Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1872-04-03
Narrow Gauge Railways.


NUMBER sryEN.
No more striking illustration Of the error
Of our present system can be conceived than
is afforded by the daily practice Of magnih-
cent company like the London and North
Western Railway" which, at the present
time be it remembered, is doubling its per-
mauent way through press Of business, and
yet is daily sending out and receiving 400
passengers at Euston Square, 10 carriages
which contain sitting accommodations for
i $500, and which carries its enormous ireights
in quantities averaging less than one ton in
carriages having six times that capacity.
/ Imagine the amount Of capital sunk before
this result was obtained. Conceive the waste
of motive power, the wear and tear of rolling
stock, the destruction Of permanent way the
cost Of staff, all entaied by this curse Of
dead weight and then imagine how easily all
this unmechaucul aud unbusiness.like state
Of affairs might have been prevented--by the
simple adoption Of O suitable rolling stock,
running on a suitable gauge. We ought,
therefore, TO seek to prevent the repetition Of
mistakes elsewhere which have proved so cost
ly and unremunerative in England, and labor
to prevent the extension of system that is
palpably false, but which is not on that ac-
count the less strongly defended aud pro-
tected.
Mr. G. p Bidder stated before the Roy.
al Commission" that great economy might
yet be obtained in the transport Of minerals
over long distances, by means Of railways
laid out under conditions admitting Of very
long trains beis---g''p Iee requirements
generally limited at by Mr. Bhder' have since
been worked out 10 detail, aud reduced to
| practice with results which show his judg.
ment to have been sound as far as it went.
/ But the conditions under which railway is
to be laid out to meet these requirements are
clearly not those which rule the present sys-
tenn Ample experience proves the contrary
showing that no line holcerer full Of buSi-
ness can be porked 10 its full capacity We
are led then Enthusiastically to a narrow gauge,
to the adoption of passenger carriages which
shall be filed or nearly SO, and freight car
riages which shall be almost fully loaded
constructed of a weight which shall bear q
reasonable proportion to their capacity, and
drawn by engines Of great power, permitting
the adoption Of long trains, where the re-
qurcments of traffic render it necessary. 1t
would seem very simple aad self evident
fact that the means Of conveyance should be
fairly proportional to the amount to be con-
veyed and one would think that it would be
sufficient to point out to countries contempla-
ting the construction or great extension OF
railways, and looking to England aud En-
glish practice as model, that the best
labors of English engineers, after thirty
years experience, have given us a railway
system on which it is necessary to have 4
tons Of carriages for every ton Of freight,
and from 10 to 20 tons of carriages for ev-
cry ton of passengers.
1t is now, however pretty widely under
stood that it can only be on a narrow gauge
railway that full measure of usefulness can
be obtained, and proper proportion betw
paying and non-paying load be secured and
this is because the amount Of motive power
being comparatively unlimited, better paying
trains can be carried on the narrow than on
the broad gauge. The reform is effected by
the adoption of suitable rolling stock, in
which dead weight is kept down by the small
ness Of the gauge but in which ample capacity
is obtained. Such carriasss exactly meet the
difficulty, which is one Of the great causes Of
dead weight on four feet eight and one-hali
inch gauge namely, the transmitting Of pas
sengers and freight Wig ever practicable to
their destination without changes. With the
small carriages the expense attending this
proceeding is reduced to the lowest possible
cost, because carriages half or two-thirds
empty would never form necessary accompa.
nments to train aud even if it were not
possible in practice to place a larger share of
the load in each carriage than the present
average, we should have carriages of five tons
capacity, weighing one and one-half tons, in
stead Of others of the usual weight, carrying
the one ton average.