Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-01-18
The Railroad Excursion.

The Railroad Excursion.
The delegation from the towns in the West
River valley, including Brattleboro, who paid
visit of personal inspection and examination
to the Billerica & Bedford narrow gauge rail
road last week, left Bratteboro. us stated in
our last ISSUE by tho 1875 train on Thursday
morning, and reached Boston at $50 in the
afternoon. The excursion party, which num-
bered upward of 30 gentlemen, all told, left
Boston on Friday morning by the S;25 train
over the Middlesex Central railroad. go
ing direct to Bedford, distance of some 20
miles, this station being the southern terminus
of the Billerica & Bedford road A special train
over the narrow-gauge road had been previ-
ously chartered for the accommodation of the
party, and as soon as Bedford was reached
seats were taken in this train which consisted
of passenger car, smoking and baggage car
and locomotive, and an immediate start was
made for North Billerica. Sc miles distant,
and the northern terminus of the road The
time occupied in the run to North Billerica was
about 30 minutes for the return trip some
what longer time was taken, from the fact
that in passing the very heavy grade just
north of Billerica centre an experiment was
shown the party in order to illustrate the ca
pacity of the engine and the facility with
which the road is operated As all of the va
rious facts and figures in regard to the con-
struction and equipment of this road. includ-
ing ito Srodos ond ourvon width of road bod
the size and capacity of its cars, the weight of
its locomotives the peculiarities of their con-
struction etc, have already been given. and
some of them repeatedly. in our columns, we
shall only aim in this article to make plain
statement of the impressions which this ex-
cursion party received in regard to the ca
pacity and safety of the road, and its general
adaptability for the purposes of local traffic
like that to be found in the West River valley
The first impression upon every member of
the party, was one of surprise at its unex-
pectedly great capacity and solidity, as shown
by the size and roominess of its cars, both
passenger and freight, and the irmness and
stability with which the cars rode over the
rails at high rate of speed, and over steep
grades and sharp curves such as are not to be
found upon any ordinary standard gauge road
The cars and locomotives upon this little road
are, of course, much smaller than on the or
binary railroad, but it must at the same time
be said that they do not by any means pre-
sent that diminutve and insignificant appear
ance, when placed by the side of their heavier
and more pretentious neighbors, that ones
previously conceived ideas would lead him to
expect; and when the passenger is once
lodged in one of the luxurious seats of the
passenger coach, his experience of sense of
cOmmOdiousness and rO0m is hardly less than
in one of the standard gauge cars, so happily
and perfectly are the cars proportional and
built in all their parts.
As regards the safety of the road, if any
member of the party had previously enter
taihed any doubts on this point they were
most certainly effectually dispelled before the
North. Billerca end of the route was reached
Although the road bed is new, and imperfect
ly ballasted, and, on the morning referred to
the track was in unusually bad condition ow-
ing to the frozen ground and the heavy rain of
the night previous, the cars rode firmly stead
lily and easily, without any exception, even in
the case of the heavy grades and sharp curves
already alluded to. Upon this point it must
still further be said that in these narrow
gauge cars the motion was even steadier and
there was much less jolting, oscillation and
side motion than is usually experienced in
the larger cars To the average reader this
statement may seem overdrawn and impossi-
Bile, but we can, however assure him of its
perfect truth, and of the further fact that the
experience of every member of the party will
confirm our judgment ON this point-and the
speed, it should be remembered. was. during
the whole trip, at n rate of not less than 20
miles an hour. To any person who has rid
den over the Billerica 4 Bedford road the
idea that its cars or locomotives are in any
greater danger of leaving the track or tipping
over orare in any sense less stable and secure
than those of the standard gauge, seems little
less than absurd. The writer confesses him
self to have received new light on this point,
and we can imagine no circumstances of dan
ger or accident whether from high winds, as
has by some persons been mentioned or from
displacement or other injury to the track
when passenger would not as soon trust
himself in the narrow gauge cars as in the
broad-gauge-and perhaps even sooner, from
the fact that in cases of serious accident there
would be less weight of material to pile upon
one or crash about his head
Thus much for the safety, convenience and
speed of this two-feet gauge road-points up
on which, as we have already indicated, ev-
cry member of the visiting party was fully
satisfied, and more than satisfied. If any
thing further need be said about the capacity
of the road, it is only that it is perfectly evil
dent that any road whose cars can each carry
safely and comfortably, thirty persons at
speed of from 20 to 50 miles an hour, must in
any event be sufficient for any possible de-
mand of the West River valley. As regards
the freight traffic the box cars of this road
are ample in size for the convenient trans
portation of every kind Of merchandise its
platform cars readily carry 5000 feet of lum-
Der each, and they are in every way as well