Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-08-29
Over the Narrcwest Narrow Gauge

About two years ago, it may be re.
membered. there appeared in Scibae,
two papers on transportation-one
favoring narrow gauge and one OPP.
posing it. In one of these the two-foot
railway from Port Modoc, Wales, to the
Festiniog slate quarries was cited as an
example. This suggested to the editor
a paper on this unique railway, and Mr..
w. II. Bishop was specially sent to in
vestigate the subject. The outcome is
an illustrated paper with the above
title, which appears in the Midsummer
Holiday number. We quote few par
agraphs:
This curiosity is the line, less than
fourteen miles in length, from Port
Madoc to the Festiniog slate district,
known as the Festiniog Railway. It is
nominally two feet wide, but really one
foot eleven and a half inches, and en-
joys the distinction of being both the
Oldest and the narrowest narrow guage
in the world. It was the war cry-and
the basis, in fact-of the second of the
violent modern controversies known as
the battle of the gauges. The first of
these. it will be remembered, was be-
tween the gauges of seven feet and up
ward, supported by the noted Isambard
Kingdom Brunell, and the standard
gauge of four feet eight and half
inches. Brunell proposed to attain
unheard-of speed. retaining stability as
well with eleven feet tracks, ten-feet
driving wheels for locomotives, and
carriages hung between, instead of
upon, the wheels. have conversed
with pupil of his, now distinguished
supporter of the extremely opposite
views, VINO shat ed his experiments, and
rode with him at close to eighty miles
an hour. after eight feet driving wheels,
on his Great Western road. He men,
tions violent and dangerous lateral jar
in the suspended carriages as the cause
OF their abandonment. The Great
Western itself, as late as 1S74-the
Waterloo, it might be called, of the
first struggle-was relaid to the stand
ard gauge, all comfort and profit in the
use of it having been destroyed by the
necessity of transnipment at points of
contact with others.
The second battle, the bombardments
and hand-to hand conflicts of which are
still far from having come to an end,
was begun by the favorable report of a
government inspector on the opening of
the Festiniog Railway to passengers in
1865. It was accelerated by other re-
ports still more favorable on the placing
en- the track of peculiarly constructed
engine, the Fairlie, demanded by its in
creasing business in 1869. In the mean
time way of looking at railways from
the point of view of their profits more
than for striking feats had set in. They
had not paid as was expected of them.
The idea was preached aud eagerly
caught at, from the new information at
hand, that they were extravagantly
large, instead of stingily small, accord
ing to the reproach of Brunell.
The Festiniog Railway has lost its ex-
elusive prominence as an example, and
is no longer the Mecca it was, now that
some twelve thousand miles of narrow
gauges have been laid down in other
parts of the world. Most of them are
among ourselves, however, there are
estimated, eight thousand miles for the
United States and Canada-and the
circumstance adds more than it de-
tracts from the interest to the transa:-
lantic visitor, who may promise himself
entertainment in seeing what this four
teen miles Of road, parent of twelve
thousand. is actually like.