Whenever railroad cars and engines are in use on railroads and making regular passage thereon, they shall not be attached upon mesne process in any suit within forty-eight hours previous to their fixed time of departure unless the officer making such attachment shall have first demanded of the owners or managers of such engines or cars, or any of the agents of such railroad, other property equal in value to the ad damnum in the writ upon which to make such attachment and such owners or managers shall have refused or neglected to comply with such demand. And any officer making such attachment shall, on his return upon the process upon which it is made, certify that he has made such demand for such other property and that such demand has been refused or neglected; otherwise such attachment shall be wholly void.