The Portland daily press., 1873-01-28
The Festini0g Railway.

Ihe resources OF the FeStlnlOg halfway
have just been increased by the addition of
second Fairlie locomotive of the type of the
"Little Wonder" and by some new rolling
stock intended to accommodate the increased
traffic of the summer season.
The engine, which is named the "James
Spooner," has been built by the Avonside
Company at Bristol, and made her trial trips
on the line on Thursday. She does not differ
from the Little Wonder in any important
respect, but has been improved upon in some
minor details, among which should be men
toned regulating apparatus, the contrivance
of Mr.. Percy Spooner, by means of which the
driver can work the two engines. either sep
arately. or in combination. On the 2ft. Tor
rather lift. IA IA in.) gauge of the marvello us
little railway the engine descended from
Duffs to Portmadoc, distance of IA IL
miles, at an average speed of 30 miles an hour,
and was pushed to speed of so miles an
hour on one portion of the journey. When
passing at this rate over straight line, her
course was as perfectly smooth as that of
tramway car, and only in going round the
sharpest curves, curves of two chains radius
or less, was tie smallest oscillation percepti-
ble to those standing either on the driving or
on one ofthe bogie platforms. The slight os-
cillation then produced was not a to-and-fro
lateral movement of the engine as whole,
like that of an ordinary locomotive, but an
alternate rising and falling of the sides of the
carrier frame, and was supposed to be due to
the elasticity of some indiarubber packing on
which this frame is supported. The engine
being quite new, and, hardly settled to her
bearings, no attempt was made is test her
traction power to the full extent; but this
will certainly not be inferior to that of
ty tons herself, is able to draw
train a ql arter of mile in length, and
weighing 213 tons, at the rate of ten miles an
hour, up an uninterrupted ascent which aver
ages in 90, and reached in SO at its steep
est part. So winding is the road that with
train of this leL 9Th, the occupants of the last
carriage only get glimpse tr,h engine eng ve
log Railway follows course, much Ike that
of path cut for tourists in mountainous
country, bending round cliff-sides, passing
through deep cuttings, and overhung by
frowning precipices.
The new passenger rolling stock, like the
engine, is mounted ON double bogies, each
bogie platform having four wheels. The car
riages are six feet wide, and thirty-six feet
long; and are composite, containing first, sec
ond, and third class compartments. Each
compartment holds six passengers comforta.
bly,. Before completing the superstructure,
Mr.. Spooner, the engineer of the line, tested
the practicibility of the carriages by running
| platforms of the same size, and he found that
| they made their way round the curves with
perfect smoothness. For the goods traffic of
the line, which consists of states, coal, timber
and general merchandise, he does not pro-
pose to alter the small wagons already in
-. kl,<x e..
| which they can be moved and handled, and
| the small amount of non-paying weight in
| volved in their employment, are found in
| practice to more than compensate for the alb
| senee of great cubic capacity. When the
| trials of the day were over, Mr.. Spooner en-
| tertained the visitors on the occasion at din
ner, and, in response to his health, entered
somewhat fully into the question of the utility
| of narrow7gauge railways. He said that
he thought gauge of two feet, six inches
| was ample for every purpose to which a
| railway could be applied, and that the diminu-
| ton of the dead weight of the rolling stock.
| by facilitating stoppage in cases of danger.
| would render high speeds more safe on such
| a line than on one Of the ordinary gauge of
Aft. sin, Referring to the CONTROVERSY now
in progress with regard to the future gauge
| of India, Mr.. Spooner said that the supposed
difficulty of carrying bulky goods, such as un-
| prtSScu CottOI, Ol q udITOW gauge was un-
reasonable. His own rolling sock was con-
structed with a view to a heavy traffic; and
would require modification for trvfic of diff
ferent description. But he would undertake
to carrylou the Festiniog Railway as much un-
pressed cotton as could be carried on the
| Bombay and Baroda, and that without the
smallest difficulty orinconvenlence. With re-
gard to the break of gauge, it only wanted
well-consdered mechanical arrangements
His railways formed sort of junction with
the Cambrian Railway at Minfford: and LARGO
quantities of coal and slate, not to sneaL q
other merchandise, were interchanred ho
tween the two lines. He found that ~ w
men, working steadily, could transfer loo tow,
Of coal per day from the Cambrian tn ths
Festiniog trucks; so that the break of oo,,n VI,
added not more than one penny per ten Sa's =
the price OF Goals in the district snnn,;ed led - =
tne latter railway. In conclusion. he na;d
warm tribute to the public services repdere, %
oy Mr.. Fairlie, whose engines ;ncrsose
nearly threefold the carrying capacitv of Fan an,
line to which they were applied. y "'
In wales the gauge of the Festinior Rail
way is about to be much extended. 4 simi
lar line will shortly be opened from Portma
doc through Beddgelert to Bettwsy- Coed, an,
others are projected in different directions
while twelve Fairlie engines, resembling tn,
"James Spooner," have already been ordoret
for the purpose of working them.-Lond0r
| Times Dec rs,