Project Gutenberg's Tom Swift and his Electric Locomotive, by Victor Appleton

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Title: Tom Swift and his Electric Locomotive
or, Two Miles a Minute on the Rails

Author: Victor Appleton

Posting Date: July 17, 2008 [EBook #1364]
Release Date: June, 1998

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TOM SWIFT AND ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE ***

Produced by Anthony Matonac

TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE

or

Two Miles a Minute on the Rails

By

VICTOR APPLETON

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I A TEMPTING OFFER
II TROUBLE STARTS
III TOM SWIFT'S FRIENDS
IV MUCH TO THINK ABOUT
V BARBED WIRE ENTANGLEMENTS
VI THE CONTRACT SIGNED
VII THE MAN WITH BIG FEET
VIII AN ENEMY IN THE DARK
IX WHERE WAS KOKU?
X A STRANGE CONVERSATION
XI TOUCH AND GO
XII THE TRY-OUT DAY ARRIVES
XIII HOPES AND FEARS
XIV SPEED
XV THE ENEMY STILL ACTIVE
XVI OFF FOR THE WEST
XVII THE WRECK OF FORTY-EIGHT
XVIII ON THE HENDRICKTON & PAS ALOS
XIX PERIL, THE MOTHER OF INVENTION
XX THE RESULT
XXI THE OPEN SWITCH
XXII A DESPERATE CHASE
XXIII MR. DAMON AT BAT
XXIV PUTTING THE ENEMY TO FLIGHT
XXV SPEED AND SUCCESS

TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE

Chapter I

A Tempting Offer

"An electric locomotive that can make two miles a minute over a
properly ballasted roadbed might not be an impossibility," said Mr.
Barton Swift ruminatively. "It is one of those things that are coming,"
and he flashed his son, Tom Swift, a knowing smile. It had been a
topic of conversation between them before the visitor from the West had
been seated before the library fire and had sampled one of the elder
Swift's good cigars.

"It is not only a future possibility," said the latter gentleman,
shrugging his shoulders. "As far as the Hendrickton and Pas Alos
Railroad Company goes, a two mile a minute gait--not alone on a level
track but through the Pas Alos Range--is an immediate necessity. It's
got to be done now, or our stock will be selling on the curb for about
two cents a share."

"You do not mean just that, do