Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1877-12-14


EQUIrsrNr
The locomotive. two in number. wer,
built at the Hiucklcy Locomotive works Bo--
ton. and weigh, when equipped with water
and coal. little less than T. tons The ten
der Is "a part of the locomotive itself-beiue
indeed the front end OF it--aud runs upon o.
small four-whool truck. while the boiler and
principal weight of the locomotive rest upon
two pairs of drive wheels. only 80 inches iu
diameter The smoke stack reversing th.
usual order, is at the rear end of tine machine
The forward drivers have no lIange. so Tn.
little machine only about twenty feet long all
told. glides uooihiy round the sharpest curves
without strairing or binding upon tine rails
Its capacity, Ill proportion TO weight, far o1-
GELS that OF ordinary locomotives. owing to the
small size Of the drivers and the greater rela-
tive weight resting upon them. II hauis pas
senger trains up the lbs feet grade and
around y. . and Is degree curves without
abating speed, twenty miles an hour
and without labored effort The engineer in
charge. who has had twenty years experience
IN running passenger trains on the Boston ~
Lowell and the Boston u Albany railroads
expressed the opinion, based on his personal
experience on both gauges. that both passed.
ger and freight TRAINS may bee run upon tn,
two feet gauge with the same speed certainly
up to - or 80 miles an hour. and jus; us
safely III all respects. as on tine common
gauge. Up To speed of twenty miles
an hour, ouu new road-bed not yet thoroughly
ballasted, my own observation and expert
ence fully confirm tins opinion.
The passenger cars. built at LacUnia n
IL. are models OF elegance IL style and finish
both outside and within. a. well as IL arrange
ment for the convenience and comfort OF pas
sengors. In all these respects they ARE not
excelled 10y the cars on any other rlilroGd
They are 30 feet long inside. feet inches
wide outside, and feet & inches high inside.
weigh tons, and seat 30 passengers; and
OF course, have the Miller platform and air
brab b. The msid, Arrangement Is mainly
hEe that OF ordinary cars, having an aisle
through the centre, with succession of Sill
gie reversible seats on either side. The car
wheels are only Is inches high, and the floor
10 less than two feet above tine rails.
A combined baggage express, post office
and smoking car, seating Is passengers, is
used, as on ordinary roads and also excur-
sion cars for extra occasions seating 60 pas
sengers, similar 10 those used on the Centeu-
Mai grounds at Philadelphia The freight
cars, both fiat and box are % feet long. q
feet inches wide, and have a capacity of 5
tons each The fiat weighs 1900 lbs and the
box $500 lbs, the hitter being Il feet inches
high inside All the freight cars. even. are
fitted up with the Miller platform and coup
ling, which add materially 10 safety and COM
fort, especially III running mixed trains
The Bilierica and Bedford. as ! have al
ready stated. is the pioneer two-feet gauge
road III this country but elsewhere roads Of
similar gauge have been in use several years,
and thus have been thoroughly tested and aI-
proved OF these, the Festuiog railway. in
Wales, II miles long. having a 235 inch
gauge and, being built through a very rough
and difficult country costing Si7, 56G per mile
Is the most conspicuous. IN 1874 this road
carried $50, IA passengers and rs. III tons Of
freight. earning Sl24.9sO, or about ~. 900
per mile, sum sufficient TO pay ali expenses
and large dividends on its excessive cost
which is six times as much per mile as the
cost of the Billerica and Bedford road This
settles the question Of the capacity of the two
feet gauge for a large and successful business
have now, / think, enumerated the chief
points III the construction and equipment Of
this two feet gauge road The investigation
seems clearly to establish certain facts and
the question now is, can these facts be turned
by MS TO any practical local list
LIST VIII such a road as the Billerica and
Bedford which have so hastily and imper-
feetly described, meet the wants of the West
river valley, provided We are finally compelled
by the indifference or inactivity of our west
ern neighbors, TO act solely with reference to
the local interests Of that valley:
And, 2d, if it will meet those wants, can it
be built and equipped for the means at our
command
For myself, having given the subject such
earnest consideration as 1 am able, and as its
importance demrnds, / do not hesitate to an
swer both OF these questions atfrmatiyely.
am clearly Of the opinion that for a local road
from Bratteboro TO Jamaica, or Londonderry,
or Weston, the two feet gauge will meet every
want existing and prospective, OF the bust
ness of the West river valley, as completely
as any other and, further that such a road