The Wilmington morning star., 1946-07-01
By PHIL WRIGHT

Tomorrow when Wllmlngtonlans
look back and think about the lack
of comfort in train rides of 1944-4s
and even 1916, they may also look
with a sigh of regret at the menta.
picture Of the railroads of yester.
day and today-in the picture will.
also be the romance of railroading.
Because Tomorrow when the top
notch customers step aboard the
new, bright streamlined passenger
coaches and sleepers with a bar
lounge between each comparatively
they will have time to think about
the good old days. when grand
pappy was a boy and the ride from
Wilmington to Weldon, 81 miles
away, was one of horror and some
times meant certain injuries, il
not death to trainmen and all
aboard.
Speed Uppermost
Present day comfort and luxury
in rail travel is a result of a long
time-cycle, equal of which will
probably never again be recorded
in railroad annals, and which, al
though it may lever keep pace
with air travel speed, remains
Americas number one method oil
transportation.
Over a century ago when the first
successful steam locomotive rar
over the rails in the United States,
it caused more than ordinary
alarm, and sudden gasps from con-
servative-minded citizens.
Meanwhile the more progressive
industrialists hailed it as a God
send which would set 1.-The world
a-gadding."
20 Mile Speed
At a top speed of 20 miles per
hour, even the graver of plodding
citizens will be shooting about the
country like comets, they predict
ed, and sure enough, wen though il
took almost a century of railroad
progress to bring this prediction
about, it happened.
But the early voyogers and train
operators were the real heroes OF
this industry which remains calm
and self-assured, even in the face
of world shaking revisions in trans
portation, expected from 100 oc-
tame gasoline and atomic energy.
fearful Farewelis
The father who planned a trip
a season in advance, kissed his
family a fearful goodby and SET
out, never expecting to sec them
again. He arrived at the station
only to find that the train had not
arrived. Ticket agents and station
masters took little, if any time
from their duties to talk the situa-
ton over" usually being too occu-
pied with climbing atop the look
out" to scan the horizon for some
sight of the iron horse.
On a so or so mile trip, he might
spend from five hours to five days,
depending almost entirely on the
condition of the mechanism of the
locomotive.
Set Many Fires
F. H. Fechtig, retired ACL pur-
chasing agent, tells us that back
in those days locomotives were
wood-burning jobs, and although
Mr.. Fechtig id not bring out the
gruesome details, it is understood
that they belched a steady alien
comprising stream of glowing en-
bers, not only setting the country
side afire, but causing a great
deal of discomfort to the passen-
gers themselves.
Looked To Future
And back of all the misery, and
danger - and romance of early
railroading, was the ultimate aim
of the companies and the territories
for which they held potential ser
vice, to build for the future.
ACL is the combined results of
more than 100 short feeder lines,
some of them dating back as far
as 1880, resulting in a %sprawling
network of over 5000 of the ma
tons total of q, 900 miles.
Problem Of Planters
Prior to establishment of the
Wilmington and Raleigh line, which
later became the Wilmington and
Weldon, birth of some means Of in
land connections, was the stellar