The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1874-11-16
NARROW GAUGE RAILROADS.

This is subject Of very general inter-
est, inaSmuCh us the narrow or three
foot gauge is evidently gaining ground
and may, in short time in the future,
become the standard of our railways in
the United States Evidently it possesses
many advantages over the present stand
ard, 4 feet s. inches, and these advan-
tagcs have been dilatcd upon and dis
discussed with great care III pamphlet
prepared in Baltimore BY Messrs. RICH-
ARD b. Osborne and CHARLES p. MAN
MING. civil engineers. These gentlemen
are well known in their profession, hay
ing acquired extended and we'll deserved
regulations for merit and scientific ac-
auirement, and their opinions are well
entitled to credit. OF course we could
not expect, in Il short article,
to do justice to their argument
nor even to present it in more
than Il condensed manner. They treat
the subject under eight different heads.
Cost of Construction; Grades and Curva-
turc; Outfit; Speed and Stability; Ope-
rating Expenses, and Maintenance of
wav; Reserve and Dividends; Branch
Lines of 3 feet connecting with roads of
the standard guagc, how made available,
and General Remarks. Under these vari-
Gus heads, figures and tables are produced
to prove the following facts: That in
the case of double track road of each
gauge, passing through country of bold
Typographical features, where the en-
gineer is put to the test to find line
that will afford maximum grade of 40
feet to the mile, with II given minimum
of radius for curvature, and where
he may, in extreme cases
be compelled to adopt a
grade of 50 feet per mile, the cost of the
average standard gauge is 500, 200 per
mile while that of the foot road is
1920, difference IN Hrst cost of S2l 600
per mile. This too is an exceedingly
liberal estimate of the cost of the
4 foot road. As these gentlemen
say: hy constructing 3 foot road, 100
miles long destined to do large coal
tonnage, instead of the standard guagc,
the saving would be sufficient in 10!
years. if compounded at per cent, to re-
nav nil but 5000 per mile of the entire
cost of an extensively constructed road.
Under the second head, that Of curves
and grades, it is shown that in hauling
trains of the same gross weight on differ
.ut grades, the engines Of the ) foot road
will, in every instance, haul either more
uoyiaq ,ce,ght in its train, or if only
hauling the same paying weight, will
have a liqhter train IN the gross 'oeigjtt, en-
abling it to succcssfullyorercome heavier
Grades, than can its standard opponent
The gross weights assumed ON the differ
ent roads and grades are probably the !
average weights of trains employed in
doing heavy coal trade, and the following
,o;nts are made. On u level road, the
gross weight of trains being l,46o tons,
the three foot engines will haul with S'9
tons of cars l,064 tons of coal, against
ZIG tons of cars and 800 tons OF coal on
The 4 foot 8! inch road. Similar results in
favor of the smaller roads are found ON
,rades of 26. A feet, 10 feet and 50 feet per
nile all showing large excess OF monied
ralue of coal tonnage in the smaller, owe
he larger gauge, ~1t is also shown that
he sharp curvature, as now.in use, which
so destructive to the rolling stock OF
he standard gauge, can ~bc' traver'ed
without injury on the three foot gauge
a., A. .h;.l head Outtit N Is +,