The Sun.
London, England, 1846-02-20 00:00:00

Mr. Gooch estimates each carriage and its passengers on the broad
guage to weigh about 9Y, tons, and therefore there would be •even
carriages to make up tke 67 tons above specified. The nlost com-
modious carriages on the narrow gauge lines, inch as those on the
South Western, weigh less than 5 tons ; seven such carriages would
therefore weigh about 34 tons, and being capable of centaining 126
first class passengers, weighing, with their luggage, 121, tons, the
total load would be only 46!, tons. Now we find that even with a trallic
as large as that of the Lon lon and Biriningham Railway, the average
per train would only be 54'9 passengers, weighing about eight tons;
so that, under the supposition of a traffic of this extent, the load of
the seven narrow gauge carriages so occupied would only be 42 tens.
But Mr. Gooch estimates, from kis own experiments, the relative
powers of traction of the broad gauge engines, and of the narrow
gauge engines of the South-Western Railway when working at the
-same speell, as 2,067 to 1,398, or as 67, the load of the broad gauge in
tons, to 45 tens, which would be the corresponding load for the narrow
gauge ; so that the narrow gauge engine has more power over the 42
tons it would have t ) draw, than the broad gauge has over its average
load of 67 tens, both exclusive of the weight of the engine and tender
—the narrow gauge carriage In this supposition being supposed to con-
tain 84.9 passengers, and the broad gauge only 47.2,
If, however, it were necessary, 224 first-class passengers might be
placed in the seven broad gauge carriages, and, as it has before been
said, 126 in the seven narrow gauge carriages; but it appears likely
that this extent of accommodation would only be called for on such
rare occasions, that the question of providing for It, except by a; -
sistant power, cannot be taken n;o consideration in the present com-
parison. _

It is'obvions from the foregoing statement, that the narrow gauge
engine of the class we have been considering has more power over
the seven narrow gange carriages, and a load of 126 passengers, than
the broad gauge engine has over the seven broad gauge carriages,
and the load of the same number of passengers; and that, therefore,
If the Great Western had been a narrow instead of a broad gauge
line, the South-Western engines would have bad the same etorumand
over the existing passenger traffic of the Great Western, as its own
engines now have with the present construction of that railway. .
We must remark, however, that this caieniation' is for trains con-
sisting exclusively of passengers and their personal luggage. ln the
Great Western average trains of 67 tons Shire is an allowance of
about 16 tons for passengers and luggage, including gentlemen's car-
riages. Allowing the same weight of luggage on the narrow gauge
line, the train would still not exceed 50 tons, which is considerably
within the power of the narrow gauge engine. For it appears by the
experiments that hare been recently made on the Crest Western
Railway, the details of which are given in the appendix to the evi-
dence, that the Great Western engine is capable of propelling 53 tons
at a greater speed than the average speed of that line; and conse-
quently by the proportion above stated, the narrow gauge engine
would be capable of propelling 55 tons at the same rate. We con-
clude, therefore, that the work would be performed at about the same
expense for locomotive power.

That there may be cases in which not only the full power of a
broad gauge engine is required, but even the assistance of a second
engine, is quite certain, but such trains tiirm the exception and not
timrule in railway passenger traffic, and we doubt the soundness of
a principle which involves a great expense in construction, for the
sake of possessing capabilities so seldom eaUed into action.*

It is Proper to observe, that the foregoing comparison would have
appeared to stand more in favour of the narrow gaure, had we taken
for the engine of comparison one of those engines of whose increased
capabilities some of the supporters of the narrow gauge system have
informed us ; but we have preferred the comparison afforded with
the South-Western engine, from its being the one on which Mr.
Gooch, of the Great Western Railway, superintended the recorded
experiments: hence, our deductions are made from data tUrnished
by the advocates of the broad gauge system, without drawing any-
thing from the evidence on the other side; and as these deductions
sufficiently demonstrate that there is no economy hi the locomotive
expenses for passenger trains resulting from working a line on the
broad gauge system, even on such lines as those which have at the
pop
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saubpupnodrll'itofpastlsieengnerarrtroawfilge'aaufTe. tal 4.P1
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tt,e...shuollw)certiveuro,ussiated In IFr. flooeles comparativ4.
table, and repeated in his evidence, which appears so ninth at vari-
ance with the results we have obtained from other data, as to require
explanation.

