The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1871-07-29
Tho Marrow aauu..>

sion With refessnce to the praotioability
OF, nartows gauge RAILROADS. We publish
the fol lowing Interesting communication
oif thesubj cot; lad ddressed I'd the Sscreta.
rY.of The Northern Pacific Railroad:
Tho subject OF railways with gauges
narrower than the present standard has
already, in this country, become OF very
great Importance. and many professional
and amateur engineers have rushed into
print with statistics to show tue immense
superiority of anch roads in economy OF
construction and actual carrying eapaoi-
ty. It has been reserved for the Denver
and Rio Grande Railway to demonstrate,
practically, how such economy is effected.
aud in what manner it is proposed. and
to make their road constructed on tie
three-foot gauge) as sufficient, in point
of carrying capacity, as roads Of stan
dard gauges, as at present conducted.
While the discussion has proceeded in
papers, magazines and pamphlets, the
builders OF the Denver and Rio Grande
line have been steadily at work, until
now, the first eighty miles Of the line is
graded, bridged and tied. rolling stock
completed, and nothing but the perverse
delays in the arrival Of the iron binders
the completion Of the road and its open
ing for traffic. The construction and
capacity of this rolling stock alone fur
nish tho solution OF these two questions
Of economy and capacity, and the statis-
tics below given will prove Of very great
interest to every one who knows what q
railway is. The engines adopted for this
gauge are of the Same patterns rs tho
standard engines in nso on the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad, with but slight modifica-
| finnp oN6 oIo e..l
comparison Of thoae in use on both
foreign and home roads. The passenger
engines have four driving wheels, Of
thirty six inches diameter, and ono pair
Of leading wheels; cylinders, 9xl6
inches; weight on drivers, with water in
the boilers, 20. GOO pounds; total weight,
25. 900 pounds. A four-wheeled tender
accompanies it, weighing $1,000 pounds
empty. Freight engines have six driv-
ing wheels, thirty six inches in diameter.
with one pair of leading wheels; cylin-
ders, 10x16 iuchos; weight on. drivers,
25, 900 pounds. and total weight OF
80. 900 pounds. Tender weighs Is, QUO
pounds empty.
/ In the construction Of passenger cars,
there has been, perhaps, too much dcfe-
renee paid to prejudiccs in favor of e1.
ia.;ug, pnt!erna to obtain the full benefits
Of the narrow gauge system These cara
hive the following Dimensions: Length,
thirty i've feet; length, including plat
forms. forty feet; height inside to centre
of dome, seven feet nine inches; diame-
ter of wheel, twenty-four inches; height
of floor beams above rail, twenty seven
inches; capacity, thirty-tive passengers
These oars are handsomely finished, in
tho style of the Pullman car, and give
the same seating room as tho cars OF the
Pennsylvania Road. They are tho
roughly ventilated and omfortnble and
are eight-wheeled. with an arrangement
of springs which makes them very eusA,
on track. Their weight is 16, 900 pounds.
Freight cars are nude Of present pat
terms. but are four-wheeled. They
weigh but4 4,U00 pounds, while having II
capacity of 10000 pounds.
This is but a abort and imperfect de-
scription Of this rolling stock, bnt is ne
cessary to ready comprehension Of re-
suits given below-results based on
actual oomparison of actual power of
engines and actual weights of rolling
stock on the three feet and four feet
eight and half inch ganges, respect
lively. We have taken tho pennsylvania
Railrond forpurposes of this illustration,
because it is ably managed and near at
hnnd. The standard passenger engine
in use on that road has q weight on
drivers of 10000 pounds. cr Just double
the capacity of the engine on tho Den
yer ard Rio Gtrande. but hns total
weight, including tender. Of l05, 900
pounds. or Hfty-two and half tons.
Their usual local passenger train con-
sists OF four passenger cars, seating
tifty-three passengers each, and weigh
ing each 1000 pounds, or twenty tons
eighty tons; ono baggage car, fourteen
tons; one engine and tender, fifty-two
and q half ons-total, 146ia tons. This
train will accommodate 2i2 passengers,
if full. 10 carry the same number of
passengers on the three-fect gauge, wo
require six passenger cars, seating encll
thirty five passengers. and euch weigh
ing eight tons-forty- eight tons; one
baggnge car, four tons; one engine and
tender, twenty tons-to:al wuIght, So
ventytwo tons, or less than one-half the
total weight oi the train on the standard
gauge. Then. since the smaller engine
has one-half tho power of tho larger, it
follows that it can readily take it's load
wherever the larger engine cnn go, aud,
on the authority of w. Baird {, %