The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1871-08-31
Rail. s. lbs. per yl.


81 tons rails, at 5000. .St,o9O w
400 spices, at : 90 ,.,,....... 400 W
800 lbs. spikes, ut cents ......,.. ..2l5 w
2,2Gi cross-ties, at 40 cents .,"l o56 W
5000 yds. carthwork, at 30 cts .,......3 400 w
Laying one mile Of track .....,,,,,..... ..5OOOO
Total ..........,... .$lO,72l 90
Gauge, 3 #. Rails, 80 lbs. per sd,
AZ toms rails, a. SO 90 ........... *3 G62 SO
$50 spliccs, at 4p cents ,....,...,,.l 100 90
3,j20 lbs. spikes, at cts ... ......... ~ Zo
$500 oss-tics, at 80 cts D.. .,...,...l i 900 90
200 yds. of cartll-work, at 80 cts -, 100 OO
Laying one mile Of track k....,,..,,.,. .,3OO w
Total l.....,............. 7,454 20
The item of ballast is left out of this
estimate, because, in many cases espe-
cially at the West, this forms no part
of the original cost Of construction. A
much greater saving in the amount Of
earthwork may often be made by the
Introduction Of curves sharper than
would be admissible in tirst-class
road of the ordinary gauge. The above
estimate is also exclusive Of the bridg-
ing; so that, all things being consider
ed, ifa certain line of road can be
built OH the common gauge costs $lo.-
900 per mile, we may safely assume
that q road can be built along the
same line, on the three-feet gauge, for
Sl1 900 per mile. Let us consider the
application of these two systems to u
line 100 miles long; supposing, for the
time being, that the running crPenseS
are the same on either line, and that
the carrying capacity of the lesser road
is equal to the requirements OF the
traffic. The cost of construction, ac-
cording to our assumed figures, will
he, for the common gauge, 81 ,5OO,O 900,
and for the three-foOt gauge, SlOO,0OO.
We will assume that the net earnings
of the road of common gauge, after
paying running expenses, interest on
bonds, etc., are $50, 900 psr annum, or
a dividend Of ten per cent. to stock
holders. The road Of lesser gauge does
the same work at the same price, and
therefore has the same income; but
the expenses are less by the interest on
the amount saved in construction.
Hence the net earnings, over and
above all expenses, will be $l7S,OOO,
allowing seven per cent. interest ON
bonds. This gives dividend to stock
holders of Is 1S-10O per cent. With
such figures before them, capitalists
and railway directors will hardly fail
to investigate the subject closely. But
this is not all. There will be found
nearly, if not quite, as great q propor-
tional saving in the running expenses
of the road of three-feet gauge. The
distribution of the road and the weight
of rOlling.stock is such, that the light
rails Of this gauge will last quite as
long as the heavier ones of the COM
mon gauge; hence repairs to track
will be no more frequent, but much
less expensive. The same may be
said of repairs to rolling-stock. The
great gain, however, is in the econO-
MIXING Of engine-power. BY the use
of the Fairlie Swivel Truck Engine,
the entire weight of engine and tender
Is utilized in producing tractive pow
er. The proportion of the necessary
weight Of car to weight of load is much
reduced with the size OF the car, and Is
still further reduced by the use of
another late invention; /. g., the coup
ling of cars is effected through rods ex-
tending from the centre of the car to
the ends, thus relieving the frame of
the car from the strain Of draught. |
On the ordinary gauge Of 4. feet, the |
average weight of q common box-car |
is ten tons, and its maximum, load the |
same. On the other hand, estimates
made by Mr.. Fairlie for rolling-stock to |
be used on roads of three. feet gauLe
show that bOx.cars weighing one and !
half tons are capable of carrying four
tons of load. Allowing a margin for
contingencies, it will be safe to assume,
that, whereas on the cOmmon-gallge
roads the proportion of paying load
to dead weight is one to one, on the
three-feet gauge it Is two to one. The
consequences Of such a fact are obvious. |
The above statement of the ratios be.
tween paying and dead loads will only
hold in the case Of fully loaded cars
but, in the case of partly loaded cars
and way traffic, the comparison be-
tween the two gauges will be still more
favorable to the narrower. Several
objections are made to the narrow
gauge system. II is said that the COM
fort of passengers will sacrificed. But
Ii Is not hard to foresee, that, al
thD,Ivli the haivht of cari NAV be