kr. Gooch has asserted that the Great Western. Company work'
their passenger trains at half the expenss per ton at which the Londen
and Birlllillghayft Company wok their passenger trains. The fact
is, however, that Mr. Gooeh's calculations refer to-the gross and not
to the net loads ; and therefore the comparison is not applicable, so
far as regards the profits of these companies, and affords no proof of
economy in workinethe passenger traffic og the CireatArest ern system..
There cau be no doubt, judging both from Mr. Minds evidence
Oven to us; and from his report to the directors of the Great Western
Hallway Company, that he originally expected there would be on the
Great Western Railway a demand tor carrying great numbers of pas-
sengers at high velocities ; but from his own evidence, it appears that
the only heavy passenger traffic upon that railway is between London
and Reading, and between Bath and Bristol, being a total distancf-
of about 50 miles, out of 245. . .

On the remaining part of the line the passenger traffic, per train, ia
small.

If the convenience of the public would admit of the whole of !
passenger traffic of this portion of the line being conveyed daily by
two or three large trains, Mr. Bruucl's views would have been per- '
fectly correct in providing such powerful means; but experience has
proved that the public require passenger trains to be run many time,
during the day, and with this erequency of trains such numbers of
passengers as Mr. Drupe' has provided for cannot be expected argil
on railways of the largest traffic, so that practically there Is a waste
both of power and of means. In the case of " goods traffic," the err-:1
eumstanees are not the same; railway conveyance for reerebandis'
seems enly to be required a few times in each day, and the trains are I.
generally large. The " through" waggons have for the most part it
full load, and the disproportion between the gross and the net weight
is consequently much less than In the passenger trains ; still; hoW •
ever, it appears from the evidence of Mr. lime, anti of other persons
connected with the carrying trade, that on the London and Binning-
ham Railway it frequently happens that waggons are forwarded to a
cons derable distance to " road-side stations," containing not mere
than a ton of goods; and there eau be no doubt that this must hap-
pen on any long line of railway. • The same also occurs in waggons
coming in from branches along the trunk line, and in all such eases
the heavy large waggon of the broad gauge must be disadvantageous
but although the evil is not so great with goods waggons of the;
broad guage as with their passenger carriages, still the loss by dead
weight is greater with these than with smaller waggons, and we do
not perceive any advantages in the broad gauge to counterbalance it,
for where speed is not an object, and this le the case with goods
trains, we believe, from the evidence we have received, that engines
of nearly the same tractive power are to be found on as many narrow
gauge lines as those in use on the bread gauge.
Thus far we have considered the question with reference to the
railways as they now exist, and compoeett in a great measure of
trunk lines of considerable traffic ; but the railways to be made its
fixture will in some degree be branches or lines in districts having
traffic of less magnitude than is to be provided for in the existing
railways ; and hence, if for the greeter trunk lines a superiority were
due to the broad gauge system, that superiority would At less 11-tr
lines yet to be constructed of a smelled' ainount of trefile t and neces.
sarily, if the preference were given to the narrow gauge for the ex-
isting lines, that system would he still more entitled to the preference
for the railways of smaller traffic to which we lodk forward.
We must here add,, that, towards the clove of our bunstry. Mt.
Brunel requested, on the part of the broad gauge coluptuUes,“o in-
stitute a set of experiments to test the power of their engines ; and
Mr. Bidder, on the part of the narrow gauge companies, undertook,
in consequence of such application, to make corresponding experi-
ments on the narrow gauge. After sanctioning these Biala, anti
being present at the performance of them, a retard of which will
be found in the appendix, we may observe, without entering into a
minute detail of the results, or the discrepancies between the returns
as furnished by the two parties themselves, that we consider them
as confirming the statements and results given by Mr. Gooch in Iris
evidence, proving, as they do, that the broad gauge engines possess
greater capabilities for Speed with equal loads, and, generally speak-
ing, of propelling greater loads with equal speed ; and moreover, that
the working with such engines is economical where very high speeds
are required, or where the leads to be conveyed are such as to re-
quire the full power of the engine. They confirm, also, the evidence
given by Mr. Bidder as to the possibility of obtaining high evapo-
rative power with long engines for the narrow gauge, but under
somewhat peculiar circumstances. 1 t appeara, moreover, that tile
evaporation thus obtained doe; not prm 1 itee a corresponding user::
effect in the tractive power of the engine; a circumstance tthautt7o,ur
probably be differently explained by Mr. Gooch and by .31:. id‘
but as we de not refer to the power of this descriptiontt
the deductions we have made, it is unnecessary tor
tootalrutgleinftnrn-i
fur-
ther to them.
After a full consideration of all the circumstances thattt have conic
before us, anti of the deduetions we have wade from , .
we are led to conclude:—
I. That, as roger, . ' I the safety, accommodation, and concenienc:. of
s
the passengers, no decided preference is due to either gauge, but
that on the broad gauge the motion is generally more cuts at high,
velocities,
9. That in respect of speed, we consider the advantages aro with

the broad gunge. bet we think the public safety would be claim-,
gered in employing the greater capabilities of the broad gati4e
much beyond their present use, except en roads more consolidated
and more substantially and permanently formed than those of the
existing lines.

