The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-07-14

That is to say about ! of ton dead 'weipht
England roads the proportion Of dead weight
is still less. S'AA !" -
The fear of the insecurity Of outside
bearings on the wide gauge has driven the
Erie company into the general use of wide
bearing axles, involving more friction and
much more Inconvenience and expense in
oiling. a
9th. The great claim of the broad gauge
is, that it has increased room for the ar
rangement of the machinery of the engine.
This claim is carefully examined by the
writer. 1t is particularly pressed by Col.
G.'s Mr.. Morton, who, upon summing up
what he regards as the disadvantages Of
outside cylinder engines, says, "these, it is
generally admitted, are Objectionable on
many accounts, and are likely soon to get
out of order, particularly for engines de-
signed for high speed" The writer fully
examines and explains the whole matter.
With regard to inside connections, it may
be proper to observe that narrow gauge
roads are not of necessity compelled to re-
ject them. The London and Northwestern,
narrow gauge road, have engines with
cylinders of Is in. by "a in., and driving
wheels of feet and 8 feet diameter.
They are inside connected. The limit of
the diameter of boiler on the narrow
gauge is not less than SO inches, and the
breadth of furnace crate not under AZ.
These dimensions are ample, and obtained
without crowding. The Baltimore and
Ohio boilers are 4S inches-the Erie has
some smaller and none larger. The former
has cylinders of 20 inches in diameter and
engines of 80 tons. The boilers could with
convenience have been made several inches
larger. The Hudson river road has express
engines of 15z to 16z inch cylinders, and
drivers s. feet to feet, leaving abundant
room for machinery. These are all outward
connected engines, as are those of the Bal
timore and Ohio. The latter works upon
the hardest road in the country, and yet the
expense of repair is 40 per cent. less than
on the Erie, about one-haf of whose en-
gines are inside connected, while one-half
of the balance work with the half cranks,
which is in reality an inside connection.
The Albany and Buffalo line, the Hudson
river, the New Jersey, the Pennsylvania,
the Springfield, Hartford and New Haven
lines, and many others, are stocked with
outside connected engines. The English
roads have ordered many of them within a
few years. What mechanic will undertake
to state the amount of dangerous oscula-
ton" attributed to the outside connection?
Its advantages are the saving of weight,
cost, friction, and the danger of crank;
the reduction of the height of the boiler
nearly foot; the rendering the work more
accessible. 1t is moreover the lightest and
cheapest connection, and fully as efficient
as the other. What are the results of the
operations of the Erie compared with those
of the Hudson river and Buffalo and Alba
ny? The first has engines weighing 2S
tons, with cylinders OF II inches, and it
carries an average train of n passengers
80 miles an hour over the long levels of the
Delaware and Susquehana divisions. The
last have cylinders of 15s inches, and en-
gines weighing % tons, and they carry an
average train of S5 passengers As miles an
hour. The freight drawn on the Baltimore
and Ohio road with twenty-seven ton en-
gines, is far greater per train than the
freight drawn over any part of the Erie by
33 ton engines. This fact is accounted for
by the greater resistance of the six foot
gauge, as proved by every trial made.
7th. 1t is objected that the narrow gauge
engines require an extension of their tubes
to increase their boiler capacity. But the
narrow gauge gives ample room for a fifty
inch boiler, and the Erie has none exceed
ing 4S, while its common class engines
have the longest tubes to be found on any
railroad, except the Reading and the Balti-
more and Ohio.
Sth. 1t is claimed for the broad gauge
that it is adapted to large drivers, thereby
reducing the strain and wear of the work.
ing parts, increasing the speed of the train,
sc. Practice has proved that this theory
is not correct. While the 6 foot driver is the
standard on most passenger roads, and while
the Hudson river and some other roads, all
of 4, 81, have adopted 6, and feet drivers,
the standard on the Erie is 6 feet for pas
senger and for freight cars. There are
but two engines with seven foot drivers on
the road, and these are never used except
to draw gravel and wood trains.
Thus we see that the result has been
every way in favor of the narrow gauge.
and that the broad gauge possesses none of
the advantages claimed for it. If the ca
pacity of boiler on the broad gauge be
increased, the weight is also increased, and
this is always serious obstacle in the way
of increasing the motive power. Where
the boiler is Increased, the Blast pipe ought
to be enlarged in proportion, and yet the
Erie engines have blast pipes under the
size due to the capacity of their cylinders.
The plain disadvantage of the broad
gauge" (says the writer whose views we
are condensing) Gas exhibited in the re-
suit OF working it here, have been, increase
OF weight on each wheel, increased resist
ance from an indirect application of draught
upon every variation in the axis of the
train; and with these the consequent re-
suit OF an expensive application Of motive
power.''
The concluding words of the writer are
worthy OF attention. "The discussion OF
a practise Of changing common gauge to
4, 10, or feet, is Idle. 1t can have no
advantage under any probable contingency
OF traffic, on any road, unless the circum-
stantial one of affording connection with
some other one, unwisely and previously
afflicted with disorganizing gauge"
So much for the six foot gauge, not one
of whose claims have stood the test of ex-