The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1918-02-01
DUE WEST RAILWAY
Its Trains Stop Anywhere to Ac-
commodate Passengers.
ROAD never had ACCIDENT
Rolling Stock Consists Of Two locomo.
tives, Two Combination Baooane
and Passenger Coaches and
One Flat Car.

For uniqueness in appearance and in
formality in service the Due West
railroad is perhaps without an equal in
the entire South, the Greenville Is. CO.
News says. Although the engines, Nos.
: and ), are very small, and out of date
compared with modern locomotives,
they have a record that is enviable.
On Christmas eve. in 1907, the same
little engine that now does the major
duty pulled the fast train ovcr the
new railroad. The first trip was made
without any demonstration or show Of
any kind, and since that time it has
continued to perform it's duty, never
missing a day or Il trip. except on the
Sabbath, when no train Is run.
Uses 1000 Pounds Of Coal Daily.
The rolling stock OF the Due West
railroad consists Of two engines, two
combination baggage and passenger
coaches and one fiat car. Contrary
to a report that has been widely cir
culated, the engine is not put under a
shelter at night, neither is it chained
to the track, as others have stated. The
engine and coach are not so treated.
The engines are small, as has been
stated, but are not narrow gauge. A
comparison Of the amount of coal con
sumed by one Of these engines with
that used by a large, modern locomo-
tive Is interesting. Sixteen hundred
pounds Of coal are used each day on
this road, while from Is to 20 tons is
the amount ordinarily consumed by a
large locomotive in a days time. When
either engine (Nos. 2 and 3 are prnc-
tically the same in every way) couples
up to a box car 1t suggests an Int at
lacking a mole-hill-but, like the ant,
the engine "gets orr with the load.
Never Had an Accident.
Three or four things stand out as
worthy Of notice. First. the train has
lever been operated on Sundays. Zone
trip was made about two years ago to
the town OF Donalds in order to catch
a train that n patient might be rushed
to the hospital). Second, in that nine
years Of service not one person has
been injured, either employee, passen-
ger or tramp, nor has the engine ever
been turned since being placed on the
tracks Of the Due West railroad. The
fact that the engine is always headed
toward Due West may be due to the
fact that 1t was just placed that way in
the beginning or 1t may denote 10y
atty toward the place that is "home,
sweet home"
Anyway, the engine has eve turned
its back on the town and the chances
are that the town will never turn a
cold shoulder to the railroad. Lastly,
although perhaps that should have
been stated first, the railroad owes
nothing and yet it pays no dividends.
1t is self sustaining, and, in the lar
gunge Of the president Of the roaC,
that is all that Is desired. 1t was cs-
tablished not only to prove but to ac-
commodate the public. and 1t is doing
that daily, despite the derision Of q
great many.
Train Stops Anywhere.
The distance from Due West to DON
aids Is four and seyen-eighthS miles,
or a fraction Of a mile longer than the
dirt road. In that distance there are
several grade road crossings, and al
though they may not be termed regu-
lar stops 1t is a rule of the road that
anywhere a person desires to board
the train is a stopping place. All that
is necessary is to make the engineer
understand that a passenger desires
to get on and the train comes to q
standstill. This Is also In accordance
with the policy Of service, and no per-
son is denied the privilege Of riding
just because that person failed to
reach the depot In timc-the simple