The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-08-16


The subject of narrow gauge railroads
is now attracting considerable attention.
We propose to give in brief the reasons
why they should be built on all new
lines.
LIST. They can be built for much less
than those of a broader gauge; the lat
ter costing $25, 600 per mile, and the
former not more than $4,000 or 1000
per mile. This il an important cOnsid-
I'd. They can carry a. much freight as
any other road, Mr.. Greenwood, man
ager Of the Denver & Rio Grande r. R.,
makes this statement, and his road has
been in operation more than eight
months. The Festiniog road, narrow
gauge, carried l20, 900 tons of freight in
one year and 90, 600 passengers. although
the road is only l311 miles long. This
is more than is done on any road in
Tennessee. Fit SO N1f-i'
The reason that these roads can carry
so much freight ia that they carry so
much less dead peight than broad gauge
roads. In carrying 10000 pounds of
cotton In uncompressed bales, the
amount of dead Wetght carried by a
broad gauge road is 100, 800 pounds
more than on a narrow gauge road. A
stock car on narrow gauge road
weighing 5000 pounds carries nine head
OF the largest western cattle, whilst q
car on the Kansas Pacific (brOad gauge)
weighing 1880 pounds only carries
fourteen head of the same cattle.
A passenger coach on the broad gauge
weighing 5000 pounds only carries
fifty-six passengers, whilst car on
the narrow gauge weighing only 1000
carries thirty-six passengers.
The extra motive power OF the heavy
locomotives on the broad gauge roads is
used not in hauling freight, but in haul
ing dead ,OeigM. ~. ...- -,
Sd. They are SO much safer because
they run SO much nearer the rails,
and because the centre of gravity is so
much lower. Owing to their light loco
motives. freight cars, and passenger
coaches, they are much hess apt to break
bridges and trestles than heavier loco
motives and cars on the broad gauge
roads. rt 1
Oh acs0uat Of having shorter and
narrower cars, they can make much
shorter curves with entire safety. All
admit they are better and safer for
mountainous regiOns; if so, they must
be safer everywhere. They run with
less speed, not making more than
twenty miles per hour, and therefore
they are less dangerous
4th, They gan be opsrated at one third
less expense, because the wear and tear
of the roads is not SO great, and because
80 much less unnecessary weight has to
be hauled.
5th. The passenger coaches can be
made equally as comfortable as those
on broad gauge roads, although they
carry fewer passengers in one coach.
The pumher o. COACHES can ne increased
as the number of passengers increases.
Ten passenger coaches on a narrow
gauge weighing, in the aggregate, 12O. 600
pounds will carry 200 passengers much
more comfortably than four passenger
coaches Oh the broad gauge, weighing
IA 600 will carry the same 200 passen,
gers, In the one case thepe will only
be twenty passengers tn Il coach, and in
the other there viii be fifty passengers
in each coach, In proportion to their
weight, sleeping coaches on the narrow
gauge can he made equally as comtorta>
bic as on the broad gauge.
9Th. Since they can be more cheaply
built and more cheaply operated,
ian carry as much freight and as
many passengers with equal safety and
comfoFt, to say the least, they oan afford
to have much cheaper rates OF transpor-
tation. The cost Of transferring freight
is much more than saved by the re-
duced cost of transportation. For these
and many other reasons we favor the
narrow gauge railroads, especially in a
country unable to raise the means to
build broaa gauge ones.