Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-25

III
dressed, 1t comes right down to
this in the end-the why of the
II railroad hyeris business, pure and
simple The lnsistent demand on
all sides these days is for time saved
time gained In which to chase the almighty
dollar. To meet this demand in part the
railroad companies have created the flyer,
and because it is put up TO them to do so
by q scurrying public these same officials
are continually making the famed flyer of
yesterday pale beside the flyer of today.
In actual cash returns some CT the flyers
do not pay. Others make good money. Still
others just about make both ends meet. as
the Yankee says. But whether or not the
eighteen-hour trains between our two big
gest cities pay In actual money receipts
is not the question with the companies oper-
ating them. It is business to carry eager
business men between the two big BUSH
ness points in the interval between two
business days. II is business for the New
York Central, for example. TO put New
York city and Albany, the state capital,
within less than two and three-quarters
hours of each other. and by the same train
the Empire State Express-to give metro
politan business men at least part Of the
business day In the important upstate
towns of Utica, Syracuse and Rochester.
Then, too, IL Is undeniably the best Kind
of business to advertise-and one of the
most effective forms OF advertising that
any railroad can put before the public is a
flyer.
Who for example, has not heard Of the
Empire State Express? The writer's inter-
est In the road that runs 1t was first awak-
ened through the fame of this pioneer state
flyer and only recently he heard this re-
mark, made by man just out of the far
west: "Oh, yes. that's the road that runs
the Empire State. isn't it?'
The fastest long-distance train in the
world" There's something in the express
sion that catches, and whenever one be-
gins to think about speed and travel the
mind naturally reverts to this train ana
the road running 1t. It's good tnihg
for railroad to have persons thinking
about 1t in the right sort of way, for this
thinking invariably leads to business for the
road in time. Thus flyers as advertise
ments in general for their respective roaos
are held to be exceedingly profitable ven-
lures.
Ry the very nature OF things the
amount of business that flyer brings to
n road in this more or less indirect way
cannot be definitely calculated. Neither
can the actual cost of running flyer.
This Is due to the circumstance that no
railroad official has yet devised q method
NJ determining the exact amount OF wear
and tear on the roadbed incident to q flyers
eight over t. nor the deterioration that a
flyer brings on itself with every mile ~
clicks off. In figuring out the expense OF
operating a flyer approximate amounts are
nut down against these items, ana the
company has to let II go at that. Other-
wise the items of expense are correct 10
the fraction OF q cent. Ii is easy 10 as
certain the cost of the eighteen tons OF
coal that the Empire State Express burhs
between New York and Buffalo; the forty
two consumed by the twentieth century
Limited between the metropolis oi m
whole country and the metropolis OF the
middle west; the amount o. electricity useu
for lighting and cooking purposes on 'he
latter train, etc. &c.. u.o-o,,
mat leads to the putting on Of flyer,
deal OF preparatory work has 10 be done
before II can make its first flight against
time. a. -.
,,annad ont But first the conferees-
+he general manager, the passenger trdi-
fc manager and their seVerai Dig assIs AN
must decide on the time That the nyer Is
20 start or the time IL Is TO arrive at lts
6nai destIna ton or both. and then figure
ont the schedule from this starting point.
Not infrequently. il will be found necessary
20 make numerous radical changes IN one
schedules of other trains, and certainly not
n few minor changes throughout the train
program. 49, 60
Nowadays the equipment OF flyer Is
espsctally constructed, and this requires
more or less lengthy conferences with lhe
builders and time in which to build And
what Is true OF the coaches is also true OF
the httings-lounging chairs, table linen
china sllverware, kitchen utensis, even the
writing paper that is 10 De touho III PRIV
fusion in the desks.
FLYER eouipment is the most costly kind
OF equipment known to present day rail-
reading. Each OF the coaches that go 10
make up the eighteen-hour trains between
New York and Chicago cost in the neigh
borhood of $4,000. on the average. The
superfine interior finish of the coach ac-
counts for only part of this sum; many
dollars go for strength far beyond that
possessed by the ordinary coach. The
faster a coach is hauled the stronger u
must be- Greater strength Invariably
means greatly augmented weight. A coach
for flying purposes usually weighs about
twice as much as the average day coach,
or somewhere around eighty tons. Tho
purchase price is four and five times as
great and the entire cost OF a flyer on the
order OF the eighteen-hour trains varies bo-
tween $4,000 and $20o.Ooo-a sum that
spells 4 plethora of riches 10 the average
man.
An exceedingly important part OF the pre-
puratory work lies In the selection of tho
motive power Formerly, when even tho
biggest roads were none too bountifullS
supplied with motive power, the taking OF
the needed engine from train already
running was almost certain to cripple its
service. Nowadays the main difficulty is
20 select from so many powerful engines
those best suited TO haul flyer over the
various divisions
ON some roads the practice still holds OF
high officials making a preliminary trip
over the road to see whether the schedule
worked out for new flyer can be main
tained. This. however, is more a matter of
form than a necessity since the operating
and traffic officials know the state OF the
road bed like a book, and what rate OF
speed can be made every mile of it-ten
miles an hour on this curve, ninety on this
biuard-board stretch. But the preliminary
trip tends to make assurance doubly sure;
and railroad would hate like sin not to
be able to make advertised schedule be-
cause OF some queer slip of the minds maxi
Ing II up In headquarters.
The first trip OF the flyer is. In one very
important respect at least, Its most event
1ul. Then must be established the crews
unshakabe confidence In themselves and
the executive men back Of them. This done,
the officials apprehend very little trouble IN
connection with the train making its
schedule on the great majority OF its sue
seeding fights.