The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-02-17
SPEED OF A TRAIN.
1850 HILEs AT BETTER THAH 80
l. PEN no UR.

Remarkable. Not Unprecedented. R.-
fres Ch,esss ny = Trsi. HIRED by .
Father 20 Reach n Dyi-E so--Up Gr.de
Nile In SOC st 81 Miies an Hour.
Nows came from Denver. Col. yesterday of .
remarkable railroad run, made by a special
train which arrived at Denver on Monday morn
ing from Chicago. and made = record which
appears never to have been equalIed for such .
distance.
The train had been hired By II. J. Mahsn. .
broker. who was trying to reach the bedside Of
his 2I-ysar-old son. who lay dying A. Denver.
Death won the race. for Mr.. Mahan'spon ex-
pirsd Just about the time mis- train entered the
borders Of Colorado. and four hours before he
arrived at Denver.
The train travelled over the Chicago. BurlinR-
ton and Quincy road to Pacific Junction. and
from there over tho Burlington ana Mis-
sorri road to Denver. Everything along
the road was cleared for It's pas
sage. The total run 10 figured TO DO
l.o2o miles. according TO tho railroads own Ia
blss. and the distance was run from station TO
station I'm 10 hours ana 50 minutes. This 10 .
little more than an average of 81 miles an hour
for the whole trip.
This is not only the fastest run on record for
such . distance. but It also appears TO have been
one OF the very few such trips ever made with
. private train. IL not the only one.
To realize what such . flying trip means II
might be we'll TO conparc the run with some Of
the long railroad runs that are looked upon A.
record makers.
Railroad claimed to hold tho record until re-
Gently. with the trial trip made from New York
IL si.,sS Of an engine and Two Wagner paisc. cars
and q Central private car. and weighed alto
seshsr about 4e9, 600 pounds. u.,.,u,.
was made without q stop In lao minutss: that
Of 1913 mile. from. Albany to Syracuse In l4e
fslo, lI6 miles, in la minutes "a seconds.
Including the stops, the whole time Of the
miles, or a tribe less than 80 miles an hour.
Since then this road made a now record, on
Sept adj II; od 1898; when. Win q train weigh.
made in hours 81 minutes and SO seconds, At
an average speed OF 6J.bt miles an hour.
road claims to have beaten this on Oct. "a.
1895. with a special run from Chicago to But.
falo. a distaIec OF oic.l miles. with q train
The trip was. divided into Ave stages. and ,h.
nrst,. Of s7t miles. wa. made at the rate
iiss.G miles. at tn. rat: OF ei.sG miles
a. hour; the third. q iGI.s miles; az
miles. at 90. 30 miles an hour; and the nfth. OF
81 miles, at an average rate OF 1921 mile: an
hours l minute and z seconds actual time from
station to station. which gave an average
speed, including stops. OF 1891 miles an hour;
not be lair to compare them with a run OF twice
the distance of the longest of them. for as dis
tAnces increase the difficulties of making
high speed also increase. Grader. adverse
winds. bad pieces Of track. and all the other ele.
ments which. work against high continued
speeds multiply usually in n sort OF geonetrical
pr erosion To make difficulties.
TO give some idea of this. tho greatest runs
which the New York Central and Hudson River
Railroad has recorded for trips across the con-
sinsnt will oner a fair basis OF comparison.
The fastest OF these WAS one with the China
and Japan mails from Vancouver 10 New York
By way OF tho Canadian Pacific. the Rome.
Watertown and. OgdenshurRh and tho New
York Central and HUDSON River roads.
Tho distance travelled was 3,2l2 miles, and
the time was 3 days IL hours ana 40 minutes,
or an average speed Of 37.g miles an hour.
The reason that private trains are seldom
sent out at high speeds will be obvious II ono
considers tho conditions that would b
place. every train on the road that would
be likely to be In their way must DO
sidetrAcke cd. and in addition TO these the dozens
or perhaps hundreds OF freight aud yard trains.
which usually work along the lines by simply
keeping clear OF the times of scheduled trains,
Keen them out Of the way of a fast special.
The loss of time thus occasloned to train
crews would amount To q large sum. and this
would have to be added 70 tho railroad
mans. usual estimate Of about rs cents
such a train. II Is doubtful II railroads would
care to run such trains even at double that
price. which would make such . run as Mr..
Mahsn's cost $1,000 or moro.
The most remarkable part of his run was
srade goes up with a rise which finally. At Dem
YER; 10 a full mile abov- the starting point
The speed made up this grade il said to have
averaged nearly nfty-seven miles an hour.