Railroading Around the World

246 Pages·1955·53.58 MB·English

by  S. Kip Farrington

RAILROADING
AROUND THE WORLD
by S. KIP FARRINGTON, JR.
Railroading Around the World is a book of
strikingly beautiful pictures collected by the
author while inspecting the operations of
thirty-four railroads in twenty-two countries.
The text explains the pictures and gives a vivid
account of the conditions and problems met
and solved bv railroad men everywhere. The
many American devotees of the steam loco-
motive, which is rapidly disappearing in this
country, will have a chance to see some of
these engines in action in other countries
where they are still in service. The book also
should appeal to people both here and abroad
who are interested in this great industry, as
well as to rail fans, model enthusiasts and rail-
road men themselves.
S. Kip Farrington, Jr., is perhaps not only
better informed than any other writer, or any-
other person, on American railroads, but he is
also an authority on foreign railroads. He has
riddenevery conceivable kind ofcar, train and
engine, from dynamometer cars to trains run
especially for him. In the countries Mr.
Farrington visited, he remained constantly in
touch with theoperational, trafficandfinancial
organization of the various rail lines, a prac-
tice he follows as a matter of course with
American railroads. The author's books on
American railroads are standard works on
present-dayrailroad operationsandare widely
read by railroaders everywhere. These hard-
to-please men praise the books for their cor-
rect, factual information, attention to detail
and superb illustrations. This present book is
no exception. It contains over one hundred
pages of photographs, as well as charts, graphs
and rule books. The pictures will also delight
photographers, world travelers and skiers, for
there are many magnificent views of trains
plowing through the snows of the Alps, of
Scandinavia and Alaska.
Mr. Farrington compiled this book because
he felt it would serve railroad men here and
(Continued on back flap)
Around the World
Railroading
Books by S. Kip Farrington, Jr.
FISHfNG THE PACIFIC: Offshore and On
FISHING THE ATLANTIC: Offshore and On
PACIFIC GAME FISHING
SPORT FISHING BOATS
A BOOK OF FISHES
ATLANTIC GAME FISHING
THE DUCKS CAME BACK
SHIPS OF THE U. S. MERCHANT MARINE
INTERESTING BIRDS OF OUR COUNTRY
GIANTS OF THE RAILS
RAILROADING FROM THE HEAD END
RAILROADING FROM THE REAR END
RAILROADS AT WAR
RAILROADS OF TODAY
RAILROADING THE MODERN WAY
RAILROADING AROUND THE WORLD
Juven/7e Frontispiece. Central Railway of Peru #6
BILL, THE BROADBILL SWORDFISH descending grade in the high Andes of Peru.
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COPYRIGHT. 1955, BY S. KIP FARRIXGTOX, JR.
All rights reserved. This hook, or parts thereof, must not be
reproduced in any form without permission in writing from
the publishers. Published simultaneously in the Dominion of
Canada by Longmans, Green 6- Company, Toronto.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Xumber: 55-6138
This edition published by arrangement with Coward McCann, Inc.
To
ROLAND HARRIMAN
E.
businessman, sportsman and railroader, who performs
a fine job for the railroad industry as Chairman of
the Board of Directors of the Union Pacific Railroad.

Foreword
ON Thursday, May 18, 1950, I made a speech to the New York Railroad Club
entitled "Railroading Around the World." I announced to this sizable group of
good railroaders that evening that the name of this speech would be the title of a
book I would undertake to write. Now some five years later, which isn't too
long a time for such an undertaking, the book has appeared, and I trust it will
be well received—at least for its pictures if for no other reason.
My principal aim in writing this book was to put before the eyes of the North
American railroad men and those interested in U. S. and Canadian operations the
job that is being done by railroaders in other parts of the world. The men that I
have met, from officials to switchtenders, are all good railroaders who are doing the
best possible job with what they have at their disposal, which is all one can ask of
anybody. It is this thought that I try to convey in this volume. The United States
and Canada are omitted for obvious reasons. I have written six books on the U. S.
railroads and two more are scheduled to be written. The Canadian operations
are so similar to the U. S. operations that I did not feel Canada had a place in
this book, which already contains more pictures than any other railroad book ever
done. Among the pictures are many fine ones, which my books always seem for-
tunate enough to have.
I am particularly indebted to W. W. Stewart, the great railroad photographer,
of Auckland, New Zealand, for his pictures which I have used in the New Zealand
section; to all of the foreign railroads, officials and railroaders, who showed me
over their systems and gave me such great welcome and fine hospitality; to Olive
B. Flannery, whose incessant work got the manuscript out in its usual rush; to
Dave Edwards of East Hampton, Long Island, who provided the end-paper illus-
trations and took the pictures of the tablets and staffs, as well as the passes, in the
book; and last, but not least, to my new Dictaphone Timemaster, without which
there would have been no book. This is the eighth book I have done on this
machine, and the new model is even better than its predecessors.
A book that should be in the hands of all who are interested in railways, both
around the world and in the United States, is World Railway;, published at 25
Gilbert Street, London, England, and distributed by Rand McNally in the United
States. This volume has been published twice and contains many pictures of mo-
tive power and cars, as well as maps and statistics that all enthusiasts would
enjoy. The book is a companion to Jane's Fighting Ships and All the World's
Aircraft, and its accuracy has been brought home to me in comparing its statis-
tics with those given me by the foreign railroads.
The Railway Age magazine is read by railroad men throughout the world and
there are few, if any, offices in which I have failed to see a weekly copy. The Eng-
lish Railway Gazette is also much in demand outside of North America.
I have tried to keep this book in U.S. pounds and miles as much as possible but
there are times when the weights and measures of the countries involved had to
be used. I am therefore listing the following metric system figures:
1 kilometer 0.62137 miles
1 metric ton 2,204.6 pounds or 1,000 kilograms
1 ton-kilometer 1 metric ton transported over a dis-
tance of 1 kilometer—the metric
counterpart of the ton-mile
1 meter 39.37 inches or 3.28 feet
S. Kip Farrington, Jr.
Finning Out
East Hampton, Long Island, New York, U.S.A.