The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-11-27

- Ell tsfsE xYs I'M IN
/ FIVE AllEgs ION IS EAn9 zaasO III TwEkfY.
ImEE HpuRs. From the Detroit Post,
| lgth, On Sunday, Without The slightest
aeiap sof tile passenger trains. the gauge Of
the Grand Trunk railroad from sarnia TO
Buffalo, a distance OF one hundred and
ntnety.fve miles, was changed from the wide
10 the DarrUw.~a work never before accom-
| plished or attempted. Mr.. G.. y. Bridges.
| the managing director of the road, informed
our reporter yesterday that s0f1s f1ottths
since It was decided to change the gauge oi
The road, experience having proven the mar
row.gauge to be the best in NIL respects.
Beside, nearly ali the connections of this
fOad, especially those in New England, are
flarrow:gatige, atid this chdifge Will obxiate
much of the heretofore necessary delay and
trouble of trans-shipment or change of car
gargei
Once decided upon this change, and the
preparations commenced in eaflesti ut, the
car-shops large force Of men was set to
work manufacturing narrow-gauge cars, and
already 500 freight and 10 passenger cars
have been completed. These viii be used on
the Buffalo line, and the passenger train that
left this city last evening was composed of a
portion of these ten passenger coaches. A
sufficient number of narrow-sauge locomo-
tiyes has also been procured TO operate the
road from this city to Buffalo, In fact, this
line is now unusually well supplied with
roling-stock, most Of which is entirely new.
While the cars, locomotives, ETC., were
Building other preparations were being made
elsewhere. GangS of mel were set TO work
all along the line from Sarnia to Buffalo (the
section between Beforehand Port Huron was
already narrow-gauge), clearing away all OBJ
structing earth and driving the spikes that
were soon to hold the inside flange of the
rails. This done, there only remained the
drawing of the present inside spikes, the
pushing OF the rails over to the newly.driyen
ones, the driving Of still others at the outside
Of the rails. and the gauge Of the road is
changed. This great work was accomplished
in less than single day and night.
At 6 O'Clock Sunday morning the last train
on the road was switched upon a side track
at Stafford, at which hour 600 men, in small
gangs, commenced laborat nearly 100 differ
ent points. The levers with which the spikes
are drawn rs easily and nearly rs rapidly ms
nails pulled with claw-hainmer, were first
brought into play, and the spikes holding the
rails on the inner side were drawn, the rails
pushed over to their new places, the spikes
redliven. and slowly and surely the work
went on, hand-cars following the gangs with
provisions, extra tools, and everything there
was probability would be needed. Each
gan. Of men had Il certain specified section
of road to complete, and Il majority of these
finished their work in fifteen hours but for
forty miles west Of Buffalo about two feet OF
snow had fallen on Saturday, and this had to
be removed with shorels. At > O'Clock yes
terday morning, however, the whole had
been completed, and at that hour Qhe regu-
lar time on Monday morning. a train left
Stratford for the west, and all other trains
ran during the dry the same as usual.
Upon the main line no change of gauge
will be made yet for two years, it being i'm
possible to SOONER construct the immense
number Of cars and locomotives required TO
operate the seven hundred and eighteen
miles of continuous railway between STRAIT
ford and Portland, to say nothing of its hun
drcds of miles Of branch lines. At the eX-
pil7,tion Of that time, however, it is eH-
pccted by the officers of the road that the
gauge both Of the Trunk line aud its
branches will be changed. Mean time shift
gauge cars will be used, the change being eff
tected at Stratlord, thus avoiding trans-ship-
mcnt. TO meet the present requirements OF
the road sixteen hundred of these cars have
been provided. and more are being con-
s.ructeQ.