Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1871-09-28
Narrow Gauge Railroad.

In the same building with the Philadcl-
phia Office ofthe PENNSYLVANIA Steel Works
j. the office Of the Denver and Rio Grande
marrow gauge Railway Company. From
it, obliging chief engineer Captain How
ard schuyler. have dcrivrr many inter
e>fing facts about an enterprise which
wrll-nigh takes rank Ia import ancc aud in
terrs; with the great Pacific roads Il /.
nearly nine hundred miles long. passing
through an unbroken wilderness for
large part OF the way, and is to be built en-
tircly without land grant. It. course /,
httle west Of south. For nearly half II.
length IL Will run along the banks OF the
Rio Grande. and in New Mexico will pa.
through famous old settlements ami past
many outlying forts OF the United Statc-.
IL penetrate, a mining region OF incalcul-
able value. Its maximum estimate of cost,
including equipment. is but Thirteen thou>-
and five hundred dollar, per mile Tn.
plans Of the company were no sooner sub
mitied Ia foreign capitalists than the stock
and bonds were taken and the money
forthcoming. Captain SCHUYLER was en-
gineer upon the Kansas Pacific Railroad.
and naturally institute. hi. comparison,
with that enterprise. The Kansas Pacific
cost about s3.Je0 per mile with equip
ment. against Sl3 800 on the narrow gauge
One uses rail Of SO lbs. per ward, ,h,.
other Of 80 lbs. Graduation is reduced 30
TO so per cent. Weight and cost OF brid.-
ing j. materially reduced. A. i also tn.
cost of round-houses aud car-shops The
| gauge adopted is three feet-twenty and n
half inches less than the gauge OF Penn
sylvania Railroad. The aggregate re,,uc-
ton Of weight IN engine and tender I,
thirty-seven tons. Through the courtesy
| OF Mr.. Converse, OF ths Baldwin I.ocomo-
tive Works. have been shown two ofthese
| miniature engines. They are built on the
model Of their full-sized engines, but in
stead OF weighing 5000 lbs. they weigh
but % 600. and the tender is reduced from
10000 TO GOO lbs. A passenger train Of
four cars on the Pennsylvania Railroad.
taken for comparison, shows a CORES
ponding gain. Thus:
| Z passenger-cars, each seating 5spasssn.
gers and weighing ~ tons. 70 tons
\ oass - 80. '''''''---.....---...'..
Total passenger si2.
| Total weight OF train. 1874 ton.
To carry 30 passengers on the Rio
Grande Railway will require
/ passenger cars, each seating j.. and easa
| weighing tons. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. a. inn.
4 ! baggage car, = tons....................<
| engine and tender... ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. l34
Total train weight. ............... ga ton.
or less than half the weight OF full train.
On the Pennsylvania Railroad the weight
| on drivers Is 70 tons on the narrow-yuaye
locomotives the weight is 10 tons.-thns
showing surplus of power for its work.
In the matter Of freight the statement i,
that whereas on the one road the Dropor
tionate weight Of cars is l to l Of freight.
gu the narrow-gauge the proportion Is / OF
cars TO l-2 Of freight. so that the small
engine will haul twO-thirds as much in
paving matter as the large one. The pas
senger engines have 40-inch drivers. tour
wheels coupled. and one pair leading
wheels under the cow-catcher. with an al
mirable automatic cOntrivance called q
bolster" for easing the locomotive in
rounding curve. The freight engines
are built in the same way, except tina,
have 36-inch drivers. six wheels coupled
Cylinders IL 4 is inches. Weight on driy.
ers 30 900 pounds; total weight IS 900. The
passenger. baggage and smoking car
. were designed and manufactured by the
jackson aud Sharp company Of Whining
ton, Del. The passengerc ears. to seat thirty
q We each. are IS feet long by l-2 feet in
tide width, and l-2 inside height. Heiyh,
alb owe rail to door beams. 2 feet 8 inches.
He light Of centre Of gravity, 5 feet inches
above rail- Angle Of stability, So -2 de-
gre>es.
There Is an abundance Of material for
anOu her column, but close, in fear that
even this may not lind room.