Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1871-02-10

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No subject is now engaging moro Of pub
lie attention and speculation. than Narrow
Gauge Railroads. Our neighbors of Abe
marie have lively agitation on the subject
of building one from Charlottesville to
Scottsville, while our neighbor Of the Licking
ton Gazette.is advocating the building Of a
narrow gauge road from Lexington to Go
shen.
These roads have but lately come into
use, and have e1emplifed their utility in con-
Meeting parallel lines of railway as we'll as
bringing hitherto inaccessible sections in di-
rect connection with great railway lines.
They are beginning to be regarded as COM
ing necessity and as destined to become gen
cral by the comparative eheapness with
which they can be constructed and ope-
rated. Indeed, may we not hope to see
terminus of narrow gauge road at Staun-
ton with its serpentine length stretched out
to and through Highland, Pendleton and
other counties adjacent and beyond, furnish
ing quick transportation for the productions
Of that rich and comparatively undeveloped
section and adding largely to the business
Of our mountain city ? This is day of emil
nent progress and the narrow guage road
may be the great improvement needed.
What is to prevent such roads from be-
ing constructed from County Seats and prom
inent Depots in various directions
The subject in all its bearings is now be-
ing generally considered, and as we are
equally interested with the 'rest Of man
kind" it behooves US also to reflect upon
and consider their utility to us.
Apropos to this subject, we copy the fol-
lowing from the Richmond Enquirer, (which
will be read with interest by all ::
More and more attel tion seems to be
drawn to the narrow gauge railroads. In
deed Mr.. Robert E. Fairlie, G. e., of Eng
land, who has given the subject a thorough
examination, prefers the three-foot gauge to
the broad gauge on the main routes. He
was recently invited to 81. Petersburg by the
Gar and afterwards an Imperial commits
sion from Russia attended a conference in
London as consequence Of these discus
sion the Gear has ordered narrow gauge
roads to be built in Russa-we presume as
an experiment.
The State of Ohio, which is always
among the foremost in the march Of i'm
proyement, is moving in the matter. A
company has been organized with capital
of $4OO 600, to build line between Piqua
and Celina, through Miami, Shelby, Anglia
zaine, and Mercer counties. The plan is
identical with that of the Welsh roads The
right of way is to be Is feet Instead Of 40
feet Gas required by our present roads D.
20 lb. iron instead of Sc Id. iron will be
used the locomotives will weigh tons in
stead of 80, and will draw from 10 to 20
loaded freight cars, each having capacity
of two and half tons. The passenger cars
will be constructed to carry twenty persons
A narrow gauge road is already in sue
cessful operation in Ohio, between Akron
and Massillon. It is used for transporting
coal. In Canada an extensive system Of
narrow. gauge roads is building from Toron-
to. as feeders to the trunk lines centering
there. The projectors Of the Buffalo and
Snrinqfeld road are also examining the
Canada system with view to the adoption
of the narrow gauge.
The cost of construction of a narrow
gauge road g feeD is estimated by Mr..
Fairlie to be one-half the cost of 4 feet 8
10 inch gauge. In other words two miles
can be built in the place of enc. Mr.. Fair
lie states that these lines (the feet gauge,
when finished and equipped, would possess
carrying capacity equal to, if not greater
than, that of the broad-gause roads. In
others words they would carry as many
passengers and tons of goods in twenty-four
hours as the best lines now in England -
and that this would be done at greatly re-
duced cost, Independently Of the reduced
wear and tear of the permanent way, and of
the value of the increased life Of the rail-
This is illustrated in the following man,
ner Tt is recognized fact that the pro-
portion of non-paying to paying weight in
passenger trains is as much as ~ to l, and
in goods trains, exclusive of minerals, az
7 to /. This terrible disproportion is due
partly to the system pursued but in far
greater degree to the gauge. The dead
weight Of trains is in exact proportion to the
gauge on which they run ; or, in other
words, the proportion Of non paying to pay
ing weight is increased exactly as the rails
are farther apart, because ton of materials
disposed on narrow guage is stronger, as
regards its carving power, than the came
weight when spread out over wider basis.
The Festining railway in Wales, with a
gauge of 1 foot II 10 inches, has wagons
on It for carrying timber which weigh II
cwt., and they frequently carry load of
over three and a half tons at speed OF
twelve miles an hour In other words they
carry sia times their olo1a weight whilst the
best wagons on the ordinary English roads
do not carry as much as twice their weight.
Mr.. Fairlie's idea seems to be not only to
introduce system of lateral roads, with
very narrow gauges like the Festining. as
feeders to the min lines; but be believes
that the main lines themselves ought to
have gauge of three feet instead of four
feet eight and half inches The vast re-
yolution which will be effected in our rail
road system, if these views are even partial
ly realized, it would be difficult to compute.
If some of our own people who are SO much
exercised with regard to the subject Of rail
road facilities would tap one Of the main lines
passing through the State with road on the
plan of the narrow gauge Welsh roads, they
would get out of the woods sooner, we
should like to see such a road attempted
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