 4:54, the train being
exactly two hours and "a minutes late.
The 1909 had been thoroughly oiled and
carefully inspected. as orders had been
Issued to overtake the regular train be-
fore 1t reached Omaha. The weather
was not favorable for a fast run and the
rails were slippery. but with determin-
nation to bust" all previous records
Engineer Post threw her wide open.
and started on the phenomenal run.
The first 43 miles were covered In or.