Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-02-22
NarrOW-Gauge Railroads in Canada
the Facta in the Case.

In a brief paragraph published i'll our last
issue referring TO letter which had been
written by some one in Canada, with an evil
dent purpose to produce an adverse effect up
on our Brattleboro i Whitehall narrow gauge
railroad enterprise. we promised that as soon
as we could get at the bottom facts in the case
our readers should have the benefit of them
In fulflment of that promise. and not with
view to the prolongation of the railroad dis
cussion, we give the letters and other matter
published below. And first We copy Mr.
Randall's letter. referred TO last week, in full
Marshall WiIder, Eq.
De1r Sir In answer 10 your letter Of
the 3lst ult., regarding narrow gauge roads in
Canada-beg to say that in my opinion the
scheme as whole has been a failure. l am
informed that it is intended to change the
Toronto Grey d Bruce gauge which is three
feet six inches, TO the regular gauge Of four
feet eight inches. which Is here. as well as IL
the United States, almost universally adopted.
The construction Of narrow road Is 10
doubt good deal cheaper than one Of a broad
gauge. but the working expenses have been
found TO be much greater. caused principally
by the fact that the trains at least on our
roads cannot carry more than one-haf As
much as q train on the regular gauge, while
the expenses are nearly equal. 1t has been
found that the small cans are very inconveu-
lent for carrying cattle. which have heard
complained of very frequently.
As regards the difficulty caused by snow
find that during the winters Of - aud -
that both Of the narrow gauge roads one run
ming west from Toronto and the other in %
northwesterly direction. were completely
blocked up for nearly three months. l may
also mention that the expense III trying TO
keep open the road running west before
| spring was 80. 900 while all the other roads
were kept open with the exception OF few
hours or perhaps one day. am firmly con
WINGED that a narrow gauge road would never
work satisfactorily in climate severe rs
that of Vermont have stated that our mar
| row-gauge roads are three feet six inches in
| gauge, while think a track narrower would
be still more Objectionable. Should any fur
ther information be required | can obtain it
without any difficulty. Yours respectfully,
GEO. RANDALL.
When this letter came TO our attention it
was plainly evident that, while the main state
ments upon its face might be true in certain
sense, all the facts had not come out and that
the general impression and effect Of the letter
was unjust and misleading. We therefore
took immediate steps to learn the whole truth
of the matter, and as the shortest and surest
way to do this We caused Il letter TO be adj
dressed to the general manager of the Toron-
to, Grey d Bruce Railway, il which q copy
of Mr.. Randalrs letter was enclosed with a
simple request for the facts in the case Last
Saturday night the following reply was re-
ceiyed
The ToRoNTo, GREY q BBUcE RAILWAY
GENERAL MASAGEB's OFFICE,
Toronto 18th Feb'ry 1875
Sir Il beg to acknowledge your letter Of
the nth inst, asking questions relative to
this Railway. 1t is in contemplation to change
the gauge Of this Railway. but for reasons
| purely confined to the circumstances of the
! Company and in no way caused by any de-
feet in the gauge, as the enclosed extract from
n speech delivered by the President of the
Company last autumn, at Orangeville, sets
forth. / send you pamphlet giving compar-
alive working expenses OF this gauge and
other gauges in this neighborhood. which
l sent few months ago to the Institution of
Civil Engineers in England, From it you
will be able to judge whether the statement
that it is more costly to work it is borne out
or otherwise. Our average load up grades OF
IS feet TO the mile is Is ten-ton cars and van
(caboose) dead weight Of cars, say l4,OOC
lbs. average; net weight of paying load, 20,
900 lbs. per car. Our freight locomotives,
consolidation" pattern, will pull q heavier
load on equal grades than any engines pos
sessed by the Grand Trunk Railway Co, Thif
is the result of actual test. As to cattle trade
we carried twice as many head of cattle last
year as were carried by the Northern Railway
Co., eOf our competitors, which has gauge
of II. in, and this surely dsposes of the
argument that our cars are inconyenient.
They are feet wide, or 6 inches wider than
any stock cars in England,
SRON. Since the winter of 1919 we have
not been blocked for more than q hours al
any time. We were blocked at that time foi
weeks together, as was also our neighbor, the
Wellington Grey a Bruce, but they had 30 10
comotiyes to enable them TO clear lO2 milei
! OF railway, while we had only 20 to attempt