Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1904-06-14
SETS SPEED RECORD.
WONDERFUL TIME MADE BY
SPECIAL TRAIN.
Between the Stations of crisman and
Lake, Ind, Ground Is Covered
at the Rate Of Nearly liz
Miles an Hour.

Omoial details Of the recent record
breaking run Of the presidents special
train over the Michigan Central rail-
road have been made public. The train
consisted Of an engine, baggage car
and the private cars of President Led
yard Of the Michigan Central, Presl-
Sent Newman of the New York Central
and President Truesdale of the Della
ware. lackawanna & Western rail-
road.
The train left Niagara Falls at SIT
q. n. and reached Chicago at $40 p.
N. the same afternoon. The distances
Of 509.n miles was covered in nine
hours and Is minutes. The average
speed per hour, including stops, was
65.81 miles; excluding stops, 6O.87
miles per hour.
Between the stations Of Crisman
md Lake, Ind, the tran ran at the rate
of 111.9 miles per hour, the fastest
time ever made on steam railroad
The nearest approach to it was a mile
in IS seconds, rate of 1G3 miles per
hour, made by ]. Pierpont Morgan's
special train over the Reading railrad
between New York and Philadelphia,
February 6, 1903.
The Michigan Central train also
made new worlds record for dis
lance of over 200 miles. 1t ran from
Niagara Falls to Windsor, 2256 6 miles,
In 191 minutes and 80 seconds, making
an average speed of 1914 miles per
hour, including one stop of six min
utes and slowdowns for all highway
crossings. During this run a rate of
speed Of 1855 miles per hour was at
tanned.
The next fastest long distance run
was made over the Lake Shore road
May rs last by the Twentieth Century
limited" running from Cleveland to
Elkhart. 242 miles. in 219 minutes, an
average speed Of 66.2 miles per hour
The fastest long distance run on a Eu-
ropean railroad was 246 miles in 234
minutes. an average speed of 63.13
miles per hour, made over the Great
Western railroad in July, 1908, between
London and Plymouth.
The run of the special train over the
Michigan Central is most remarkable
for the fact that no plans were made
for an extra fast run and there was no
interference with the regular traffic of
the road. The three railroad presidents
on the train did not realize at the
time nor learn until the following day
that they had Travelled faster than
men ever went before on steam rail-
road. Usually when record breaking
runs are made plans are made months
In advance. the track is specially pre-.
pared and inspected, switches are
spiked, and the road is practically
cleared of all other traffic. None Of
these preparations were made for the
Michigan Central special. AS a matter
Of fact, about rs miles of the track
east and west of Ann Arbor is practi-
cally new, the roadbed having been
changed to eliminate curves and re-
duce grades. At several places on the
line the special train had to reduce its
speed to few miles an hour on &C
count of repair work in progress on
bridges, culverts and the roadbed.
Three engines were used on the
special train from Niagara Falls to
Chicago. Engine No. 4S3, technically
called "ten wheeler, class R." was
used from Niagara Falls to Windsor,
Ontario. To ferry the train over the
st. Clair river to Detroit required 20
minutes. From Detroit to Jackson,
Mich. the train was pulled by engine
No. 1858, and from Jackson to Chicago
by engine No. 261. Engines Nos. 263
and 261 are of what is known as the
Atlantic type. Each weighs Sc tons,
boiler heating surface of 3,5O5 square
feet, crate area Of over so square feet,
cylinders 21x26 inches, and four driv-
ing wheels Of 70 inches in diameter.
A counterpart of engine No 261 was
awarded the grand prize over all other
locomotives exhibited at the Buffalo
exposition.
NnNccEc NIrN ,kI AIncllrn