The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1899-08-25
ONE TRAIN EACH DAY
THE FUNNY METHODS or A FUNNY
llrrLE RAILROAD,
On 'rhis Line Ven Nav FlaG the Trntn
With an VMtrelln, me the En1t.
NUer VIII Fsek TN u COHple OF
Mlles 10 Got u E0rEOtteN pipe,

NUer VIII rsek TN Il Couple o
Miles 70 Get Il Forgotten Pipe.
AUST hold up your umbrella. sir, art
shell atop at encc," WIS the CHEEKY
response given mn inquiry ns to tlit
possibility Of boarding an approachins
train on l,s way trem Wadehridge u
Rodwln, two uueer old towns In Corn
wall. England, Up went the umbrella
and SURF enough the driver shut of
steam and pulled up just Ia front OF
the would be passenger, And what a
sight Il was!
The engine was constructed Ia
George S~tephenson's time and, | be-
lleve. under his personal supervision,
But the carriages. There We're two of
them. first and third class, respective.
~. The frat class accommodation
consisted OF IN open truck. such ns one
sees daily IN New York cartlng cotton
bales or other merchandise, hut pro
vided with some benches. Rude nnl
uncomfortable As It seemed, however,
Il wNs luxurious compared to the third
class carriage. which was neither more
nor less than n common closed van.
such az cattle or furniture are con
veyed In. and hoasted neither seats,
buffers nor springs. Third class fare
was but II cents. but the tlrs, class
passengers were mulcted IN the sun
Of ~ cents for a, journey OF barely
seven miles,
The engine driver, who otlclated In,
~eidentally IA conductor. brakeman,
guard and porter. came around collect.
Ing the tariff.
A little conversation elected some
surprising facts In connection with
this absurd out Of date line. Formerly
1t had been the custom 20 sell tickets at
the termln. little triangular blue aud
white bits OF pasteboard, with a hole
In the middle, 90 that the ticket col
lector talso engine driver, stoker, etc,
could Ale them away on a string, But,
alas. the rAv0ges Of time spare not
even railway tickets, and eventually
they We're oil worn out! So now the
fares are collected on board. The rate
Of speed was strictly limited to ten
miles an hour, bu, Incidental delays,
such as picking up passengers. chasing
stray hats. removing cattle or sheep
from the track, took up 40 much time
that not !nfrequently an hour and q
half or more was consumed In cover
Ing the short distance. may mention
that passengers picked up on the way.
side paid no regular fare, but merely
tipped the engineer.
The need Of time tables was IN,
known. for the train ran but n way
each day, and arranged the time Of de-
parture to suit Intending travellers. II
10 related with much gusto In those
parts that two commercial travellers
once arrived at Bodwin just In time to
400 the train round q curve some quar-
ter Of a mile of, Turning to thu aged
station master, Mr., Worth, one of
them Inquired at what hour the next
train would leave, "pay after ton,or-
row." laconically answered that off,
cial.
The astonished drummer looked at
him pityingly and, Judging his COM
panion, whispered, "Poor fellows; he's
crazy" But they were o uade'
eeived and. learning the true state Of
the case, hired a cart at some expense
to accomplish their journey, What was
their modification, after proceeding a
couple OF niles, to see the train put
back to Rodwin, because, al they sub,
s%equently discovered, the engineer had
forgotten to bring his pipe along!
An Interesting function always took
place whenever an incline was reached,
The driver, having regulated the speed
OF his Iron horse, would climb out on
the front OF the engine, and, sitting
between the buffers, strew sand on the
rails, occasionally " has happened
that the supply of sand proving Insult
aeieat, the engine would steam away
10 the depot In search OF more,
The country through which the little
railway passes Ia Of n high order OF
beauty and affords many picturesque
glImpsas, R0dwin itself Ia a quaint lit
lilo town that dates hack to the days OF
the Phoeaieians and In later times was
OF much Importance, This may be
Judged from the fact that II Supported
4 cathedral and no less than 10 other
churches The remains Of an old leper
house are still TO be seen, eommemora-
rive Of the terrible saoHFge that In l850
ravaged the whole country around, But,
alaakaday, the solemn march Of prog
ross Ia already beginning to destroy
this relic Of hygone days, and the ruth
less hand Of contractors and navvies
are paving the way for an ordinary,
common, everyday service Of expresses
and milk trains, and the inhabitants
are deplaring the loss of their steady
coins, " slow and uncomfortable, old
HalRi-Las Angeles Times,