The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1871-07-27
Ano&rson ynteAigerrter>
The Narrow Gauge.
PHILADELPHIA, June 20, 1871.

Samuel Wszkeson, Esq, Secretary Northern Pa-
cifc Railroad:
The subject of railways with gauges mar
rover than the present standard has already, in
this country, become of very great Importance,
and many professional and amateur engineers
have rushed into print with statistics to show
the immense superiority of such roads, In econ
omy of construction, and actual carrying ca
pacity 1t has been reserved for the Denver
and Rio Grande Railway to demonstrate, prac-
tically, how such economy is effected, and in
what manner it is proposed and to make their
road, constructed on the three-foot gauge, as
sufficient in point of carrying capacity, as roads
oftstandard gauges as at present conducted
While the discussion has proceeded in pa
pers, magazines, and pamphlets, the builders
of the Denver and Rio Grande line h2ye been
steadily at work, until now the first so miles of
the line is graded, bridged, and tied; rolling
stock completed and nothing but the perverse
DELAYS in the arrival of the iron hinders the
completion of the road and its opening for
traffic.
The construction and capacity of this rolling
stock alone furnish the solution of these two
questions of economy and capacity, and the
statistics below given will prove OF very great
interest to every one who knows what rail-
way is.
The engines adopted for this guage are of the
same patterns as the standard engines in use on
the Pennsylvania Railroad, with but slight
notifications and>were adopted after careful
comparison of those in use on both foreign and
home roads,
The passenger engines have four driving
wheels of sc inches diameter, and one pair
leading-wheels cylinders, 9xl6 inches; weight
on drivers, with water in the boilers, 10000
pounds; total weight, $4,000 pounds. A four
wheeled tender accompanies it, weighing $4,000
pounds empty.
inches diameter, with one pair leading-wheels; (;
cylinders. 1Ox16 inches; weight on drivers 25,-
O0Opounds and total weight of 10000 pounds.
Tender weighs $4,000 pounds empty.
In the construction of passenger cars, there
has been, perhaps, too much Difference paid to
preiudices in favor of existing patterns to OBJ
tain the full benefits of the narrow-gauge sys-
tenn. These cars have the following dimen-
siors Length, 95 feet; length, including plat
forms, 40 feet height inside TO centre of dome,
feet inches diameter of wheel, "a inches;
height Of floor beams above rail, q inches;
capacity, 35 passengers. These cars are hand
somely finished in the style of the Pullman car,
and give the same seating-room as the cars OF
the Pennsylvania Road. They are thoroughly
ventilated and comfortable, and are eight
wheeled, with an arrangement of springs which
makes them very easy on track Their weight
is $4,000 pounds. Freight cars are made of
present patterns, but are four-wheeled They
weigh but 1000 pounds, while having capaci-
ty Of 10000 pounds.
This is but short and imperfect description
of this rolling stock, but is necessary to ready
comprehension of results given below-results
based on actual comparison of actual power of
engines and actual weights of rolling stock on
az ND footS inn
y.
We have taken the Pennsylvania Railroad
for purposes of this illustration, because it is
ably managed and near at hand. The standard
passenger engine in use on that road has q
weight on drivers of 10000 pounds or just
double the capacity of the engine on the Den
yer and Rio Grande, but has a total weight in
Guiding tender, of 100000 pounds, or 524 tons
Their usual local passenger train consists of:
tons
passenger cars, seating SO passengers
each, and weighing each 10000 pounds,
engine and tender. 523
This train will accommodate 2l2 passengers,
Is full
To carry the same number of passengers on
the three feet gauge, we requires.
tons
6 passenger cars, seating each S5 passen-
gers, and each weighing tons......."...."..4S
baggage
engine and tender.
Total weight ...72
or less than one-half the total weight OF the
train on the standard gauge. Then since the
smaller engine has one-half the power of the
larger, it follows that it can readily take its
load wherever the larger engine can go; and
on the authority Of w. Baird & Co., who from
their long experience may certainly be consld-
cred trustworthy in such matters, can take it at
speed of thirty-six miles per hour as readily
as the other can run forty miles per hour.
But follow this out in freight traffic, which Is
the paving traffic of any road, and sec the re-
suit.
The capacity of the freight engine on
three feet gauge is, on average low
grades ................~.........405 tons
Deduct engine and tender.".......... 223 tone
Leaving for load d..............--.3S21 tons
Cars weigh 2 tons to carry tons, of
this load the 2-7 would be cars, or
toiis
Leaving for paying freight...."..27O tons
On standard gauges freight engines
having double the weight on drivers
will have double the capacity, or...S10 tons
Deduct engine and tender.."."."...... 60 tons
Leaving for .."....".75O tons
Cars weigh 10 tons and carry 10 tons,
then Of load one-half will be weight
of cars tons
Leaving for paying freight tons
This shows an actual capacity for the mar
row-gauged freight engines of nearly. three
fourths that of an engine of more than %
times its weight.
But we have supposed, in this case, that cars
on both gauges are always filled, which, unfor-