94 DUDLEY. 



State Express" on the third day of its installation in November, 

 1 891, taken near Syracuse when running at 60 miles per hour 

 on 6 5 -lb. rails before the ejitire main line had been relaid with 

 80-lb. The photograph, and another one of the same train, 

 which will be shown, were taken by Mr. A. P. Yates, Official 

 Photographer of the N. Y. C. & H. R. R. R. Co. [See Plate 

 XIL, Fig. I.] 



The installation of the '' Empire State Express," the fastest long 

 distance train ever attempted, aroused a great deal of discussion 

 among railway men as to the possibility of maintaining it for 

 any length of time. It was considered by many a doubtful ex- 

 periment. But few people realized how high the standard of 

 the track had been raised in the past few years and the decided 

 advantages of the stiff 80-lb. rails in most of the track for such 

 high speeds. 



It is exceedingly interesting that one picture was obtained 

 when running on 6 5 -lb. rails as showing the depression of the 

 rails under the engine, tender and front truck of the first coach. 

 The picture will become historic. I have studied an enlarge- 

 ment of the picture nearly equal to that now on the screen and 

 have traced the general depression of the rails and ties as stated. 

 The wave of the rising rail preceding the pilot can also be seen. 



A train at 60 miles per hour runs '^^ feet per second, which 

 is longer than the entire wheel base of the engine, tender and 

 front truck of the first coach, making, in the case of the '* Empire 

 State Express," eleven wheels to run over a given point in the 

 rail per second, each wheel causing and reversing stresses of 

 several thousand pounds, violent tremors and vibrations being 

 set up in the rails. The permanent set in the 6 5 -lb. rails of the 

 next track is very apparent. The 6 5 -lb. rails were replaced by 

 80-lb. rails in 1892. 



The majority of the earlier 60 to 6 5 -lb. steel rails had all taken 

 a set in the tracks, the ties were cut out from j^ to i ^ inches 

 in depth under the rails, and the undulations per mile ranged 

 from 8 to 1 2 feet. The sHde on the screen is from a photograph 

 taken of the " Empire State Express " at 60 miles per hour on 

 80-lb. rails. I have not been able to trace the depression of the 



