Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 112, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 May 1916 — FOR SCHEDULE SPEED [ARTICLE]

FOR SCHEDULE SPEED

RAIL AUTHORITY OPPOSES “SPURTS" ON THE LINES. I* Satisfied That Continuous Running on Time Explicitly Arranged for Is What Is the Desire of the Traveling Public. Should a maximum speed limit be fixed for all railroad trains, and what does the public desire most in the way of operating, great spurts of “flyers or sustained speed that usually spells “On time”? The constant aim of the rail officers is continuous runs and adherence to schedule rather than 90mile dashes. At times, officers of railroads have issued orders prohibiting an engineer from attempting to make up time, that once he got behind he was merely to maintain his speed and keep from losing more time. This rule has been pronounced by many railroad men to be without particular reason, because one train might have sufficient leeway on its schedule to make up an hour or two lost time without great speed, while another train highly keyed would be in no position to make up any loss, except by running at very high speed. Speaking on this question, A. M. Schoyer, an authority on rail operation, said: . “The thing that counts most in the operation of trains is continuous running and not very fast speed at one point and very slow speed at another. There is something wrong with the operation when passenger trains are subject to frequent delays, slowing up behind other trains, crawling in and out of terminals and in many ways eating up schedule time. Aside from snow and other weather conditions, a large per cent of these petty delays are unnecessary, and are due to lack of proper discipline or inferior facilities or perhaps lack of team work all around. “If a train can be started from one terminal and operated without delay, making a continuously uninterrupted smooth run to the next terminal, it means maintenance of schedule and modified speed for any railroad. By this I do not mean nonstop runs, but the operation of the trains without the unnecessary delays which are so frequent.” On the subject of great speed, Mr. SchoyeT said: “I have ridden behind steam engines going 90 miles an hour for mile after mile uninterrupted, and I believe that speed or possibly a few miles more is about the limit of our present steam power on level railroads. With electricity great speeds are recorded. Of course, with the latter there power for unlimited speed, all speeds being subject to the limitations of track and roadbed. There need be no great speeds on American railroads, if we build, maintain and operate our roads so that extra stops and unnecessary slow points are eliminated. Continuous and uninterrupted running at average speeds is the need of American railroads today.”