Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1872-07-24
Narrow Gauge Railways.

nplu al 81 lN'Nirf hh0 NN''''i - '''' '+''
e.,inr facts which. backed up as they are by |
undoubted evidence we propose to give to
our readers this week, even at the risk Of
being somewhat long We bespcak for them
careful perusal.
1t is an undoubtcd fact that the want Of
railway facilities is almost universal The
simple question to be determined then is how
railroad which can be run at profit may
be more generally constructed so as to meet
this want For this purpose two great os-
scutias are requisite, viz; efficiency aud
cheapnoss Of construction, and diminished
expense in working.
In the matter Of cost Of construction, the
expense Of narrow guage, which is fixed at
three feet is placed at one.balf that Of a
broad ruaec or ruage Of four feet aud eight
inches. The Convention ask the most thor
ough inquiry aud scrutiny into this part Of
their report, and are prepared to verify their
statement in this particular to the fullest ex-
tent. The Convention were very naturally
unable to see the propriety Of unnecessarily
taxing the industries Of the country for build
ing the broad guage road. when the narrow
ruage had been found amply sufficient to
transact the bushes. Of the country, enabling
it to provide itself with railroad facilities at
onc.half cost, thus insuring low rates for
fregbts
As to narrow rnagc supplies such as rails
locomotives, cars, etc, the construction Of
roads Of this character from twenty to one
hundred and fifty miles in length, shows most
coucusiyely that American skill, ingenuity
aud energy has been equal to the emergency.
In regard to the cost Of operating narrow
ruage roads, it must be borne in mind that
the opinion and practice Of all roads prove
that when the business exceeds a certain ex-
tent, it is cheaper to construct double
track, the interest on the same to be added to
the operating expenses. And it should be
borne in mind that the double track narrow
guage will not cost as much as the broad
guage single track; hence the narrow can, un
der all circumstances, furnish cheaper trans
portation than the broad.
Dead weight, that bane of all railroad
operations, is much less on the narrow thai
on the broad guago roads Accurate stats
tics show this difference for full carloads to be
for passengers, in the ratio Of more than TIVE
to one, and this proportion is still greater pc
, ton in the transportation of freight 1t SHOULD
be borne in mind, too, that this proportion !
, much more favorable to narrow euage road
when the cars are only partially filled.
The proportion of dead weight to payin
freight on Southern railways is even muc
greater than it is in the West aud Northwest
In a word, their railways have a capacity ia
in excess Of the business Of that section Ell
f failing high rates upon them and thus retard
] ing development which cheap narrow-gaug
T. roads, with their low rates. would stimulat
= into great activity.
t These comparisons would seem to be suff
e cient to settle the question so far as the econ
{ omy Of the narrow gauge is concerned, bu
n it may be well to look into the question Of th
j. reduced wear and tear in consequence of tn
. use of light machinery and rolling stock.
n we assume that the repairs of machinery an
.. rolling stock are in direct ratio to its cos
g reduction for the narrow gauge would
j about fifty per cent, which is the difTerenC
l. in the first cost
It The expenditure Of power and ordinary r'
e pairs should be held strictly correative, an
o yet there can be no doubt but that all I'll
j. parts Of the narrow gauge machinery and rol
i ing stock, being relatively stronger, and Il
> shocks to which they are exposed being 50 muC
h lighter, both cars and locomotive will run wi
% much less repairs than has been generally G
rs timated.
t. On the broad gauge by the action of ia
,e passenger trains the ends of the rails a
or beaten to pieces, the surface abraded, d
It's ties splintered, the fibre Of the wood cut u
n der tho iron, weak joints rapidly made wori
ar SO that each succeeding wheel falls with an
creasing force upon the ends of the yield
on rails, by the tremendous forces developed
nd the passage of their enormous weights at hi
Ir. speed The lightest broad gauge coach weig
of about 6 tons, or 80 600 pounds, empty, a
re hammers the rail joints with 1000 pounds
Sc, each wheel. When loaded and driven oN
lie. the rails at twenty-five or thirty miles |
he hour, the weight of the blow is enormous a
all terribly destructive to the superstructu
Int crushing out the best rail in five or six yea
lu- The passenger car of three feet gauge wo,
a only hammer the rail with 800 pounds
es wheel. The same truth applies to LOGON
tives. A thirty ton locomotive, and its o
es- ed tender, weighing about seventeen tons,
a total of forty seven tons, will exert pr
sure of nearly six tons on each driving Wit
When driven at "A high speed the strain "
lis the track is terribly destructive.
en- The Fairlie" engine constructed for n
ng- row gauge lines bears its whole load, incl
M ing wood aud water, on the driving whe
Mt thus utilizing the whole weight in the W
me of hauling the train. Instead of an eng
on carrying forty-seven to fifty tons to obt
cal the power of twenty, we have an eng
on weighing twenty tons and no more and
eat load distributed over eight wheels, with
OF pressure of two and half tons per wit
RED instead Of nearly six tons, as with the br'
in' gauge. The action upon the rolling stocl
nth the same as upon the track. The wheel
ing ceives a blow of precisely the same weight
'ia that which it administers to the rail at
'ne joint, and the shock is transmitted to
BILE axle, except what is taken up by the sprir
ng, and the yielding of the parts Of the wi
so structure of the engine or car The saw
ac' of dead weight transported is so much sa
de- from the grand total of this destructive ag