About a hundred years ago a well known railroad executive said
something like:
'Passengers are as much good to a railroad as t-ts are to a man'. Can
anyone tell me the exact quote, who said it, where and when?

I am skeptical that this is an accurate quote, if indeed it dates to
over 100 years ago (when passenger trains were something new). No
Victorian-era man would have been quoted with this kind of
language...not in a newspaper, magazine, or book. It's also unlikely
that he would have used this language in a private letter, assuming he
was discussing business.

Just a thought.

kriswrite

Thank you for the comment. I have to disagree with you on two points.
First, passenger trains came into general use in the 1840s and by the
1850s they were the normal method of transport for people between
cities in the northeast. I would guess that the quote came from about
1860. Secondly, some of the 'robber barons' who built the 'roads were
very rough characters - and I would have thought that rough language
was common. It is of course a good quote because it illustrates the
fact that railroads were (and are) better equipped to carry freight
than people.

Thanks you in any case for your thoughts.

I agree that "rough language" was definately used...but it would not
have made it into print. The only possible written source for this
quote could be, I would think a diary, or possibly a personal
letter--perhaps where the writer was quoting someone else. Good luck!
kriswrite