The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-01-14
Authorities ol'evss N Riaalae i ~.
SOME RAPID TIME MADE N TEXAS Inns
CoMparisen Detvvesn AcAisve~e.s.
ioese Mail Tr~ins ana Equal
u Dariae reats In Texas.

QuInGy
northwestern mail trains near Chicago TO
supremacy In speed. There seems TO h
some diversity Of opinion ss 10 wne,her :,
not any line In Texas could have done a
well with the present equip,rsu at ana ros,,
beds, and to determine facts on this min
from the best authorities in toe CITY srt
to learn what had actually been accom-.
piisned In Texas by hiyn speed passenu,;
trains Post reporter eailod OH Mr.. j. !
Ryan, superintendent OF motive power ia,
the Southern Pacific system, with view
OF learning what he had to saw ON tire
subject and obtain his long aud .a,ued ex.
pcrienco OH the running uf fsst trains. He
said: We have practically The same kind
OF engines that made the fast time near
chicago, and II we would take The pains
to prepare for 1t as hey lid we can ac-
complish the same result. cur motive
power is composed Of IS line locomotives
as It ts possible to manufacture though
perhaps they are a ehade lighter in some
respects than the noted ahH. Her cylinders
are 19x24 and the engines We use are
equally powerful In this re5lect We keep
q record, however, OF some OF the lursts
OF speed that we have made anu Will
take pleasure In furnishing them to you.
For instance, between ValeIttnc and
Sarah Blanca. on the 81 Paso ilivisiob, an
engine with cylinders lsS4 oulled spe-
cial train Of six heavy Pullma Is and din
ing cars at the rate of IS miles per hour.
"Cn the division between beaumont and
Lafayette we pulled u train OF nine cars
at the rate OF bS niles per hour for
u considerable distance.
H0no nj r,ur 1904 ri vo houiad tro;,,
Of Ave cars, being the Sunset lmited, be-
tween Flatonia and plerson a. the rate of
7S miles per ho,ir.
I'VE made run rom Houston to San
Antonio, 200 miles, stopping thirty three
times EN- route. hauling seven cars behind
an 1Sx2& engine, In the quick time of
hours aud 50 minutes. But want to par
ticularly call your attention 10 the fact Of
locomotive that we rebuilt ct San An
tonic two years ago; No. $751; It's cylin-
ders were only 17xa4, AMI she carried six
coaches from Houston t. San Antonio, a09
miles, In hours and so minutes.
Last winter we ran a limited from Hous-
ton to San Antonio behind 1sx24 engine.
made seven stops with b,e coacies, in 4
understand that there vas nothing pre-
arranged about any of these runs they
were simply the regular traipS and made
the time simply be:aiss tbe~ were lote
and wanted to catch up %,th the schedule.
Now II We were to prepare fer quick
run and 20 at 1t with that intention there
is no telling what we could do.
y y
Mr.. j. M. Leo, engineer and superin-
tendent OF the Houston and Texas Central,
is one Of the best posted men on the rum
ming Of trains in Texas, and ne, being in
said "rhe famous Tontain en-
CINE which ran over one of the Northern
roads, was one Of the most wonderful ma
,:hineS for speed ever built, but 1t WAS
practically failure because 1t broke down
several times. though while running &C
complished the purpose Of making speed.
1T WIS built IL I very peculiar way; |
The main driving wheel, which received the /
power direct from the piaton rod, never |
touched the track OF all, it8simply served |
he purpose Of imparting power to the
.wo secondary drivers by means of fric-
ion. the face of the main driver coming
n contact with the face of the ether two .
rivers which ran on the track and sup
ported the engine. This machine made
go miles per hour 1t was double decker,
ind was built Just to see what rate of
pced could be attained.
There Is 1ne rule which governs all
ocomotives--when high speed is attained
l. 1
Ugh speed engine is like race horse, not
owerful in hauling heavy loads. / lave
idden behind trains making as fast time
s did the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy
asst mail, but there Is no necessity for
$ to make that kind Of time IN Texas be-
ause the exigencies Of the times do not
equire II. We are getting In some heavy
ails for our line and 1,l0 tens Rave al
endy been shipped. They are q pound
ails and in year or Two we will hare on
ntirely new track" r
Mr.. A. s. Grant, the efficient master me- :
hanic Of the Houston East and West
exas railway, was found at his desk, but !
laking arrangements to move to his Of I
90 building recently erected at rhe rom-
any's machine shops He said on ins niry
, The Post map; "Our line is not Errt,c-
arly adapted icr asst epned all the way n
trough. because there are good many \,
Ills to climb, though we have tn, equip 4
eut to do II IL necessary. Our rails are =,
pounds to the yard and IT. fine .ufdi- ~ y
on, and our engines are ns good and OF .
modern pattern as san be found ON any y
lad. There are none better In the world,
1t we never have O.caIi)n TO Use tbcm
their fullest speed, because ir schedule
tie OF speed ID only 2S TO rs miles an hour,
GLIDING stops.
I'VE govern our schedule by the con-
,ctions we have to make with other lines G
,th at Houston and at Shreveport, and ii
B regulate our speed to make close con-
,ction with trains at each end Some
ne ago, when the time OF our connec-
ms was different. We ran ut rate OF 30 = Z,
lies an hour. including stops. but now
is slower TO meet requirements.
II Zee! sure" continued Mr, firont, that u
ere are some stretches of track on the y
uthern Pacific and Houston and Texas m
,ntrtI on which time could be Iraie quite
fast AZ that recently done By the fast &
ais near Chicago, AMI those roads have "
ualiy GOOD locomotives 10 40 the work. II
am satisfied that the reason some OF
ose experimental runs have not been n
tempted In Texas Is because there is no =,
caeion that seems 10 demand u, and :,
Ing not 30 thickly populated down here =
near those great Western enters mere :,
not near 90 much passenger travel, ana -
, can we'll AFFORD to run our trains both II
numbers and In speed to suit the re- q
iremeuts Of our patrons. There is surely
want Of aggressiyeness on the part OF lth
xas railroads, but there ID no reason b,
make . great sxperirnei.ai shiw o. fc
eed lust TO show What can be done ana
10 perhaps as . consequence . ccfIe- lof
ouding increase Of ra;!;oal ecctse.ts n;
II
A nUfNgOR E0D CONSOLIDATION