Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-09-09
Narrow Gauge.

A
ri+os sr,,a,ns fro, nor,,. call
"ti1O' 90 iO'o"' ii0'H Neife'' Soi0' "u0'
MY main OBJECT IN coming TO tins busy noun
tain town was to study the practical operation
OF marrow gauge railroads, Tor It was here, be-
lleye, the hrst systematic experiment was tried,
ana II IS mere that the question OF It's success is
to be determined.
The Denver and Rio Grande rallroad-three
feet gauge-has been completed TO Pueblo, a
distance OF I2o mlleS. branch line thirty
miles long, running 10 recently discovered coal
mines, IS under contract and Will be finished be-
fore winter sets IN. In the meantime the main
me VIII oe steauliy pushed SouthWard 10 New
Mexico and the Rio Grande, with Mexico for its
ObJectRe polnl' Nhen completed 1t VIII form
a continuous line oil nine hundred miles, run
nlng along the eastern base OF the Rocky noun
Jams, tapping a great cattle, gram and wine
raising country, and opening TO American enter
PRISE the famous silver mines oil Mexico. Aud
il Will be built without government aid and
with Dut SllSht local SUBSIDY, the projectors
trusting TO the development of the country,
with lis immense mineral and agricultural
wealth, for the reward of their enterprise. And
that reward promises to be more speedy and
generous than the most Sangulne anticipated
when the work was begun. The present earn
ingS OF the road yield handsome income on
the money invested. The cars, one train day,
are crowded with passengers, and the capacity
OF the company is fully taxed TO meet the
freight demand. rs the road doing a good
business" | asked prominent citizen. "Doing
the best business OF any railroad coming in here
Doing better business than the Kunsas Pacific
with its eastern connections, and doing it more
satisfactorily TO the public" he replied. And
this seemed TO be the general opinion.
what surprises me greatly is the speed, ease
and apparent safety with which trains may be
run on the narrow gauge. Railroad men tell
me-and broad gauge employees, tOo--that there
is no difficulty in running twenty-five and thirty
miles an hour. Indeed, this is done daily on
portions Of the Denver and Rio Grande road
Then there svery little jolting, arring and surg
ing OF the cars. You sit almost as comfortable
as easily as if you were in your own house.
The cars are about as dainty looking as those
of a toy shop; the engines are liliputian. Even
the freight cars look as if they had been gotten
up for holiday amusement. 1t is impossible to
have much faith in these baby looking, obong
boxes until You have rode in them and seen how
smoothly and steadily they fly over the track.
A FEW FIGUREs-CoMPARIsoN OF ROLLING
STOCK.
The engines are modelled after the Pennsylya-
MIA railroad company's standard patterns. Pas
senger engines have 40 inch drivers wheels
coupled. One pair small leading wheels cyln-
ders 9X16 inches; weight on drivers, 20 900
pounds; total weight Of engine $4,000 pounds.
Freight engines, 36 inch drivers, 8 wheels con-
llXl6 inches; weight on drivers, 10000 pounds !,
'oI p,, meiSnt' oo'yVy polLus'
Iassen9er ana baggage cars nave "a inch
seats are arranged with two on ono side and ono
~ a. +L ~, ~ w" W o ollo oi'g @nu oile
handsomely furnished well ventiIoted and o aSO
ceeaino1v f,r, C1r,ohIn a cor1,,orier(r, - -,
we1Yllfs with those of broad ,yaI,,re vii bo,
some of the ADVANTAGES If the 1arro, ,,a,,q,a
Freight ENGINE. leet 81 inches rarrs ,roi,rt+
of driver 60 OO0 nonndS. total ,geif1bT 81 oa
and tender ia 0O0 nonnds ar XII ,nne. la l,
level. exclusive of engine and tender 40 CON, U
Denver and Rio Grande roilyynv 2 boz eot,,ro.
weight of driver 20 00O nonnds iot.I ,,,si'rI+
engine and tender II 900 nonnds or 5oi to h, ~
load on level. exclusive Of en@i9o and tonJor'
722 tons.
Of His load on enu oa,,,ro ro,,l 4,,, .,,.l.,..
tiouate WEIGHT of cars being / I'm one Of freii,6t
there will he. weight ~ cars 73o tons. u,a;,rh
of freipht 700 IONS "0'7" az
On three feet 0aure the nronortionoto ,yeioh,
of cars heinz Ia 81 of frpigbt 700 ha,o. ,;,i
of cars 206 tons. w,ioht az frsiTbt FtG nr
nearly two.thirds the nnvino Inattor ha',ioI' 0
the large enoinr ~
The comnorison will no still mora st,..,i,,.
when we consider the oueetion Of a "a
Statistics show that on fnIi,,gaf,,red roads
pr1portjonate of dead IN nov,n'r S,c,rl,t wy
l. Tins. on full Gougo with 1o"6 ss aho,,a ~ "
144O TONS. we oet. 80 "'''o VI
yvo,ul,+ a.
Weisht Of fraicht ''''''''''''''''''' Aae5 tons
a., -, caa,
VI e'Iiee ieet RauSe' WIN Ioad as ABOVE OF f22
to's' VIC sc''
weight Of cars tons
weight Oh Heigh'''''.''.''.'''''''''.'''.'27s