The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1873-04-03
For the CrT1zEN.l
Narrow VS.. Broad Guage Rail
roads.
NUMBER 4.

EDITOR CITIZEN :-The opposition we
now consider is, will narrow-guage
roads meet the general wants of the
country? In order to arrive at an in
telIigent conclusion upon this subject,
we will examine facts furnished by the
results of narrow-guage roads now in
use, and if the transportation of freight
and passenger fare are reduced, the pro-
ducts of the country moved and divi-
dends increased, then it follows that
these roads are blessing to the public.
The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad
Company are constructing a three-feet
guage road over a wild, UndevelOped
country lying between the Union Pacif-
ic Railroad and the Rio Grande, dis
lance of over $50 miles. About 100
miles of this road is now built at cost
of $13,5OO per mile, and fully equipped.
The following comparison, by railroad
experts, between the Pennsylvania
and Denver railroads is of peculiar in
terest just here:
The usual load of passenger
trains ON the Pennsylvania
road consists OF passenger
ears, seating 53 passengers
each, and weighing ..... -I52, 900 lbs
baggage car, weighing 80. $4,000 "
Engine and tender. .- los, 900 "
Total. -. ....... 2S5, goo lbs
This train accommodates 2l2 passen-
gers, if full.
The same number of passen-
gers on the Denver 3-fLet
guage require 6 passenger
cars, weighing ........ 50, OGO lbs
l baggage car, weighing 49,. 5000 g
Engine and tender ....... $1,000 4"
Total ................... .l2S, 900 lbs
Or less than one-half of the weight of
the standard train to do the same bust
ness. In the freight train the COMPARE
son is about as follows:
! Freight Eng, standard guage,
weight of cars. ...........- 72O tons
! Weight of freight. ........., .720 tons
On the 3-feet guage the proportionate
weight of car to load is one to two and
one-fourth of freight. We have:
Weight of cars ...............2 O6 tons
freight. ..-.-...-..-- .blS -
Or nearly nine, tenths of the paying
weight hauled by the large engine.
The largest locomotive on this road
weighs 2O>a tons. The passenger cars
seat comfortably "a passengers, and
weigh, with two closets and stoves, 49,
600 pounds. Their freight cars weigh
4 $500 pounds and carry load of 10000
pounds, or nearly three pounds IF load to
one Of car. One ton of coal runs train
of rs tons of freight at the rate of 20
miles per hour. The round trip of I52
miles costs about $50, or too and one
third tons one mile for one cent.
The railroads of Russia have been re-
duced from 6 feet to feet 6 inches, car
rying passengers At a cost of one and
one-half cents per mile, and freight at
two cents per ton per mile. The Ullen-
borg road in Sweden, feet z inches
guage, carries 100000 passengers annu-
ally at two and one-sixteenths cents
per mile, and 327, 900 tons of freight at
two and five-sixteenths cents per mile
per ton, at speed of 50 miles per hour
"a 10 per cent. dividend. The Festini-
og hallway, 2Sts inches guage, trans
ports yearly 100000 passengers at one
cent per mile, and carries 100000 tons
of freight at one-third cent per ton
per mile; dividends 40 per cent per an
mum. The Hainer road in Norway
80 inches guage, carries passengers at
three cents per mile and freight at two
and ive-sixteenths cents per mile pei
ton; speed, Is miles per hour; annual
dividends, nearly II per cent. Now
from the above facts, which can be
greatly multiplied, together with the
fact that the carrying capacity of a rail-
road cannot depend upon its guage but
upon the number of trains put upon It.
is It not apparent to the mind that a
narrow-guage win meet all the demand;
OF our section of the country in the way
of passenger and freight traffic, and al
the same time grearly reduce rates Of
freight and travel, and develop ouI
country more rapidly and at a much
less cost than the broad-guage system
A. COX.
/