The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-15
RAILWAY Sized AND POWER.
English and American Engines Per-
fOrmance Compared.
From the IAN Mal Gazette.


From the Pan Mall Gazette.
The honor of our British locomotives has
recently been impugned, and some of the
statements current ought to be allowed to
pass unchallenged. The relative speed of
trains here and in America has long been
the subject of a good deal of discussion
and controversy; but, while il is candidly
admitted that there would appear TO be
very little difference in the speed of the
faster trains in both countries-that is the
regular trains on the summer time tables
when the same comes TO be compared with
that which is not infrequent for short dis
tances, the minimum number of seconds,
for instance, in which a mile or so has
been covered-then cool argument van
lshes and is replaced by heated personali-
ties breathing forth malice and all I'M
charitabeness.
And for this unhappy state of affairs we
think that American engineers are chiefly
TO blame, though there Is jealousy enough
and to spare on both sides. The report of
some wonderful performance by an Amerl-
can locomotive reaches us over here; so
marvellous, perhaps, is the story that It is
entirely opposed to all our experience in
this country. our railway men will study
the meager figures accompanying II with
great interest. but when they come to ask
now 1t Is done, or politely to request fur
Their details, then the storm breaks out
The Americans will, as often as not, en-
tirely neglect the real cruX of the argu-
ment to sheer at British jealousy, and be-
fore long the only point clear to the intell-
gent outsider trying to follow the same
Will be that there can be no more misshap-
en- th1ng on this earth than the American
locomotive, un.ess il be the English one
as depicted by transatlantic engineers
Thus an American locomotive is said to
nave drawn train, weighing 4S0 tons, for
some distance at a speed of eighty-six
miles an hour The original story. as in
dustriously circulated in the London tech
meal press, was to the effect that a GER
tain locomotive had taken a gross load of
424 tons a distance OF 1916 miles in eleven
minutes from stop to stop.
very different matter, and one alleged
on the highest authority to be quite
an impossibility. The statement. there
fore, of the 4S0 tons dashng along at eigh-
ty-siX miles an hour has yet to be proved
ana English railway men are hardly to be
blamed If they are beginning to grow a
trlfe skeptical concerning these wonder
iul achleYements said to take place on the
other side of the Atlantic; stories which
on investigation, can hardly ever be sub
stantiated. Now, no one denies that the
standard American locomotive is of great
power. Its size is immense, and an Eng-
lish railway man will be particularly
struck with the great hight of the center
line OF the boiler by the huge diameter
OF the boiler itself and the high pressure
carried usually 1870 pounds, TO the square
men. In what may be termed the period
or adolescence of the railroads of both
countries, there was a very decided predi-
lection on the part of locomotive engi-
neers for large driving wheels. But.
whereas the Americans soon turned their
attention to distributing the total weight
of their clumsy locomotives on a
number of smaller wheels. rather than to
providing them with a single pair of the
diameter usual on our English express en-
glnes, their present tendency curiously
enough, Is just the other way about. and
they would appear to be becoming con-
verts to our own system.
But If American locomotives are more
powerful than British ones, they are. at
the same time. far more heavily loaded
The majority Of the long-distance express
trains in the United States are of enor-
nous weight, owing to the number of
sleeping and refreshment cars, and such
trains, with nine to twelve cars will
weigh from 100000 pounds to $4,000 pounds;
while with us the heavy trains COMPOSED
of from ten TO fifteen coaches. weigh
only from 100000 to $4,000 pounds-the lat
ter being the weight of the West Coast
and East Coast Scotch dinlng-car ex-
presses. Again, American freight trains
are always heavy, sometimes of almost
Incredible weight One of the heaviest of
these trains ever hauled august, 1892
consisted of forty cars, conveying $4,000
pounds Of grain. It was 1902 feet long
and weighed 100000 pounds. including the
engine, tender and caboose One Ameri-
can engineer, In fact, quotes in his latest
account Of the achievements of the Amer
lean locomotive a freight train of 700 tons
being hauled up an incline at an average
speed of forty-eight miles an houri Meth
er would he appear to think this anything
exceptional. However, to return to the
subject of the highest records of express
trains speed. These may be
held by the United States, but
their average speed ranks far
below that Of British express trains, which
have only to consider the signals and
regular stops while American trains have
frequently to slow up for grade crossings
In the month Of May, 1888 the famous en-
CINE No. 800 of the energetics New York
| Central IS said to have made the highest
speed yet recorded viz. 102 and later in
exceptionally favorable circumstances, 1ig
miles an hour. This celebrated locomotive
has a cylindrical shell boiler four coupled
driving wheels Of z feet inches In diane
ter, and total heating surface OF 1890. 81
square feet
1t IS at least rather curious though. that
Mr.. Clement Stretton, who was not only
IN America at that time. but took the
opportunity OF personally Inspecting this
particular engine, should make no mention
Of the above marvellous performances.
Neither are any details, beyond the mere
statement, given in any American book
dealing with railway subjects. Mr.. STREET
ton himself says. In his preface to the
latest edition of his hand book. that in
1888 he Travelled on engines In America al
Sl.S miles an hour, and In trains in Eng
land at - miles an hour; Ia 1891 speeds OF
SO and 81 miles an hour were recorded; and
the fast running OF 1895 proves that &c
miles an hour was run In England. and s.
In America. on Sept. II, 1895. a special
train was run between New York and
East Buffalo with the ayowed aim OF low
ering the Britishers record as performed
during the race" 10 Aberdeen Of the pre-
vious summer. And on this occasion the
distance OF 1854 miles was accomplished
In 4W minutes Al seconds, exclusive of
stops, which pans out TO GAIA miles an
hour. Al the present day the fastest nor
NAL burst Of speed In America is perform.
ed by the western-bound Empire State
express on the New York Central, between
Syracuse and Rochester. 50 miles In SO
minutes, equallng 517S miles an hour.
But our CalodOnian easily beats that