Rocky Ford enterprise., 1909-09-03
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The development Of train service Is
often not fully realized until our at
tention Is called to the number of
trains running between our chief
towns. Taking the summer time
table Of 1908. for example. there were
20 down and 20 up trains between
London and Glasgow: between Lon.
don and Edinburgh there were 80
down and 2S up: while between the
metropolis and Leeds there were 46
down and 80 up. and between London
and Manchester no less than IS down
and 53 up. that is. on an average. a
b 26-minute service. II must be borne
in mind however. that different routes
are taken by many OF these trains and
consequently different towns are con.
rected up by trains running between
the same points.
Although comfort and frequency of
service are two important features in
railway improvements. the increase
in speed and in the number Of long
nonstop runs daily being performed
on many OF our main lines emphasizes
perhaps more than anything else the
high degree OF efficiency our railways
have attained. During the past sum.
mer the time tables of our chief lines
showed q total of over 155 runs of
more than 100 miles without a stop.
OF these the fastest running Is done
by two expresses on the Great West.
ern railway. which cover the l1SX
miles between Paddington and Bristol
in two hours. giving start to stop
average speed Of SOS miles per hour.
Next to these comes q run on the
Great Northern railway from Grant.
ham to Kings Cross. 105k miles. at
an average speed Of 577 miles per
hour.
To maintain such high speeds for
SO many miles demonstrates what vast
improvements have taken place In the
steam locomotive. for in 1870 the quick
est average speed in this country was
only ~ miles per hour. 1t Is only BY
the aid OF water-troughs that these
long nonstop runs can be made: the
troughs. which are about 900 yards in
length. are placed between the rails
and are automatically kept full. Water
can thus be picked up while running
by a scoop under the tender. which is
lowered into the trough by the engine
men. tho speed Of the train forcing
the water up the scoop into the ten
der tank.
In the development of train work.
ing nothing has played a more impor-
tant part than the locomotive. for. as
the traffic and the demand for rapid
transit have increased. SO has the To-
comotivc been brought up to the nee
essary state Of efficiency. not only as
regards speed. but in economical
working, without which It would have
been an impossibility TO give the pub
lie what they desired. The modern
10 an evolutionary product.
and although the main principles re-
main much the same as in the early
engine, It would be hard for the lay
man to recognize any OF the old In
the new. The invention Of the loco
motive is nowadays absolutely indis.
pensable to our daily existence. In
its earliest days It has been likened
in appearance to q medieval engine Of
war and was originally used only on
colliery lines because It could pull
few more trucks than could horse.
The idea Of speed never seemed to
enter into the minds Of its promoters.
and at the opening Of the Stockton
and Darlington railway in 1925. when
the locomotive made its first appear
ance in the interests Of the public.
considerable surprise was caused by
the speed It attained Of some IL miles
per hour. It is recorded that the
horseman who preceded It with a flag
had promptly to clear out Of the way.
to the wonder of the assembled crowd.
At first It met with a considerable
amount of opposition and many
strange objections were taken to It:
but as soon as 1t began to be recog-
nized what commercial prosperity was
wrapped up In its development all
these objections disappeared. 1t was
not, however. until the famous loco
motive contest at Rainhill In 1929 that
the hitherto doubtful question Of Its
practical success was settled once and
for all. On that occasion the Rocket.
designed by Stephenson. astonished
the spectators by running SO miles in
one hour IS minutes and attaining a
speed Of nearly 80 miles per hour
pulling q load Of Is tons.
This historic engine weighed In
working order ~ tons and was car
Tied on four wheels: its tender fully