3. That in the commercial case of the transport of goods, we
believe the narrow gauge to possess the greater convenience, and to
be the snore suited to the general traffic of the country.
4. That the broad gauge involves the greater outlay and that we
have not been able to discover either in the maintenance of way, in
the cost of locomotive power, or in the other annual expenses, any
adequate reduction to compensate for the additional first cost.
Therefore, esteeming the importance of the high speed
on express trains for the accommodatloi of a comparatively
small number of persons, however desirable that may be to
them, as of far less moment than affording increased convenience to
the general commercial traffic of the country, we are inclined to
consider the narrow gauge as that which should be preferred for ge-
neral convenience; and, therefore, if it were imperative to produce
uniformity, we should reeommend that uniformity to be produded by
an alteration of the broad to the narrow gauge, mere especially when we take into consideration that the extent of the former at present
in work la only 274 miles, whilst that of the latter is not less than
1,001 miles, andithat the alteration of the former to the latter, even
if of equal length, would be the less costly as well as the less difficult
operation.

We are desirous, however, of guarding ourselves from being stn.
posed to express an opinion, that the dimension offmir feet eight and a
half inches is in all respects the most suited for the generol objects of the
country. Some of theengineers who have been examined by us, have
given it as their opinion that five feet would be the best dimensions
for a railway gauge; others have suggested live feet three incites,
five feet six inches, and even six feet, but none have recommended
so great a hreadth as seven feet, except those who are more parti-
cularly interested in the broad gauge lines. Again, some engineers
of eminence contend that a gauge of four feet eight and a half inches
gives ample space for the machinery of the engine, and all the rail-
way requirements, and would recommend no change to be made in
the gauge.
Ws may observe, In reference to this part of the. question, that the
Eastern Counties Railway was originally constructed on a gauge of
5 feet, and has since been converted into a gauge of 4 feet 5 inches,
to avoid a break of gauge; and we have been informed that some
lines in Scotland originally on the gauge of 5 feet 3 inches are about
to be altered to 4 feet y 2 inches for the same reason.

Whatever might be the preferable course were the question now
to be discussed of the gauge for the entire system of railways, where
none previously existed to clash with the decision, yet under the pre-
sent state sf things we see no; sufficient reason to suggest or recom-
mend the adoption of any gauge intermediate between the narrow
gauge of 4ft. B%in. and the broad gauge of 7ft. ; and we are eelt-
Early struck by the circumstance that almost all the Nntimantal rail-
ways have been formed upon the 4(1. 8 Nitt. gauge, the greater num-
ber hiving been undertaken after a long experience of both the
broad and the uarraw gauge In this country. Nor must the fact be lest
sight c.f, that some of these railway have been constructed es well as
planned by English engineers, and amongst that number we Stud
.;1!;
Brunel the original projector of the broad gunge. Mr.
also the engineer of the Merthyr Tydsil and Cardiff line,_Vatchatt
the
fit
the four feet eight and half Inches gauge; and ‘N• 11.ie1 t'a that 1,,
motiws lid to his adoption of the narrowar
g,.
stance would equally apply to many
We arc seasible of the importance, °3l
'lEnglish lines
We
tl
circumstances, of
leaving commercial enterprise, to well a'.
.--tire gettiUlaoa of the .01 sc
gaug ientific men
e is a
unfettered ;we therefore that tee' tent and we are willing
.rrtained ;
measure thAt should not be
to admit, were it not for the lightlmat gii*hetiaaveigea come into. contact, thatl that must inevitably be ex-
perienced when lines of unequal 1e

It appears iPA- during
the half year ending the 301,11 of 4une.
1845, the number of miles run by soupled and assisting 'magnet; for
passenger trains on the Great IViestern Railway, aniOalited to 11,628,
and far goods trains to 51,185. me total number of miles run by-
the former tllllllO beiaj 261,03, tuld of the latter 150,324.