The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1879-08-01
Over the Narrowest Narrow Gauge.

About two years ago, it may be remember
| ed, there appeared in Scribner two papers on
| ransportation-one favoring narrow gauge
and one opposing it. In one of these the
| two-foot railway from Port Madoc, Wales, to
the Festniog slate quarries was cited as an
example This suggested to the editor pa
per ON this unique railway and Mr.. W. ii.
Bishop was specially sent to investigate the
subject. The outcome is an illustrated paper
with the above title which appears in the
Midsummer Holiday number. We quote a
few paragraphs:
This curiosity is the line, less than four
teen miles in length, from Port Madoc to the
Festiniog slate district, known as the Festin-
log Railway. 1t is nominally two feet wide,
but really one foot eleven and a-half inches,
and enjoys the distinction of being both the
oldest and the narrowest narrow gauge in
the world. 1t was the war cry-and the ba-
SIS, in fact-Of the second of the violent mod
| crn controversies known as the battles of the
gauges. The first of these it will be remem-
bered, was between the gauges of seven feet
and upward, supported by the noted Isam-
bard 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
l.,
the wheels. | have conversed with pupil
of his, now distinguished supporter of the
extremely opposite views, who shared his ex-
periments, 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 call
ed, of the first struggle,-was relaid to the
standard gauge, all comfort and profit in the
use of it having been destroyed by the neces-
sity of transhipment at points of contact with
others.
The second battle, the commandments and
hand-to-hand conflicts of which are still far
from having come to an end, was begun by
the favorable report of government inspec-
tor on the opening of the Festiniog Railway
to passengers in 1865. 1t was accelerated by
other reports still more favorable on the plac-
ing on the track of q peculiarly constructed
engine, the Fairlic, demanded by its incrcas-
ing business in 1862 In the meantime a
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
and eagerly caught at, from the new informa-
ton at hand, that they were extravagantly
large, instead of stingily small, according to
the reproach of Bruncl.
The Festiniog Railway has lost its exclu-
slve prominence as an example, and is no
longer the Mecca it was, now that some
twelve thousand mi?cs of narrow gauges
have been laid down in other parts of the
world. Most of them are among ourselves,
howcvcr,-tlcre are estimated, eight thous-
and miles for the United States and Canada,
and the circumstance adds more than it de-
tracts from the interest to the transatlantic
visitor, who may promise himself entertain
mcnt in seeing what this fourteen miles of
road, parent of twelve thousand, is actually
like