The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-02-11
From the Richmond Enquirer
The Narrow Guage.

From the Richmond Enquirer
The Narrow Guage.
More and more attention seems TO he
drawn to the narrow guage railroads.
Indeed Mr.. Robert F. Fairlie, c. +. OF
England, who has given the subject a
thorough examination, prefers the three
foot guage to the broad guage en- main
routes. He was recently invited to ST.
Petersburg by the Car; and afterwards
an Imperial commission from Russia
attended a conference in London; as a
consequence Of these discussions the
Car has ordered narrow guage road
to be built in Russia--we presume as an
experiment.
The State Of Ohio, which is always
among the foremost in the march Of
improvement, is moving in the matter.
A company has been organized with a
capital of. 100000 to build line be-
tween Piqua and Celina, through
Miami, Shelby, Anglaize, and Mer,
Ger counties. The plan is identical
with that of the Welsh roads. The
right of way is to be l5feet instead of 40
feet las required by our present roads,
20 ID. iron instead OF DO 10. iron will
be used; the locomotives will weigh D
tons instead of 80, and will draw from
10 to ~ loaded freight cars, each haV-
ing a capacity OF two and half tons
The passenger cars will be constructed
to carry twenty persons.
A narrow gauge road Is already in
successful operation in Ohio, between
Akron and Massillon 1t is used for
transporting coal. In Canada an ex'
tensive system OF narrow gauge roads is
building from Toronto, as feeders to the
trunk lines centering there. The pro,
iectors of the Buffalo and Springfield
road are also examining the Canada
system with view to the adoption o.
the narrow gauge.
The cos; Of construction OF narrow
gauge road 6 feet) is estimated by Mr.
Fairlie to he one.haJ the cost Of a
4 feet - inch gauge In other words
two miles can be built in the place Of one.
Mr.. Fairlie states that these lines (the
3 feet gauge), when finished and equip
ped, would possess q carrying capacity
equal to, if not greater than, that Of the
broad gauge roads. In other 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 re.
duced wear and tear OF the permanent
way, and of the value Of the increased
lie of the rail.
This is illustrated in the following
manner: 1t is recognized fact that
the proportion OF non-paying TO paying
weight in passenger trains is as much
as 20 to |, and in goods trains, exclu'
sive Of minerals, as much as to |.
This terrible disproporton 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 guage on which they run; or in
other words, the proportion of non-pay,
ing to paying weight Is increased ex-
actlv az the rails are further apart, be.
cause a ton of materials disposed on a
narrow guage is stronger, as regards its
CARRYING power, than the same weight
when spread out over a wider basis.
The Festiniog railway in Wales, with
a gauge of foot II II inches, has
wagons on it for carrying timber which
weigh IL cwt., and they frequently
carry a load of over three and halt
tons at speed Of twelve miles an hour.
In other words, they carry SIR times
their o,cn 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 a system OF lateral
roads, with very narrow gauges, like
the Festiniog, as feeders to the main
lines; but he believes that the main
lines themselves ought to have gauge
Of three feet instead Of four feet eight
and half inches The vast revolution
which will be effected in our railroad
system, if these views are even partially
realized, il would be difficult to com
pute. If some of our own people who
are so much exercised with regard &c
the subject of railroad facilities, would
tap one of the main lines passing
through the State with a 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 at
tempted from Harrisouburg to Cor