Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1875-11-05
The Narrower Gauge.
New Departure In Railroad Building,

"A
adopting the narrower standard gaug
which now prevails generally through
! out the United States. But it nov
looks as if even our present gauge of
feet 81 inches is much to broad 10 com
bine proper economy in operating will
the result sought. Not many moon
ago the Sunday Herald in an article oil
railway cars poin ed out the enormous
amount Of dead weight it was now nee
essary to carry with the various classes
of freights and passengers, necessary, be
cause of the lack of economy in con,
struction with much less car weight. 1t
was shown how this might be remedied
but the remedy was of course based up.
on the supposition that the present stan
dard of gauge was to be continued.
But of late years it has been demonstra-
ted that much narrower gauge say
three feet could be made to answer all
the purposes of traffic of the present
railroad system and at a very much
reduced rate of cost. The saving in the
new system seems to be everywhere. In
the first place, it costs less to build the
road bed, because sleeper grades and
sharper curves can be overcome Then
a rail of at least one half the weight
will answer purposes, the saving in this
item alone being very important one.
Engines and passengers and freight cars
are also much lighter, being a saving in
cost Of engine as well as of cars, without
a corresponding loss in power in the lat
ter, owing to the less amount of dead
weight to haul in proportion to the load
carried, and from the additional fact
that
THE NARROWER THE GAUGE
the less power is required to draw a
load, theresistance decreasing in certain
ratio until, if it were possible to operate
such eontrivance a car on single wheels
running on single rail could present
the minimum of resistance to the force
of propulsion,
But it isnot the present purpose to con-
slider the narrow gauge as a system that
will succeed the one now in vogue. On
the contrary, leaving the present sys.
tenn of narrow gauge railway far in the
rear and out of the question as a COM
petitor, let us make still another step in
advance and consider the narrower
gauge in the character of a feeder of
the present trunk lines, whether broad
or narrow gauge, so called. In other
words let us consider an altogether new
departure in railroading. This new
idea is not based on theory alone, but
has received practical illustration of an
extreme kind which admits no doubt
whatever of its feasibility, and if there
is not a mistake somewhere, and the
history of all human experience is at
fault it is destined to accomplish such
revolution in our modes of transit
throughout sections of the country where
ordinary railways in the very nature of
things would never penetrate, as will |
still supersede the use of the stage coach
and the heavy country team now used
to haul the produce of farm and forest
to railway for market. This new de-
parture, this idea of ...
A NARROWER GAUGE RAILWAY,
is the result of the thought and expert
ence of Mr., Geo. E. Mansfield, a native
of Walpole, NJ H., but now resident
of Hyde Park, in this State, where his
advanced work has been carried out.
Mr.. Mansfield, when boy, constructed
small railway on his fathers farm, on
which the cars We're propelled by gravi-
tation, and during his whole life has
had passion for railroading which led |
him to inquire into and become familiar |
with all the details of construction and |
operation of railways. He is a wood
and Woodworking mechanic, and has
made some important improvement in
the running gear of railway cars, which
he has tested on his own road. Work
ing in sewing machine house in Bos-
ton, as iourneyman, he has vet found |
time in his leisure hours to construct,
near his own house, at Summer Heights, |
near Hyde Park, a narrow gauge rail
way about third of mile in length. |
The road starts from the summit of a
small hill just back of the Hazelwood |
station on the Providence Railroad, and |
after winding round the hill by sharp |
curves, comes down through his back
yard, and by an apparently very danger
GUS curve shoots obliquely across one
street, closely shaving street corner
where it runs over a small bridge, and |
then across another street to the side
near the railroad and thence for short
distance PARALLEL with the latter. The
ties or sleepeFs are composed of narrow
strips of inch boards about fifteen inches
long, upon which are nailed with small
finish nails) rails made of soft wood.
about an inch square and ten inches