Other formats

    TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 3, Issue 5 (September 1, 1928)

British and U.S. Railways

British and U.S. Railways

Sir Josiah Stamp, chairman of the London Midland and Scottish Railway Company, speaking of his Company's system (which is perhaps the greatest system of its kind in the Empire) mentioned that there were 729 miles of line from Euston to Wick, and 430 of these were in Scotland; while one-seventh of the receipts of their great system came from Scotland, so that Scotland was by no means a negligible part of the system. He had been in America several times. The Americans had great railways, far greater than ours in mileage. Americans in his company had often discussed in a somewhat lofty manner the greatness of their systems, and then suddenly recognising that an Englishman was present would turn and ask, “What about your lines?” When he told them that he would not be prepared to have two and a half billion dollars down as cash for them they opened their eyes, because that sum represented far more than the value of any line they had. When he told them that the London, Midland and Scottish system carried as many passengers as the five biggest lines in Eastern America put together, then even the American was prepared to pay the L.M.S. system a little respect. In this country they might not have the immense distances they had to travel in America, but after all, we had the biggest non-stop run with the “Royal Scot.’