The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-09-20
FAST RAILWAY RUNS.
England Holds the Palm for Long
Distances.

The longest run without stop regular
~ made by a railroad train seems to
be in England and not in America This
IS the L. & N. W., American special"
so-called because it conveys passengers
from EuStOn to Liverpool for the great
liners of the Cunard and White Star
companies. The distance between these
two points is 1881 miles, which is made
without stop in three hours and forty
five minutes, or an average of ffty-one
and siX-tenthS miles per hour for the
entire journey. This run is made twice
a week the year around.
This is surpassed by the train which
runs daily during the summer without
stopping from Paddington to Exeter, a
distance of. 1914 miles. Long runs with
out stop are not common in America.
Engines are usually changed at regular
stations once about every seVenty-fiv
or 100 miles. According to the editor of
the Railroad Gazette, conditions are
different in this country. In England
the tracks are elevated or depressed
through the towns, allowing the train
to pass safely at a high rate of speed,
and there are no grade crossings with
other roads, neither are there so many
stops at little places in the country.
In special performances America
easily takes the lead. The longest run
with a single engine was made over
the Union Pacific August 3 and 4, 1897,
tance of 955 miles The same crew
took the train through in twenty-five
hours, at an average speed of thirty
eight and twO-tenths miles per hour.
Deducting a number of delays for TAX
ing water, etc, the net running time
was 279 minutes, which gives an actual
speed of sixty-two and six-tenths miles
per hour. The start was made at
Evanston at $50 p. m. of August 3
and the train arrived at Cheyenne at
8 So the next morning. From Cheyenne
to Omaha in SIG $40 miles, which was
reached at 4:45 p. m, giving a speed of
ffty-five and fifty-one one-hundredths
miles per hour over the last part of the
journey. Pretty good for men who
have not had any sleep in over twenty
hours. The locomotive was new one
and had just been taken from the shops
of the company.
In 1876 a run was made from Ogden
to Oakland, 876- miles, without changing
engines, at an average speed of forty
one and one-eighth miles an hour.
Hundred mile runs without changing
engines are very common, especially
over the Pennsylvania limited between
Chicago and New York, the western
limited over the New York and Michi-
gan Central roads and the Lake Shore
limited over the New York Central and
the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern.
Instances of remarkably fast runs
are common enough in America. On
Nav TO- 1898, a mile was made in thlr-
tv-two seconds on the New York Cen
trail and Hudson River railroad, which
gives a speed of 112 $40 miles per hour
on May 10, 1898, on the same railroad
five miles were made in three minutes,
which gives US 100 miles per hour Oc-
tober IL, 1890, eleven miles were mace
in seven minutes and fifteen seconds
over the Philadelphia and Reading
This was ninety-one miles per hour. On
September 5, 1895, train ran from
Schenectady to the Syracuse tunnel
over the New York Central, in one
hour and fifty minutes and ffty-three
seconds. The distance is 129 S4-1Oo
miles, or seventy and forty-elght one
In1ndradths miles per hour.