Evening star., 1940-03-03
u. S. Leeds World
in Fast Truins
BIZ Frederic J. Hdskir,.

ClcOlDlc ulSIlt OA racing dlTpldNeS, OF
the headlong dashing over prepared
courses of motor cars and of the shark
like swishing through the waters of speed
beats, the railroad locomotive, the Ion
Horse, still retains a firm grip on the
imagination of Americans and today the
United States has more than half the
high-speed railroad mileage of the world.
There seems to be no limit to the speed
which steam engine may attain save
the limit imposed by considerations of
comparative safety. Years ago, in a
period when m-propelled automobiles
were almost as prominent on the Amer
ican market as gasoline driven cars, the
type was ruled off the motor racing
courses because it was found that gaso-
line could not compete with steam. Un-
til very recently, steam has continued to
be the chief motive power for fast rail-
way trains. 1t is true that majority Of
railway locomotives still are driven by
steam, but the Diesel engine has become
an important factor in the high-speed
runs.
That however, is due more to consid-
erations of weight than potentialities Of
speed. The steam engine is normally a
more ponderous instrumentality than
the Diesel engine, which is an internal
combustion affair which consumes fuel
oil, and the most modern railway engi-
neering has looked to lightness of equip
ment
Yet the old-fashioned steam engine
old-fashioned now only as to its basic
principle-still must be regarded as the
monarch of the rails, not only for the
hauling of heavy freight, but for the
waiting along of the most modern
streamlined speed trains.
1t must not be assumed that the at.
tainment of great speed with steam Is
any new thing. Indeed, this very year
marks the centenary of high speed under
steam. 1t was in June, 1840 that tbs
engineering world, and to some extent
the sporting world also, was amazed at
the announcement that a train on the
North Midland Railway in England had
operated over distance of 10 miles in
just eight minutes, or we'll over a mile a
minute. When one considers that, a
century ago, only lightweight rails were
known and the science of railway ballast
as we'll as of the construction of rolling
stock was but in its infancy, pace Of
more than mile minute was an ex-
tremely hazardous one. But the prin-
ciple was shown, and it was demonstrated
that steam could drive a solid vehicle as
fast as man was crazy enough to 60.
X X X
And yet, according to the latest re-
ports among railroad men, the blue rib
bon for speed is held by Germany. In
1889 train equipped with two Maybach
Diesel engines set speed record Of 1874
miles an hour on the 186-mile run be-
tween Berlin and Hamburg.
British and continental trains have,
in the past, made many speed records,
but the important fact today seems to be
| that, in contrast with these more or less
| isolated runs, the United States now has
more than half of the worlds total Of!
high-speed operated mileage. Including
the whole world, there were until re-
Gently 93,500 miles over which trains
were regularly operated at speeds of
mile a minute or more The United
States shows just over $4,000 of this total
mileage. France comes second with a..
600 miles, then the United Kingdom with
II $50 miles and then Germany with TO-
$50 miles.
There has been an important increase
in speed of all trains in the United States
over the past 80 years. A recent study
shows that, in 1910, trains running up to
distances of ATS miles operated at an
average of 42.3 miles per hour Today
that average for such runs is 556 miles
per hour. For runs of 1000 miles and
over the average in 1910 was only 2ee
miles per hour. Today this average is
45.1 miles per hour, actually a more
notable increase than for the shorter
routes. The preparation, the mainte-
nance service, the entire organization for
| sustaining high speed over 1000 miles
are far more arduous than for shorter
distances. The whole organization must
be keyed to the highest pitch of efficiency
over long distances and through leng
hours, and this Is not just for test runs,
but for schedules maintained day in and
| day out.
incidentally, most of the speed in
| crease on American railroads has come
about in the past 10 years or less. Up
until 1882 the British Great Westerns
Cheltenham Filler was the only train in
the world which averaged as high as 10
| miles an hour over regularly scheduled
| run.
American trains attained great speeds
| years ago, but then followed a period in
which number of wrecks and failures
OF equipment tended to reduce speeds.
For example, some railroads sternly dis.
ciplined railroad engine drivers who op-
Grated their trains at very high speeds,
except under express orders and In
emergencies.
There have been some fascinating spe-
cial runs. For example, back in 1905
that famous figure of American life.
Death Valley Scotty chartered a special
to carry him from Los Angeles to Chi
cago. The run was made in six minutes
less than As hours, which, for so long
distance, seemed incrediable. Indeed,
the record stood for 20 years.
1t fell hard when, in 1924, the wife OF
railroad president was provided with a
special train to take her from Los An
geles all the way to New York. This
Journey across the entire continent, was
made in 80 hours and 7 r,oip,,tee r, 1904