The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1901-10-11
SPEED OF LOCOMOTIVES.
The Average Rate on United States
Railways Not Materially In
creased in 70 Years.

The discussion of the high speeds
already attained by railway trains
and the speculations why still great
er speed cannot be obtained on the
railway as at present organized, is
perennially an attractive one for both
the technical and the lay press. The
desire that American-built engines
should have a fair chance to prove
themselves abroad, joined with the
suspicion that they were not getting
such chance in England and France,
has stimulated a very general public
interest in the general subject
among even those who know little
or nothing of the details of the case.
In a recent number of the Engineer
ing Magazine Egbert p. Watson
writes of the machine, as at pres
ent developed and built in this coun-
try, simply as a high speed device.
After reference to the notably quick
runs, Mr.. Watson says the average
speed of the railways of the United
States is not markedly higher to-day
than it was 25 years ago between the
principal cities OF the union. 1t is
not asserted that managers of rail
ways are Indifferent to this state of
affairs, for it is believed they have
done all that is possible in certain
directions, but the gains in time are
slight in comparison with the popu-
lar demand. Careful consideration
of the subject of higher speed leads
Mr.. Watson to the belief that it will
not be attained for some years 10
come, unless there is a radical change
in the permanent way itself. for
therein, according to his opinion. is
the chief obstacle. All the railways
in this country pass through the
lines of least resistance, except
where detours are purposely made
for commercial reasons. The right
of way in thickly-settled portions is
expensive and if it is less costly to
go three " more miles in an indi-
rect line to avoid serious delay or
natural obstacles, the crooked route
has. in the vast majority of instances.
been laid out. The earning capacity
OF a railroad depends, other things
being equal, upon the hauling power
OF the locomotive under the most
favorable conditions, that is, the cost
per train mile. Consider the case of
a trunk line railway following a tor
tuous water way for long Distances.
directly upon the foreshore. Heavy
trains. consisting of so many ears
that the whole train is often upon
reverse curves, are run at the high
est speed possible, but with great
loss OF time and power, and this not
Tor short distances, but for hun
dreds of miles on several different
lines. 1t is not a matter for wonder
that the average speed is low: it is
astonishing that it is not less. For,
while it is true that the locomotive
OF to-day is a far mor powerful ma
chine than it was 20. or ever ten.
years ago, it must be borne in mind
that the load and duty imposed upon
the modern engine have been large
ly increased. This is one reason
why the average speed is still less
than 40 miles per hour.
Some writer's have urged the adop-
ton OF a new type of locomotive.
Those in use in the United States are
OF a similar type in their several
classes. They differ but in matter of
detail and proportion, but these very
differences have been evolved only
after long years of trial and error.
n inventor of the new locomo-
tive is fertile in devising, but nearly
all, even the freak machines, are pa
tiently tried on their merits.
Mr.. Watson thinks regarding the
future development of the American
locomotive as a high-speed and high
power machine, that Il radically new
locomotive is not available for i'm
mediate service; that railway Off
Gals will give promising devices fair
trials, and, lastly, that the field for
radical improvement is exceedingly
limited. Step by step the present
engine has been raised from 500
horse power to 1,%500-horse power and
more in some eases, but not by
means of startling novelties of any
kind. The chief improvement has
been secured through increasing the
boiler power from $50 pounds per
square inch, which was a maximum
Is years ago., to 200 pounds as a rule
and 225 pounds per square inch in
some engines; but the steam dis
tributing details remain Just where
they were IS years ago, with some
notifications in dimensions-none
whatever in application.
The greatest stumbling block is
the line itself, as it exists on most
American railways between impor-
tant terminals-the large cities-and
it seems hopeless to expect any inn
provement until the roadbeds of the
railways of the United States are
constructed for high speed. There is
no object in building higher-powered
locomotives to drag trains up steep
hills and around short curves. or
upon gradients more or less heavy,
by brute force. That is merely burn
ing the candle at both ends, for it in
n1sADGaS- tho 81