Sensationalism
What about the list of questions I posted? Once again ignored. Except for the Robust cardboard box of the 1870's? Not good enough to ship a Winchester but a 44 Smith and Wesson? NO problem? Riding somehow safely on the Early "hand laid" train track? With the early train riding gently across the 2900 mile Trek to San Francisco through Indian territory and rough terrain?
There was no such thing as a smooth ride on the early train!!...Sure, you can go ride an Antique Steam train from say Fort Bragg to Willits....Beautiful countryside, the sound of the train whistle, and the long 3 hour trip through forest and open valley? You can even tell your grandson...."This is the way it was Johnny".....BS!
The train may be authentic but the "MODERN" ride is absolutely not! You are riding on modern track...Machine laid track on machine pounded ground that is often Gravel based. Very solid ground that in no way compares to early laid track!!
That is NOT the way it was in 1880. Track was hand laid by labor working gangs and laid on ground that was not machine worked by heavy equipment. The result was poorly spaced track, uneven ground, large gaps in track, ruts, divots, loose track. A heavy storm would change everything about the rail. The actual ride??? Would include surging left to right, shaking violently at times from the heavy train hitting ruts on the track. Even divots from uneven ground caused by storms and settling were also a real problem and would often cause derailing and very hard bumps when running over this type of uneven track.
Early cars were not as securely fastened as modern cars so the early train ride would involve constant surging often to a point of whiplash. These problems were NOT ironed out until 1900. Until then the tracks were constantly being repaired and replaced along the lines. Especially those lines that crossed mountain ranges! Following patents from that era you can witness continued improvements to rail cars and the primitive designs of rail cars from that era.
My Uncle was actually an engineer and I would listen to his stories as a kid in the early 1960's from his experiences in the 1930's. The photo I posted was a wreck he was in from loose track where he was actually the engineer and lost his thumb from the locomotive rolling off the track and this was "Machine laid track"...not hand laid track from the 1880's. The track had come loose and caused the derailment.
I honestly don't know how we can't open our minds to the reality of the way it was in those early days. Sure, train travel was much better than a freight wagon or a covered wagon on the Santa Fe trail? but early train travel wasn't much better, that's a fact! It was in no way smooth or cardboard package safe.
That's why they shipped Winchester rifles in "singular" heavy crates prior to 1900. The general improvements in the lines completed and improvements in shipping is what allowed the safe long distance shipping of cardboard packed goods.
That's why cardboard box shipping wasn't generally used prior to 1900. Only crate shipping was used.
That's also why the 800 Baby Russians that shipped to the Baltimore Police in 1876/1877 were also shipped in crates, not pasteboard boxes. Because that's the only way they would have made it to Baltimore without damage from that very rough ride from early hand laid rail.
Murph
Last edited by BMur; 10-04-2020 at 01:15 PM.
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