Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1868-12-30
The Proposed Railroad 10 the Vienna
Coal Mines.

The article we published last weeE
in advOcacyo of railroad from Warner
to the great coal fields recently dis
covered in Vienna township, ha'
evoked considerable discussion anG
interest on the subject. The fund;
necessary to defray the expenses O.
a survey of a line have been subscrib.
ed, and the work of asc~ertaining the
most direct practicable route viii
be commenced in a few days. 1t is
estimated that the grading and iron.
ing of the road would cost about two
hundred thousand dollars. 1t will
require considerable effort and liberal
subscriptions to raise that amount in
Warren ana along the line of the
proposed road, provided it shall be
deemed advisable to attempt to raise
the funds by local subscriptions. 1t
Is suggested by some that the Maho-
ming r. r. Company could not make
a better investment than TO issue
bonds and build this road, as that
Company did in the instance of the
Hubbard Branch r. r. 1.-THE amount
necessary to the construction of the
Vienna road can not be raised by
either plan mentioned, we would sug-
gest that a cheaper road, constructed
entirely of wood, might be better
than none, and answer the purpose
until its earnings would enable the
company to lay an iron track. To
show the ~practicability of such a
road, which probably would not cost
over two thousand dollars per mile,
we reproduce the following interest
ing article IL regard to the building
and working of a wooden railroad in
the Adirondack mountain country,
in Northern New York, and on which
the writer says, immense quantities
of iron-ore are transported, showing
that a similar road might be safely
usedforthe transportation of coal iron,
&c. The cost of construction would be
comparatively trifiing, not exceeding
One-twelfth the cost of an iron road,
and if for two or three years it would
do the work of a more costly road, it
could hardly fail of being extraordi-
narily remunerative. 1t would seem
that it should be no difficult task to
organize a company to undertake an
enterprise of this kind. But we
forbear further comments and call
attention to the article referred to,
which was written by a correspondent
of the Montreal Gazette. The article
The grading is the same as for an
iron road, except that sitter grades
can be assembled. The ties are of the
ordinary description, but are not
on any side and on the Clifton
road are placed at the usual distance
of three feet apart, except on the
trestles, where there are three ties TO
every two yards. In future, however,
the engineer proposes to put the three
ties to every two yards, as he proposes
engines.
The rails are of maple, six inches by
four; but in future their shape will be
altered q little, without increasing the
quantity Oftimber, making them three
and a-half inches on top by seven
deep, so as to be better adapted
10 the increased weight of engines
fourteen tons instead of ten. Notch
rs are cut in the round ties to such a
as to keep the bottom of the rail
about two inches from the ground after
the road is ballasted, and the rail pro-
iects sufficiently above the notched
tie to allow the iange of the wheel to
pass. The rails are fastened to the
ties by a couple of hard wood wedges,
driven in opposite directions on the
of the rail, within the notch.
This has the effect of making the
superstructure one solid mass
without the addition Of any spikes or
pins.
In making the curves the rail itself
bent to the required shape, so that
there is no angularity whatever in
he lines of rails. The trestIes are of
he simplest description. They con-
;ist Of two upright sticks Of square
timber Immediately under the rails,
let into a transverse stick, which are
OTLSCu 10 Tic EllthS Oh ltInDcT ialu
.engthwise, from-One trestle to anOth-
sr, Immediately under the line ofrails,
each direction. This is further sup
by a similar stick of timber at
zach side, from the head of the trestle
the base, in a slanting direction,
he whole of which is let into a squared
at the base. The wooden rail is
q new invention, but Nj. Hubert,
he engineer, has succeeded in max
ng it available without using a
particle Of iron in the whole structure,
md has, moreover, demonstrated that
such railways can be used for long
distance at a moderate cost, and this
a country where an iron line,
IS ordinarily constructed, would be
practically an engineering impossi-
Mr.. Hubert says that he is
to contract to lay the super
structure of a wooden railway of his
own improved construction at the
ate of $500, American currency, a
nile, where maple and hemlock can
De obtained at reasonable rates. Since
ny visit | have become so convinced
If the extreme usefulness of such
ines of railways in developing the
'esources of a new country and act
ng as feeders TO the trunk lines, that
have no hesitation in prophesying
hat before many years we shall find
hem running in all directions through
he Dominion.