The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-02-24
"A FINE TRAIN
u MILES LONG
SOME IMPOSING STATISTICS OF
NIPLS. RAILROAD TRAFFIC.
Combined in One Train, All the Pas
senger Trains In and Out OF the
City in One Day Would Have 1874
Engines, 1872 Cars, 1,24O in the Crew
and Could Garry 26,515 Passengers.

Few people appreciate the import
ance of Minneapolis as railroad CEN t
ter. In fact there are few cities any
where near it's size that begin to COM
pare with it as an important center of
transportation interests.
Some statistics put in a new way
will make this point clear.
While there are ten distinct railroad
systems that make. Minneapolis their
terminus, there are no less than thirty
separate railroad lines serving THE
Flour City, with such twentieth cen
fury passenger train facilities as to
arouse the wonder and admiration of
strangers. 1t Is proverb that there
are no more finely equipped trains on
the face Of the earth than those run
into Minneapolis every day.
These railroads operate no less than
1874 trains to and from the city every
day, 81 trains arriving in Minneapo-
lis and 81 trains leaving Minneapolis.
Couple all these trains into one, big,
wonderful train and let it represent
the passenger railroad service of Min
neapolis for every tWenty-four hours.
How big would it be?
It would be a train of / "a great engines
| capable of a speed Of sixty-three miles
an hour, drawing $50 baggage, mail,
express, smoking, chair and day cars,
as well as 202 sleeping, dining, parlor,
buffet, library and observation cars.
| The crew in charge of this gigantic
train would consist Of 1,24O engineers,
| firemen, conductors, baggage men,
postal clerks, express messengers
| brakemen, sleeping car conductors
and porters, dining car stewards, cooks
and waiters-a small army.
The length of this great Minneapolis
train would be about 81, 40 feet or
nearly twelve miles.
! oh inn
would be about 61,390,000 pounds or
/ 30,695 tons.
The number of wheels rolling this
train would be no less than 9,104.
The train comfortably accommo-
dates a total of 26,515 people-a good
sized city.
! Just think of a train like this COM
ing in and going out of Minneapolis
! every day! Still it does that very
thing every twenty-four hours and yet
people do not seem to pay any particu-
lar attention to it's arrival or depart
ure unless they have some business
with it. But then perhaps that is
because it comes and goes in 134 sec
b, tons.
Of course this only includes the pas
senger trains. The freight trains
which are busy workers and empire
builders have not entered into con-
sideration It would be a good deal
: like counting the sands by the sea
shore to attempt to figure statistics
regarding this enormous, shifting
5 traffic of these commerce carriers.
This great train IS a daily messenger
between the flour town and the east
and west and the south and the north
1t brings everything to lonely
body far from home happiness
friends tidings from home, money.
This train .ruthlessly tears friend
from friend and. as kindly unites friend
with friend every twenty-four hours
It carries the .nourner and the re
joicer. the, poor. and the rich; It i
the common friend of all. 1t does
good for all.
What has not this great train done
i for Minneapoli s.? Who can estimate
the part it has played IN bulld1nF ul
this great city, in transplantine
4 thousands of homes from the east
! west, north and south to this chosen
] spot beside st. Anthony's Fall?