The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-01-23
RAILROAD NEWS.
Record Smashing Run of Cali
fOrnia Limited Jan. 10.
Travelled 2O2.4 Miles in 2O9
Minutes.
50 MILES AN HOUR.
Completely EcIipsed the Nelly
BLY, and Peacock Specials.
Fastest Mile Was Made in 90
Seconds.
Record Was Made Between La
Record Was Made Between La
JUnta and Dodge City.

General Superintendent ]. E. Hurley
reports that on January Is the east
bound California limited smashed all
the records of that train for fast run
ming, also the record made on March 30,
1900, by the celebrated Peacock spec
ial'' for the run of 202.4 miles from La
Junta, Col, to Dodge City, Kan. Here
are some OF the wonderful things when
the limited did on January Is:
In ran from La Junta to Dodge City,
202.4 miles in 2O9 minutes of actual run
ming time.
The average speed for the entire dis
lance was $50 miles per hour.
The fastest mile was made in % sec
onds.
The fastest hours run was 60 miles.
Il believe" says Superintendent Hur-
ley in his report to General Agent W.
J. Black, that this is the banner run
made by this train up to date
The fastest time ever made by
Santa Fe train so far as records shows,
was when the Nelly Bly, special ran
from La Junta to Coolidge, Sc miles, at
the rate of "a. 65 miles per hour. But the
record of the California limited of 50
miles in one hours run between La
Junta and Dodge City makes the Nelly
BLY, record look like thirty cents
Perhaps the most wonderful feature
of the whole incident is the fact that
the run was made with a regular train,
without any previous preparation for
the record smashing. The same engine
drew the train. and the same cars COM
posed it that are in constant use for the
California service of the Santa F'e.
Three times before have Santa Fe
trains made wonderful time over the
La Junta-Dodge City stretch of track.
Each of these times the train which did
the work was a special, not regular
train. The Nelly BLY, special on jan
uary 81, $780, had an average speed of
$500 miles per hour between the points
mentioned. The Huntington special oc-
cupied by the late President c. P. Hunt
ington of the Southern Pacific, made
the distance on May 80, 1899, at the rate
of 1882 miles per hour. The best prev
iouS record was made by the special
train hired by Vice President c. r.
Peacock of the Carnegie Iron and Steel
company at a cost of $4,000, on March
80, 1900. Mr.. Peacock's train averaged
BIZ miles per hour between the points.
In all of these runs. the time given is
actual running time. stops being count
ed out.
of the California limited was nearly
mile an hour faster than any previous
record.
Superintendent Hurley in his report
gives some interesting details of the
wonderful record run made on his di-
vision of the road. The limited was
time by one of the Prairie type of en-
gines. 1t consisted of six cars in
solid vestibuled train The approx
mate weight of the train was 29O tons.
Conductor Kugler was in charge of the
train, and Engineer o. W. Mccartney
was in the engine cab. The number of
the engine was 1922.
The Limited left La Junta at 1873 p.
m, one hour and SO minutes behind
time. 1t arrived at Dodge City at 5:12
p m, only 40 minutes behind time. The
time of the run was three hours and SO
minutes. There were two stops of
minutes each for water. This is taken
out of the running time, making the
actual running time hours and %
minutes, or 209 minutes.
Once the train was obliged to slow
down between Ioeerfield and Charleston,
and this was simply dead loss of time