Too Fast For Uncle Sam!

The return to England of the two typical British railwaymen, Driver William Young and Fireman George Pearce, who startled the Americans by their speed driving of the locomotive King George V., was the occasion of a warm-hearted welcome.

According to a recent exchange, Driver Young, who looked very youthful, despite his grey hairs, was full of admiration for America. “It is a wonderful country,” he said, “though I am glad enough to be back in England. We were given a great time by the Americans, who must be the most hospitable people in the world. They had something different for us to do or see every five minutes of the day.

“My proudest moment was when Henry Ford came up on the engine during the exhibition at Baltimore. If I had not known it was Mr. Ford I should have realised at once that it was some extraordinary man. He has a keen, alert face, and though he is an old man he would beat most of the youngsters. I did not have to tell him the points of the engine. He grasped them all at once, and discussed them in a scientific way. He said to me: ‘This must be as near perfection as anything in the way of rolling stock. I envy you your beautiful engines with their astounding speeds. We cannot touch them in America. I'm going to have a model made of King George V. for future reference.“’ Driver Young said Mr. Ford rode on the footplate for some miles. “I believe he would like to have driven the engine himself.

“In the trial we were given pride of place, and when I got accustomed to the track I let her go a bit. We exceeded seventy-five miles an hour,

The “King George V.” 4–6.0 four-cylinder locomotive which was responsible for the great speed performance referred to above. The locomotive was taken to America for exhibition in connection with the celebration of the centenary of the Baltimore and Ohio Railway.

and then were told to reduce the speed to sixty-five. Of course, I could have gone at a greater speed, but for all their hustle the Americans don't seem to like too much pace from their trains. I think the American railways excellent for the type of work they have to do, but they cannot make big speeds, and there is a good deal of jolting, due to many level-crossings instead of bridges and the automatic system of coupling.

“We had twenty-four hours’ journey on the Pennsylvania road, and I can tell you we were very pleased when it was over. The seating was comfortable enough, but there was too much jolting for restfulness. I don't think their railways compare with ours.

Fireman Pearce, whose home is at Notting Hill, London, has not recovered from his amazement at the amount of coal burnt on the American engines. “On one engine,” he said, “they used 32 tons in 87 miles. They were going over a mountain road, of course, but it seemed to me to be a tremendous quantity.

“Railwaymen in America earn larger wages than we do in England, but the standard of living is higher. Often they have to work a stretch of sixteen hours over a long journey, and then they may stand off without pay for two or three weeks. This does not apply to all grades, but it is true of the long-distance class of drivers and firemen.

“Everywhere people made a great fuss of us, and the astonishing American Press plastered our names all over their pages for no apparent reason at all.”