On the Home railways the fastest running is found on the Great Western and London and North Eastern lines. Fastest of all quick runs is the Swindon-London flight of the daily express from Cheltenham to London, on the Great Western system. On this trip 77¼ miles are covered in 70 minutes—an average start to stop speed of 66¼ miles per hour. This is a world record, and one of which Home railwaymen are rightly proud. On the same railway, the 107 miles between London and Bath are traversed in 105 minutes—an average start to stop speed of 61 miles an hour. A similar speed is attained by the Westbury-London express, covering 95½ miles in 94 minutes. On the London and North Eastern line there is a regular daily run from Darlington to York (44 miles) in 43 minutes, and another from Leicester to Nottingham (22½ miles) in 22 minutes, both of which give average start to stop speeds of 61½ miles an hour.

Long-distance Runs.

Now for the long-distance runs. Probably no country in the world can boast of finer performances than those of the “Cornish Riviera Limited,” the “Flying Scotsman,” the “Royal Scot,” the “Torbay Limited,” and other crack trains of the Homeland. The “Cornish Riviera Limited” daily covers the 226 miles between London and Plymouth in 240 minutes; the “Flying Scotsman” and the “Royal Scot” make the four hundred miles flight between London and Edinburgh in 8¼ hours, while the “Torbay Limited” covers the 200 miles between London and Torquay in just 210 minutes. Across the Channel, there is an outstanding run in the “Sud Express” of the Orleans and Midi Railways of France. This daily train travels from Paris to Bayonne, 482½ miles, in 9 hours 31 minutes, including seven stops, or 9 hours running time. This gives an average speed of 53½ miles per hour for the run of nearly 500 miles. On the French Northern system, 200 minutes are taken on the 194 miles run between Paris and Dunkirk. The Eastern Railway of France has a quick run of 237 minutes for the 219 miles separating Paris and Nancy and on the same line is another noteworthy performance in the 165 minute flight of the Paris-Bar-le-Duc express (157 miles).

With the ever-increasing demand from the travelling public for high speed running, and the growing weight of passenger trains, locomotive engineers are seriously concerned as to the future. Working on conventional lines, it is doubtful whether gauge and other limitations will allow of much more power being encompassed within the casing of the main-line steam page 19 locomotive. To meet the need for increased power and higher efficiency, much attention is now being devoted to the possibilities of the Diesel engine. For long-distance operation there is undoubtedly a big future before this class of engine. The reduced weight of fuel to be carried, and independence from water supply make practicable very long non-stop runs at a high average speed.

Development of the Diesel Engine.

The general design of Diesel engines is at present developing along well-defined lines, the weight per horse-power having been reduced to the low figure of 12lbs. The problem of transmission however, is still in the experimental stage. Five main methods are generally favoured, viz., clutch and gearing; hydraulic transmission; pneumatic transmission; electric transmission; and combined Diesel and steam, as in the Kitson-Still experimental locomotive. One of the most interesting types of Diesel locomotive in use in Europe is that designed by Professor Lomonosoff, and built for the Russian Soviet Railways. This employs electric transmission, and is of 1,200 horse-power. In Britain, Messrs. Beardmore and Co., of Glasgow, have under construction an engine of 3,000 horse-power. Another interesting development is the employment of the Diesel engine for rail cars. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway have in service a four-car Diesel-electric passenger train of about 500 h.p. The engine has eight cylinders (8¼in. by 12in.), and the drive is transmitted to the two axles at the trailing end of the power car by two motors rated at 280 h.p. at 580 volts. Accommodation is provided for 287 passengers, and the total weight of the train is 144 tons. For branch-line working, power units of this type promise to perform most useful service in time to come.

A Powerful British Locomotive.
The “King George V.” 4-cylinder 4-6-0 Express Passenger Engine.

Sight-testing on the Home Railways.

Railways all over the world rightly attach the greatest importance to the question of eyesight, so far as locomotive drivers and firemen are concerned. On the Home Railways a certificate of good eyesight, signed by the railway medical officer, must be possessed by every locomotive man. Examinations for eyesight are conducted on special testing grounds, and are usually made during the summer months, when visibility is at its best. The conventional form of testing apparatus consists of a set of about six signals of standard size and pattern, which have to be picked out at distances ranging from 150 to 1,000 yards. The signals are operated by means of a hand lever by a man who alters the position of the boards on receiving a ring on a bell from the officer in charge at the point where the test is being conducted.

It is interesting to note that, in the single eyesight test, it is usual to employ a light wooden shield, painted black, to obscure the vision of the disengaged eye of the man undergoing the test. This arrangement is adopted for, when a man closes one eye by covering it with his hand, it often happens that the pressure placed upon the eye is liable to blur the vision temporarily, thus producing a detrimental effect when subsequent tests are carried out with that eye. In addition to the tests outlined, all would-be drivers and firemen at Home have to undergo a stringent colour vision examination.

