Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-11-04
RAILROADS OF ENGLAND
They Are Managed with Admirable
System.
AMERICA CAN LEARN FROM Them

ties Operated for the Public and the
Railroads are not Allowed to I'm
pose on the Public nor the Public
on the Raiiroade.
Wade Harris in Charlotte Observer.
London, Sept. 24.-From Edinburgh
to London it is about 400 miles, OF
practically the same distance as from
Charlotte to Washington, but while II
takes II hours to make the distance
on the Southern Railway, the trains In
England make it in nine hours. This,
however, is not altogether superiority
of speed by the English over the
American railroads. 1t is rather a uni
form maintenance OF. speed. That
great American nuisance, the grade
crossing whistle, is unknown in Eng
land. The country roads invariably
are carried over the tracks. There are
no gates or flagmen and no grade
crossing accidents. The engineer on
the English railroad may speed along
with no nervousness over the prospect
of running into cattle, into automobile
or wagon, or of running down tramp.
Neither docs he fear landslide, Tor
the cmbankments are turfed and the
heaviest rains develop no menace. Blu;
over and above all, he has a perfect
road bed over which TO operate his
| trains. A grade of one per cent. is
regarded as heavy one on the Eng
ligh railroad, and it is we'll that it Is
so, for even when the slight grades
are encountered there is a perceptiblc
slowing up of speed. The English rail-
roads are not so welt ballasted as the
American lines, but it is observed that
the American system of ballast!ng Il
being adopted, piles Of crushed stone
being now distributed along the line OF
one OF the trunk lines into London,
When this ballasting is completed tho
English railroad bed will be praeticalht
perfect. The rails in use areSngt qiit8
so heavy as those in, use on Aa eScah
railroads, but they are laid VII a3Sfaf
better idea to the practical; fhe2 rails
do aot touch the crossties5 foad d iron
clamps are bolted into the ties and
through these the base farges Of the
rails are passed, wooden blocks be!nt
Fwedged in thersides to- give resilehcy.
No spikes are used. BY this method
the rails are prevented ffom working
into the ties and producing uneven,
levels, and the wheels pass over 8
permanently smooth and solidly based
rail bed. This smooth rail surface,
with the elimination or crossings
enables the English railroad engineers,
to maintain a steady rate of speed, the
'spurts" so common on American lines
being unknown. The superiority of
speed which the English railroads are
able to maintain over the railroads OF
the United States is easily located IL
the superiority of roadbed. In equip
ment of engines and rolling stock the
American lines are vastly in the lead.
We believe that with trackage condi-
tions similar to those of the English
railroads, the Southern Railway would
be enabled to maintain schedule o.
eight hours between Charlotte and
Washington.
The ordinary English railroad coach
is Il series of boxed off compartments.
If we would take half a dozen ofSthe
hotel omnibusos of the type common
in America and fastcn them side b:
side, placing a pair of railroad trucks
under each end, we would have fair
conception Of the English railroad
coach. Once the journey is started
there is no intercourse between the
passengers of one compartment Wlth
another. They must sit facing each
other, three pairs of knees on one side
projecting against three pairs OF
knees on the other. and it is only when
q stop is made at stations that n SHIFT
is possible There is no water on the
cars and none of the modern comforts.
But on through trains the compart-
Imcnts are arranged to the better con-
vcnience of the travellers. Narrow side
aisles provide communication from one
car to the other, but the boXed-in sys-
tenn Of six passer gers TO the compart-
ment still prevails. The dining car
service on the through trains is equal,
if not superior to that of the American
railroads. Certainly the traveller on
the English roads gets more for his
money than the traveller in the United
States.
But even after the American rail-
roads should move up to the standard
of the English railroad in trackage
conditions, there would yet remain one
thing of necessary accomplishment to
enable their through trains to make
the time established on the English
roads. and that would be the privilege
Of operating a system Of through ana
! local trains. Under the English schcd-
ule there wCuld be but two stops pc
tween Charlotte and Danville on the
Southern's through Washington tram,
where there are now IA or more. In
England a through" train is not eX-
ipcctcd to do local service, but an ade-
uuate schedule of local trains is ar
ranged to take care of that part OF the
business. And furthermore, in Eng
land railroad legislation is of con-