How fast could trains go in the 1880s?

It is said the 4–4–0 locomotive 'Josephine' never attained its maximum speed because the track on which it ran was not sufficiently engineered to allow it. In the 1880s, trains typically traveled at an average speed of around 30 to 40 miles per hour (48 to 64 kilometers per hour).



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Back then, the common form of transit was horse and buggy. You were lucky to make 20 miles per hour at best. As for railroads, locomotives in the 1890s could approach 80 mph.

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As a result of these modernization and rebuilding practices and using the newer stronger steel rails both in the south and also in the north by the 1870's high speed 40-60 mph travel was almost common between almost all northern and southern cities east of the Mississippi.

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In 1934, Flying Scotsman achieved the first authenticated 100 mph (161 km/h) by a steam locomotive.

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By 1863 a quarter of the South's locomotives needed repairs and the speed of train travel in the South had dropped to only 10 miles an hour (from 25 miles an hour in 1861). Fuel was a problem as well. Southern locomotives were fueled by wood--a great deal of it.

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Locomotives and tracks began to wear out. By 1863 a quarter of the South's locomotives needed repairs and the speed of train travel in the South had dropped to only 10 miles an hour (from 25 miles an hour in 1861). Fuel was a problem as well. Southern locomotives were fueled by wood--a great deal of it.

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In 1870 it took approximately seven days and cost as little as $65 for a ticket on the transcontinental line from New York to San Francisco; $136 for first class in a Pullman sleeping car; $110 for second class; and $65 for a space on a third- or “emigrant”-class bench.

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Accidents were compounded by running trains in both directions on single tracks and hasty and cheap trestle construction. In 1875, there were 1,201 train accidents. Five years later, in 1880, that rate had increased to 8,216 in one year.

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Faster inter-city trains: 1920–1941 Rail transportation was not high-speed by modern standards but inter-city travel often averaged speeds between 40 and 65 miles per hour (64 and 105 km/h).

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When Englishman Richard Trevithick launched the first practical steam locomotive in 1804, it averaged less than 10 mph. Today, several high-speed rail lines are regularly traveling 30 times as fast.

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The first passenger trains were undeniably crude; they seldom traveled more than 20 miles per hour and meals were eaten quickly in station dining halls. Wooden benches were the standard seating accommodations and wood stoves furnished heat. Air conditioning was unheard of until the 1930s.

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Before the air brake, railroad engineers would stop trains by cutting power, braking their locomotives and using the whistle to signal their brakemen. The brakemen would turn the brakes in one car and jump to the next to set the brakes there, and then to the next, etc.

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Speeding bullets: Japan's Shinkansen bullet trains introduced the world to modern high speed rail travel. Most Shinkansen currently operate at a maximum of 300 kph (186 mph), but some hit 320 kph (200 mph). The long noses are designed to reduce sonic booms in tunnels.

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Fastest Train in the World – 357.2 MPH The current world speed record for a commercial train on steel wheels is held by the French TGV at 574.8 km/h (357.2 mph), achieved on 3 April 2007 on the new LGV Est. The trainset, the track and the cantenary were modified to test new designs.

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The BB 9200 hauled Le Capitole at 200 km/h. After the successful introduction of the Japanese Shinkansen in 1964, at 210 km/h (130 mph), the German demonstrations up to 200 km/h (120 mph) in 1965, and the proof-of-concept jet-powered Aérotrain, SNCF ran its fastest trains at 160 km/h (99 mph).

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How fast could trains go in 1885? Depending on where you lived. In Europe 50 to 60 mph average would be normal for main lines and half that for branches. In the US 30 to 40 mph would be the normal on most lines.

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What's faster than a speeding bullet, a phrase used to describe Superman? The new Shinkansen, or Japanese bullet train. Japan Rail announced the design of a magnetic levitation train that will achieve speeds over 600 kilometers per hour (374 miles per hour), or 1 mile (1.5km) every 10 seconds.

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Modern trains can travel seamlessly from conventional track to high-speed track. They simply travel slower while on conventional track. Passenger service on the conventional freight lines that criss-cross the United States today is limited to 90 mph at best.

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Passenger train travel in the 1880s generally cost 2-3 cents per mile. Transcontinental (New York to San Francisco) ticket rates as of June 1870 were $136 for first class in a Pullman sleeping car; $110 for second class; $65 for third or “emigrant” class seats on a bench.

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