The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1878-12-06
MORNING, DECEMBER 6, 1878.

strated that platform car weighing ton
1 800 pounds, will carry tons 1900
pounds. An open car weighing ton
LOO, will carry tons 1000 pounds. A
closed car weighing tons 100 pounds,
will carry tons 900 pounds, so that in
carrying $50 tons, 242 would he freight,
and los dead weight. The difference in
weight, capacity and c"s', between eight
wheeled cars for u four feet eight inch and
three feet six inch gauge is as follows
Three feet-weight 8 300 pounds; capacity
1900; cost 1858. Four feet eight inches
weight 10000; capacity in full $4,000 ;
cost $7,35. Platform three feet gauge
weight G,250; capacity 10000; cost $3.50
For four feet eight and n halfinches gauge
weight $4,000; capacity $4,000; cost
1915, For gondula three feet gauge
weight 1880; capacity $4,000; cost 1886.
For four feet eight and n half inches gauge
weight 1S,500; cost 1925. These estimates
are taken from actual working weight on
cars on the Pennsylvania road, as compar-
ed with the Denver and Rio Grandc mar.
row gauge.
FREIGHT CARRYING POWER.
The saving in dead weight on the mar
row gauge. in cars to carry 100 tons, is
100000 pounds. The most expert and ex-
perienced engineers give the result ms aver
aging on a three feet track, two and eight
tenths Of paying freight to one ton of dead
weight; and it is not contended that on a
four foot eight inch track the capacity to
carry freight is beyond the dead weight
This is the result of actual and prolonged
experiments. The difference is demon
strated by the operations of two represent
alive roads. On the London and North
Western wide gauge freight train, weigh
ing with freight $50 tons, is made up of
so tons OF freight to 200 tons of dead
weight. On the Imperial Livny Russian
narrow gauge, train weighing 354 tons is
made up of EGO tons of freight and o. tons
of dead weight. To carry this 260 tons of
freight, the wide gauge requires as an av-
erage 1,040 tons of carriages. As "a tons
is to 1,040, so is the difference between the
two systems.
Actual statistics show that the four feet
eight inch gauge uses four tons OF dead
weight to carry one ton freight. The fact
is deduced from a report of Mr.. Sweet, an
eminent and well-known engineer of New
York, made up from the working tables of
various prominent wide gauge roads. All
freight carried on passenger roads-and
nearly every road in the United States has
been constructed with special reference to
passenger traffic-is carried at double the
expense at which it could be carried on
pure freight roads. l have shown that
it can be carried on narrow gauge at one
half the expense it can be carried on wide |
gauges.
DECREASED RUNNING EXPENSES.
A decrease of wear and tear results from
decreased friction, decreased weight and |
decreased collisions. The wear and tear in |
rolling stock, and on the rails and road bed |
is conceded to be in an exact ratio to the |
width between the rails and to the weight |
and speed with which trains are rolled over |
the track. On the basis have shown, |
four feet eight inch track would have to
bear the friction of 50,000,000 tons, to
20, 900 900 tons on three feet track, to carry
the same amount of freight. The ratio then |
is as 90 IS to so, in favor of the narrow gauge |
So too, the wear and tear as the train is |
drawn faster than ten miles an hour, is in
creased in the exact ratio of the increase
of speed.
The expenses of running n railroad are
generally, first, by the cost of
and equipment, and second
by the passengers and freight it carries
The cost of rolling stock between the three
feet and four feet eight inch track is as 81 |
is to 80, and the structure as 90 is to 80 |
The capacity as $40 is to /, so that the
cost of running narrow gauge would be
less than one,haf the cost of running n
wide gauge Scribaer's Monthw.