New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1928-08-25
time ANN|H|LATED
BY R. R. 'FL|ERS'
Train Still Fastest Means Of
Group Transportation

HCu llC AANoihSbAiS AAAN e,AS
alrplane became the means of fast
transportation and speedy travel,
opinions We're voiced everywhere
that in time the train would have to
give way to these most up-to-date
means of transit and that the loco
motive and the passenger cars would
sooner or later so into the discard,
There is no question that some of
be discontinued and supplanted by
the automobile, but the fast long
run trains will continue to carry
passengers until time when some
other means OF transportation is de-
Nised that will carry equally as many
people and at as fast a rate as the
up-to-date passenger trains.
Considering the number of peo-
pie, the weight of each coach and
the length of each train of ears q
locomotive has to pull, there can
not be any doubt that the train after
all is the fastest means OF group con-
Veyat1ce in the world. Statistics
show that the steam propelled train
is capable of travelling at as fast a
rate of speed as an automobile and
in many instances faster, while the
speed of some of the crack Euro
penan trains equal the speed OF
many heavy passenger planes.
Record Run,
Although the present day trains
are generally OF fast caliber, they
cannot by far equal some of the rec
ords made by trains in bygone days.
As far back as May, 1913, a train of
the Great Western railroad in Eng
land averaged a speed OF So miles
an hour on 54-mile run: in April,
1895. a train of the Pennsylvania
lines covered the distance between
Philadelphia and Atlantic City, 50
miles, in As minutes, or at the rate
of 76la miles an hour; the Great
Western made another record run
in July, 1904, when a train travelling
from Paddington to Bristol eng
land), n distance of 11S5 miles,
made the run in l hour and "A min
uteS or at the rate of SAG miles per
hour. In long distance runs. a train
OF the Lake Shore and Michigan
Southern railroad covered be dis
tance between Buffalo and %,
5o5 miles, in seven houc 30
minutes. averaging apr ~
70 miles an hour. This II mn
was made in June, 1905, and in the
same month atrain of the New Y orll
Central lines averaged a speed of 81
miles an hour on a 96o-mile run be-
tween Chicago and New York.
The famous "Twcntieth Century
Limited" which is not the fastest
train in America. averaged Is miles
an hour in run from Toledo to
Elkhart, Indiana, in 1911, and in
1912 on run from Elkhart to To-
ledo averaged "A miles. The aver
age speed Of this train on its run
from New York to Chicago in As
miles an hour. One of the fastest
runs on record is that made in Aug
ust, 1898, between Elizabeth. n. j..
and Jenkintown, 60 miles. which was
made in CT minutes with two slow
ups, some of the miles being made in
So seconds. On June -, 1905, a New
York Central train ran from Cleve-
land to Toledo, a distance OF los
miles. at 20 miles an hour. and the
next day returned to Cleveland, aver
aged - miles an hour.
The fastest time wac mazda on
short runs. the greatest speed being
attained on a o-mile run between
Fleming and Jacksonville, Fla, in
1901 when an average OF l20 miles
per hour was attained. In May,
1898, the Empire State express OF
the New York Central lines attained
speed Of liz miles, While in July.
1904. Pennsylvania and Reading
train recorded IL Mules per hour.
Must Change Crews Often
In the long distance runs the aN-
erage speed includes the stops and
slow-ups on dan serous curves. and
should the course OF travel be a
straight one, there is no question
that many OF the crack trains
would average a speed Of 100 miles
and more. ON such long runs it is
necessary TO change the crew as Tho
distance covered al the rate of 50
to 50 miles per hour is a hard or.
deal even to men with iron nerves.
The modern train makes stop 10
change the crew. but the time l.
near. when this viii lie unnecessary
and train will be able to 90 on
for distance OF 1.5ae to o,oO0
miles without stopping. Thu English
have tried this out and it has
proved to be a successful method OF
making nonstop runs, The most
up-to-date locomoti} e of the Eng
llsh railways is so constructed that
there is Vestibulc through the
tender whereby the crews car
change While the train is runnin.
While one crew is ION the 5ob." the
others travel as passengers in thu
car following the tender. This limo.
walton exists on the London Edin.
hurgh line. distance Of 3q& mile.
which is covered III littlp ovel
eight hours by the "Flring Scots
man the most luxurious of trains
European trains exceed American
trains in speed On long runs ana
whereas the greatest average speed
at'ained hv an American train il
IS, miles per hour on q 1879 11il.
run from New York TO T}utfal,
held by the Empire STATE express
thare are several trains in Europ,
which attain a speed OF ~ 10 81
miles per hour or distances eqGall'
long The record for a run of 5000
miles is held py train Of th.
Canadian National railways. Hhic1