RAILWAY TRAINS. – At all hours of the day and night, in all directions, and at all points, the railway continues its wonderful and incessant labours. Thus, 617 goods trains, travelling 42,973,849 miles, were run in England and Wales, 275,825 passenger trains, travelling 5,044,655 miles, 276,152 goods trains, travelling 6,558,777 miles, were run in Scotland; and 174,445 passenger trains, travelling 4,416,462 miles, and 30,882 goods trains, travelling 1,553,338 miles, were run in Ireland. We thus arrive at the amazing aggregate of 105,141,440 miles as the railway work of the British islands for twelve months. Astronomical calculations indicate that the earth is 95,000,000 miles from the sun, and the unwearied locomotives accomplish this immense distance with an odd 10,000,000 miles to spare. Further it would appear that they traversed nearly three and a half miles in every second which elapsed during the year! This prodigious activity was not, however, attained without a great effort; and taking every item of working expenses into account, it appears that every mile traversed involved an outlay of 2s. 7 ½ d.*

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* 2s. 7 ½ d = just over 13p in today's decimal currency in the UK.

 

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