The weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1869-18??, 1870-11-02
N Narrow FRO Guare9 railroads.

,f,ii NARROW 1uase naiiroaa1S' M "a'1S Il.
! In our Saturdays issue we published d
brief article on the Guage of Railways, We
again ca call attention 10 this subject as we are
satisfied that it is Of the utmost Importance &C
to the people of this state. ,t,.a1
81! Mr. IFairlie, in paper read before the
British association at Liverpool claims that that
ll IN spme ' parts Of Great Britain where broad
guage lines have been established, it has
been found dIsqn economical rr;I 10 take ,in the track
- N"H.. WIN ~ q sna naiiD" .iH, .yatSSnS %
that While narrow guage IS INFINITELY less
costly than broad one, its capabilities in
respect of fll nower ~, and sneed are 'fuilv eoal
= Il III "a 81 1IsiSsH D5no 81 nol's-I
~ eue wants lg Oh nI tne 1', COUNTY, off sT M
He does. not hover, propose change in
existing lines. but insists that narrow ya,lees
q ;ir,em Slan III ada,aal q = tt1a, - -;
81 y. i D6f ,,'1i 81 "s'f' fti'i1 S,i -
serted q ana comparatively unproductiVe dls-
tricts.
He hasserfs that IF tho oa,n,ope oanope 9nof roaa
LIZ. .hsal eoaatt eattBga III III oIfs.H.S
5eri e'S.i.T .5p' p NosLto b 51ly s's
freight f g could 1 be hauled at hall the cost,
with half the motive power, in such wav
&c to rednce te ta ~, na 1ns ona bs
~ Ifls sGss,. sslf S,Yrl. - So as IL sid,
he ae asserts st 1 lhaF on proaa gauge tne dead
weight of passenger trains is paying weight
in the ratio of 90 to 1 and in goods trains
as much oss ~ 1od Tho !, ,,,ao+ s,s 20
- - % ~ 81 "bs""-A.' ''lt
wasted a,ti.ln In the movement OF heavy carriages
The wagons for line OF, feet gauge weigh
each one ton, ana carry a maximum load of
three tons. oSupposeing that the same num-
Der of wagons and trains were run on the
narrow gauge as on the broad, it follows
that the average one ton of merchandise
now carried would easily be taken in a
wagon weighing one ton instead of four
tons, and that the gross load passing over
the line for one year would be only twenty
millions of tons instead of fifty millions
whilst the same amount of paying weight
would be carried in either case. That IS
the small wagons, which are capsule OF car
rying three times the weight OF goods now
actually carried in a tour ton wagon, woule
only have to carry one thlrd OF tnaS quan1i
ty, and would produce the same paying i0se Ca
as the heavier wagons |; thus, .insseao oI Sis.
million tons passing over the lhpe .hSt
would only be twenty miiilons anu, as ~
haulage cost is precisely the same, wresne
the tons hauled consist OF paying OF VI non
paying load, it follows tnat 'tnis ehpen:
would be reduced 70 twosns oana;Ser - tbs e eno,
now IS we must also So a ,Hh;c
nous saving 70 lne ps,lttans; s ta;nt;or "na ,ve;ab
Wouid nave 10 pcar .no &c ,t 49, -, N. .a1oo
OF only twenty lniiii'nS Vi '''''' - INV P'"1
o1 nifty mlilons., -. .er-,.,.. ,, - J., s,,y :,
II may occur 70 sone VI ms nSss ~ ~ q =
at this stage Mnesne. ,oeJn'o Js on ~ af
Dullt TO Iaui iarse liain ioauo y. -.
gauge at the same sPeeasA az mh1'n sue
Loads are now takeH on .ne ptSSu aas
My answer W tnls 10 posiuSy q,
Deiore entering on aho.ne. eA"up'o
advantages OF the nafIow gauge, ~ WI
perhaps De well 10 explain why II. Is 'ns
the average paying 'oau no" cafrieu Oh "
Northwestern halfway pears SO SEAL IA Pf|
portion to the weight OF tne wagons empio!
eel IN carrying IL: Ine reasen Is oovlot
enough. Inc railway covers very iafe
area OF country, and penetrates into distrlc'
from which there is very unequal Ira fra1nf N
SO that there must De large average
| onntbar in order 70 .ccomodate tbie traffi
# is impossible to find the same tonnae
leaving the station that enters it, There
also great competition Tor the traffic; sine
most, II not an Oh 'lie large towns touche
moro ny n Ines beIonaina % to pt' o er cownania "ni
and the inhabitants having a choice, tax
care to avail themselves of it by fighting on
u Al fTyrI-
company against the other" The result j
tna' ,'on et'tn % Ionipans 'iies 10 outpia us neig
affording the greatest despatc6 i; This ,ng nral
tically amounts to a competition as t
which company shall run the greatest nun
eei en, ol na,, nlled eS OF empty wagons. slppoS'
ofohairsl or y onantitv Of anv goods Of
sf,tion 70 ho fdrys,.r5ad u y ol,.h - "a,
tion The alton. Sn nnt sIsa,a, T' sia st
chairs or goods until he has . WA con- aop los, m