The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-07-16

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Has the limit Of speed on railroads
been reached2' was the question put to Q
score OF practical railroad uosn In view
OF tho Abatement made recently BY Presi-
dent Newman Of the New York Central.
Tho reply was unanimous that It had
not been reached and would not be reached
until the electric locomotive had been
developed to ita highest point Of efacis.cy
and Wa In general use. Electricity will
b the motive power Of the railroad Of the
future, they declared. and experiments
are being conducted IN this country and
abroad To perfect the electric engine.
Tho New York Central Railroad has
been making tests with an electric ngine
for como time on six milo stretch OF track
outsids Of schenectady. This engine.
With train Of nat cars, loaded with sand
bAgs 10 represent tho weight OF passen gers,
has attained . speed 81 eighty-fve miles
an hour.
That II oan 90 faster there 10 little doubt.
When the demand comes for faster trains
than are now run the big railroads will
b able 10 supply the demand.
The. public does demand fast trains. else
the railroads would not supply them. Tho
public uses fast trains and makes them
profitable, or the railroads would not run
them. The railroad business Is not con-
Quoted by philanthropists. as everybody
but tho pass fends knows. One of the
officials OF the New York Central Rail-
road said to an interviewer the other day:
Tho business Of the railroads Is to cell
transportation. the same Is the druggist
sells drugs. II railroad runs fast trains,
there Is . demand for fast trains. II a
speedier train than any road Is running is
nercial necessity for It.
AS to speed Limit, We have not reached
It and won't for years to come. There Is
always something new in the railroad bust
ness. It may be better make OF car or
maybe . way to make a better roadbed.
with modern equipment and a first
class roadbed with level stretch OF track
no ono can toll the limit Of speed that can
be obtained on first class road. The mod
ern locomotives are not asked to 60 the
limit.
sThere Is limit to their speed, but no one
Is interested In the limit, particularly as
long a. they travel as fast az the public de-
mands. When the time comes that tho
electric engines take the place OF steam en-
gines speed will DO greatly increased
"How fast can trains run with safety7'
this official was asked.
THAT 10 . rather difficult question to
answer. President Newman Of the New
York Central recently put himself on record
as saying that he thou ght modern trains
ran too fast. Irather think he was In error
when ne said that no thou GIT all railroad
men believed a. he did.
As q matter Of fact, most railroad mon
would rather ride on fast train than slow
one, because they know the fast ones are
tho ssfest. II there Is an open switch like
that on the Lake Shore whom the Twentieth
Century was wrecked. tho slow train y go
ing to b wrecked ~ we'll - the fast ono.
If know I was going to be In train
wreck ! would take the fast train in pref
erenoe to the slow ono. To begin with.
the fast train 10 made up Of tho best equip
mont and manned by the best men tho oom-
pany has employed. The hier never has
as many cars as q slow train and thsre u
less to smash when the crash comes.
Every employee Of . road that has .
hier Ia always on the lookout for the fast
train. It has = clear track and extraor-
binary precautions are taken for Its safety.
Few fast trains have been wrecked. and
when one does meet With that misfortune
81 the public. The general public has sort
Of fool notion that all wrecks are due to high
speed. That Is a false impression, as any
one can learn by taking the trouble to in
vestigate.
bump Into a man who Il walking slowly,
YOU will bump that man out Of your way.
II you are running and hit another person
coming toward you slowly you will hit
him with more force still.
.The same principle holds good with tho
fast train. II It runs into solid wall It
is going to be wrecked, but II II hits an
obstruction on the track the chances arc
that it,won't. 1t will shunt the obstruction
aside Just a. the r%n ni,a II n s
.The train that Is running slowy and hits
an obstruction Is apt to be derailed, at least.
The Twentieth Century once hit fretgh I
car and out 1t in two and none OF tho passen-
sers knew Of the accident.