Wagon Retarders in Hump Yards.

The design and operation of freight marshalling yards offers a most fruitful avenue of study. At the International Railway Congress, to be held in Madrid, Spain, in May, 1930, this topic is to be very fully considered. In this connection an advance copy of a report covering page 20 marshalling yard practice in Britain, America, China and Japan, prepared for the Conference by Mr. C. R. Byrom, Chief General Superintendent of the L.M. and S. Railway, provides illuminating reading.

In the main, Mr. Byrom's report deals with the question of wagon retarders for use in the larger hump yards. This invention comes from two Americans—Messrs. Hannaeur and Wilcox—and the first large-scale utilisation of wagon retarders is the Markham Yard installation, in Chicago. As yet, their employment in Britain and elsewhere outside America has not become general. The reason for this is stated to be the initial high cost of such equipment, and the doubt which exists in the minds of the railway officers outside the United States as to whether this heavy cost could be justified by subsequent savings. At present, the L. and N.E. Railway is experimenting with a wagon retarder system at its new Whitemoor Yard, near Cambridge. The installation is of the German “Froelich” type. The L.M. and S. system is also contemplating conducting retarder experiments at an early date.

The “Iron Horse” Of The Future.
Fast electric passenger locomotive on the Swiss Railways.

Subject to confirmation of the favourable impression gained from the comparatively little knowledge and experience yet available, Mr. Byrom remarks that there seems to be no doubt that modern wagon-retarding methods, combined with electrically controlled switch manipulation, are much to be preferred to the older methods of hand-braking and manual switch operation at hump or gravitational yards by reason of the larger margin of safety they provide in respect to both men and material, apart from any economies rendered possible. By railways all over the world the subject of wagon retarders is being closely watched, and data concerning the very exhaustive experiments being conducted by the L. and N.E. Railway will doubtless, in due course be circulated, and received with interest by all.

Co-ordinating Rail and Road Services.

The topic of railway and road co-ordination is now becoming somewhat hackneyed, but it is an all-important subject at the present juncture, and any noteworthy advances in this direction are of the first moment. During recent times marked progress has been effected by the European railways in rail-road coordination, and, at Home, the railways are by degrees acquiring important interests in the leading road carrying organisations.

In Scotland, the L. and N.E. and L.M. and S. Railways have jointly come to an agreement with a big road transport house known as the Scottish Motor Traction Company, whereby the railways undertake not to compete in road transport with that concern, the arrangement being that the two railways and the road transport company will co-operate in the provision of road and rail services throughout page 21 Scotland. Another noteworthy move is the purchase by the L.M. and S. Railway of the Crosville Motor Company, which operates extensively in North Wales. The purchase price is said to be something like £390,000, and the acquisition of this big undertaking should prove extremely beneficial to the L.M. and S. Railway.

Road Competition in Germany.

The German railways, like those of the Homeland, are tackling the problem of road competition in energetic fashion. According to the recently published fourth annual report of the German Railways, covering the year ended December 31st, 1928, the number of private motor cars, motor buses and motor wagons in use in Germany at July 1st, 1928, totalled 473,000, as against 255,000 in 1925. The most important road transport undertaking in Germany is the Government postal department, and, as a result of recent negotiations, it is proposed that the railways shall take over from the postal authorities much of the road transport work at present handled by the Post Office.

Apart from the launching of road services by the German Railways, the Berlin railway authorities have submitted their freight tariffs to complete revision, to enable them to meet the ever-growing competition of the roads.

Modern Railway Publicity.
Interior of the London Publicity Bureau of the German Railways.

A large number of rates known as “K” tariffs have been introduced. These apply to such business as paper, cereals, sugar, beer, cement, mineral waters, tanners’ products, and building materials. The rates, which are lower than the ordinary charges, are generally conditional upon the delivery of a certain tonnage annually to the railway from one particular sender.

The annual report of the German Railways makes exceptionally interesting reading. The report is prepared by Monsieur G. Leverve, the Commissioner for the German Railways to the Reparation Commission, and it is stated therein that the year 1927 was a period of exceptional economic activity, the traffic handled developing in a most favourable manner. The receipts for that year totalled 5,039 million marks, being an increase of 11 per cent. as compared with 1926, and 8 per cent. as compared with 1925. In 1928, economic development was less rapid, but receipts for the German Railways, taken as a whole, showed an increase of 2.4 per cent. over the boom year, 1927. As compared with 1925, the first business year of the reorganised railways of Germany, there has been an increase in receipts in three years of 10.5 per cent. In each year of operation the nett operating surplus has amply covered reparation payments, and, in 1928, reparation payments represented 12.7 per cent. of the total receipts.