Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1879-03-14
MARROW GAUGE RAILROADS.
Some Facts Regarding their Constructie
and Cost and Capabilities.

0su1 SVSS &ssS1
Lancaster, Wis, March 10, 1s70.-M
ttors Press and Dak0taian "A narrow
guage railroad has recently been put ia
operation from this place to Woodman on
the Milwaukee and St. Paul road, Thirty
one miles distant. giving this town and .
great agricultural region the benefits of rail
transportation at, a very cheap figure. In
order to give the people of the Jim river
valley and other section of Dakota an idea
of what such a road is aud what it costs, 1
mail you today a piece Of the Trail used
here and a few statistics, hoping you will
place both before those who may wish 10
investigate.
This road, Ia portion of the Chicago and
Tomah r. r., runs through a country that
is rough and billy compared to most Da.
kota routes.
The principal grades are about so feet to
the mile, but there is one place where a
deep cut was left unfinished for the winter,
with q grade upward and then downward
VI AOO lect W tuC "'1o. AuIS 'S o''J
crossed by a train of eight or ten cars, by
taking a good run first. Only one ACCIDENT
has occurred, when an empty tender jump
ed the track running forty miles and hour
round q curve.
1t was built last fall by people who felt
the pressure Of hard times, and the impera-
tive need of better communication as a
means of lettering their situation hence
the whole plan and the cost thereof was on a
scale to suit the times. Here are some OF
the figures, furnished by one who knows,
and has been largely instrumental in build
ing it:
Cost of road, including right OF way,
grading, ties, rails, ro~llingstock, water
tanks. culverts, c~attle-guards, and ballast,
100000 per mile.
Rail weighs 20 lbs. per yard, or about 80
tons per mile, and cost last summer $37 per
ton.
Rails are laid three feet apart.
Cost of grading in December from here to
over uneyen rolling prairie,
5000 per mile.
Probable cost along any good Dakota
route, from 500 to $500 for grading.
Cost of engines, $4,000 each. Engines
have six driving wheels, about three feet in
diameter.
Cost of fat cars at factory, $240 each.
They are bought by threes, as three are
shipped at once on a broad guage fiat car.
Box care are made from fiat cars by or
dering the tops at a cost of $50 each, which
are shipped "knock.down," with the fat
cars, and set mp or put together by any good
mechanic.
Passenger cars may be had for $1,000 to
$4,000, according to style. But our people,
feeling poor and economical, made a plain
caboose out of one of the lat. cars and they
enjoy riding in it better than dragging
through the mud behind oxen or even
horses.
Engines weigh thirteen tons each. Flat
cars three or four tons, but carry eight tons.
All freight charges by carloads are on
the basis that three carloads of this guage
equal two of the broad guage.
The links connecting cars are only twenty
inches higher than the rails.
The rail is one inch and one.fourth in
width, at the top or bearing surface, and
two and three.eighths inches wide at the
bottom. Although very light rail, yet the
ties are laid quite wide apart in places. and
breaking of rails has occurred.
The people who have voted aid and con-
tributed subscriptions to the road, are great
ly pleased with the practical results, and
confident that the stock they have taken
will be worth something, which will repay
them at least q part of their investment.
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