The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1875-12-23
Proposed Rural Railroads In France,

A plan is Just Set on foot for the con-
struction of what are to be called Rural
Railroads" in France, which seems de-
serving of notice. am not aware Of
similar description having been yet con-
templated in America or any other coun-
try. A first experiment of the kind has
just been decided upon in tho Department
of the Seineet- Marine, and a general bill
on the subject, which has been reported
ON favorably by the Conseil d'Esat, will
be submitted to the Assembly some time
after the reopening of the session. The
project was first preached in the Society of
Agriculture of France, by Mr.. Chabrier, a
well-known civil engineer, who has de-
voted much time and attention to it, and
it has since been adopted and patronized
both by that society and by q great num-
Der of the Conseils Generaux of the de-
partments, IS promising to afford a most
valuable addition to the means of trans
port for their produce to the agricultural
districts.
The proposition is for the construction
of narrow lines of "rural railroads." If a
width of one meter only instead of the
usual gauge of meter and half -along
the wide space which every traveller in
France must have observed to be land
sometimes wondered to see) left on the
side of almost every high road. Now, at
present, the ordinary railroads transport
heavy goods at the rate of three or four
centimes Tor less than a cent? per ton per
kilometer; but they only do this under the
condition OF allowing large accumulation
OF such to take place, and consequently q
great loss of time to be incurred at the
different stations or depots, and then send
ing OH the whole in lump by one slow
heavy goods train. Now, these "rural
railroads." economically constructed, and
without stations, or accommodations of
any kind, profess to be able to replace
ordinary carriages, without any delays, at
two or three times less than the present cost.
They will connect the small towns and
villages and manufactures all over the
country, and carry off their produce, ag.
ricultural or other, Us it is ready tor trans
port. For their construction there will be
no need of "acts of Parliament" or CON-
/ pulsory appropriations, or surveys, or
other expensive preliminaries, any more
than for costly contributions of any kind
along the line. All that will be required
will be the concession of the roadsides'
for the purpose by the Conseil- Generate
of the department, with the authority to
modify, here and there, the inclines when
700 Steep. but Lle speed Is not lnCenQcu
to much exceed that of an ordinary road
carriage, and the trains will stop and pick
up goods awaiting them at every road they
cross. Simple receiving Offices may be
established at village stores, or the owner
of goods may bring them to the trains
himself, and accompany them to their
destination, paying his fare on the way,
just as in an omnibus OF tramway, with
out the ceremony of tickcttaking or other
impeachment. The expenses Of laying
down such rural lines,' according to q
very carefully prepared estimate, will no,
| exceed Is COO francs per kilometer, in.
stead of more than 100, 900 francs, which
is the case even on the most economically
constructed ordinary railroads in France.
The estimate, also, OF the proceeds oil
lines, based on rate of twenty-five cen.
times per ton per kilometer, and on the
average road traffic Of goods and passen-
gers, seems to be fairly remunerative in a
financial point of view and as an invest
ment, exclusive of the general advantage
to agricultural interests to be expected
from the undertaking.-Paris Cor. PAi'a
leIphia Bulletin: