I Can Travel 30 Miles in 10 Hours (Penn State Engineering Students on Parade, ca. 1910s)

The first line of the sign on the side of this parade float says, "Railway Mechanical Engineering," and--as far as I can tell--the second line is "I Can Travel 30 Miles in 10 Hours," which is also the message on the sign that the student is carrying. A model of a locomotive is barely visible at the back of the float. Was railway travel at 3 miles per hour for 10 hours an engineering accomplishment worthy of a parade float in the early twentieth century?

For more information see the full photo: Penn State Engineering Students on Parade, ca. 1910s.