HE LION ROARS - Lionel Collectors Club of America

Gene Russell, Ed.D.RM 24608A Lionel PuzzlementGreatGrandfather’sMathThe followingproblems are froman 1877 arithmeticbook that mayhave been used atthe schoolhousewhen your greatgrandfather wasa boy. See howmany of thesemath problemsabout railroadsyou can solve.1. If one mile of railroad requires 116 tons of iron, worth 65 dollars a ton,what will be the cost of sufficient iron to construct a road 128 miles inlength?2. The railroad distance from New York to Albany is 144 miles; from Albanyto Buffalo, 298; from Buffalo to Cleveland, 183; from Cleveland to Toledo,109; from Toledo to Springfield, 365; and from Springfield to St. Louis, 95miles; what is the distance from New York to St. Louis?3. A railroad cost one million eight hundred fifty thousand four hundreddollars, and was divided into eighteen thousand five hundred and fourshares; what was the value of each share?4. A man traveled 6,784 miles; 2,324 miles by railroad, 1,570 miles in astagecoach, 450 miles on horseback, 175 miles on foot, and the remainder bysteamboat. How many miles did he travel by steamboat?5. The Illinois Central Railroad is 700 miles long, and cost 31,647,000dollars; what did it cost per mile?6. “A” traveled 325 miles by railroad, and “C” traveled .45 of that distance;how far did “C” travel?7. A man purchased a house for 2,375 dollars, and expended 340 dollars inrepairs; he then sold it for railroad stock worth 867 dollars, and 235 acres ofwestern land valued at 8 dollars an acre; what did he gain by the trade?8. At $65 a ton, how many tons of railroad iron can be bought for $117,715?9. What must be paid for transporting 31,640 pounds of railroad iron fromPhiladelphia to Richmond, at $3.05 per ton?Extra Credit/Bonus10. The Erie Railroad has three switches, or side tracks, of the followinglengths: 3,013, 2,231, and 2,047 feet; what is the length of the longest railthat will exactly lay the track on each switch? Hint: find the largest commondivisor.Answers are published in TLR … somewhere.