The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-05-25
Narrow Gauge Railroads.
A Question Of Interest i'm
West Virginia.

Mr.. RICHARD B. OSBORNE, Chief En-
gineer of the Western Maryland rail-
road, is about to publish..an essay on
railroads from which the following in
teesting particulars in relation to mar
row gauge roads are extracted. They
will be found especially useful and in
teresting to persons in our own State
who are contemplating the construction
of such roads.
According to Mr.. Osbornes estimate,
there are now $4,000 miles of railroad
IN this country, costing, on an average,
$4,000 per mile. Had $1,000 miles OF
these been constructed on the three-foot
gauge, at a cost per mile Of $4,000,
there would have been saved S225, OO0,-
600 of money, enough to build $4,000
miles OF narrow gauge roads, which
would meet the demands OF almost every
part OF the country now needing taclll-
ties for transportation and communica-
ton. We recommend the article to the
careful persual Of our readers, and refer
them for the remainer to Mr.. Osbornes
pamphlet, which will soon he pub
lished.
CAN THE GAUGE BE NARROWED ADvAN-
TAGEoUSLY.
To the question: at there any rea-
son why the present gauge Of our iron
roads should be adopted for our future
railways?" We endeavor to reply.
Can we by the adoption OF a narrower
gauge, obvate that which has proved
more or less detrimental in all the
gauges already tried. from the four feet
eight-and.a-half inches standard up
ward2 If this can be accomplished,
there can be no doubt that the produc-
tiveness of the new lines will exhibit
their value for investments, that stock
holders will be readily obtained, and
that ere score Of years pass, ever district
now unblessed by these benefactors will
own its special line Of railway.
WEAR OF IRoN-rECREAsE OF WEIGHT on
NARROW GAUGE ROADS.
1t is quite certain that a narrower
gauge than four feet eight and.a-hslf
will reduce the unproductive weight Of
trains in somewhat the same proportion
as the gauge is lessened, because less
dimensions Of iron and timber on the
shorter span Of the narrow gauge will
bear the same weight as the wider. If
the dead weight Of trains be decreased,
the weight Of engines will be similarly
affected, and here is certainly one Of the
greatest advantages the narrow gauge
roads will possession the weight Of our
locomotives on the standard gauge in
hicts upon the rails a pressure, trans
mitted with sledging force beyond the
capability Of iron to resist, while the
lighter engines, with maximum weight
of only 1900 pounds, on a single pair
of drivers, will have no power to crush
or lamenate, but will year out the iron,
much as a knife blade is worn on a
whetstone.
PASSENGER CARS.
One of our ordinary passenger cars
will weigh $4,000 pounds, and the aver
age through passengers will be found to
be about twenty-seven to thirty in num-
ber weighing Say 1000 pounds. The
unproductive weight, therefore, exceeds
by eight times the paying weight.
On gauge Of three-feet, car, to ac-
commodate thirty passengers, will not
weigh over $4,000 pounds, or four and
ahalf times in excess Of the paying
weight. In other words, the locomo-
tive on the narrower gauge would have
some seven tons less weight to haul for
each car in its train. To keep up, how
ever, the average number of passengers
on the three-foot gauge line, it will be
necessary to run an additional number
of cars in each train. ] will assume,
then, that five passenger cars are run
on each train on the standard gauge,
and seven on the three-foot gauge.
This will, of necessity, change the un-
productive weight hauled on it from
four and a-half times to six times the
paying weight.
CAPACITY AND WEIGHTS or PASSENGER
CARS.
The weights Of the trains under this
view on the respective gauges will be as
follows:
On the As! gauge,
Net Tons
passenger cars at 5000 pounds.............. $.
baggage and express car y
Weight of engine and tender fl
uaiUhf nj paSSpnQprS IL