The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-08-05
Estimates for Narrow Gauge for the
Savannah Valley Railroad.

MIR. CDITOR. ! our SuDSCTlDeTS are 6raCl-
fed, as we'll as edited, by the publication
Of the report of the Eng gineer of the savan'
nah Valley Railroad. And some of us are
regretting the omission of Supplement E, )"
being estimates of q Narrow Gauge for the
same line of Road, which we hope will
prove so1much cheaper as to save the line
in the event of failure 20 raise money
enough for Broad Gauge. Please publish
Supplement T. if in your power; if not,
apply to the authorities for it, and oblige
mnny CITIZENS.
In compliance with the above request,
we made application to Maj. Lee, Chief
Engineer of the S. V. R. r., for supple
ment E. of his Report to the Board of
Directors, in response to which he has furn-
ished us The following, which we gladly lay
before our readers as matter of general in
formation:
ENGINEERS OFFICE S. V. R. R.,
ANDERSON, s. c., Aug. 4, 1880.
Mn. EnIToR; BY request, / send "Sup-
plement E" of my report of survey Of 8. V.
r. R., giving an estimate of cost of the
narrow gauge Is feet) on this line. 1t will
be observed that the grades and curvation
are the same as those used in the survey
made for this road on the broad gauge sys-
TEN. The estimates presen tel may be large
ly reduced by using such grades and curves
gauge system. For it is fact that cannot
be denied, that narrow gauge engine can
haul q greater load than u broad gauge en-.
CINE of the same weight, over the same
grades and curvesj not that the laws of
friction and gravity are imperative when
applied to the narrow gauge, but that the
character of the cars on the two systems are
so entirely different as to render this state
ment practically true. A single example
of actual practice will best show this:
On the Denver and Rio Grande r. r.
marrow gauge) train of twenty cars re-
ceives the freight from the Kansas Pacific
r. 4. (broad gauge) out of sixteen oars,
broad gauge train-l6 cars: Weight Of
car, 81 tons each, 1876 tons; load. 10 tons
each, 1G0 tons; weight of cars and load 296
tons.
Narrow gauge train-20 cars: Weight of
car, 3 tons each, 60 tons; load, 81 tons each,
136 tons; weight Of cars and load, 220 tons.
The broad gauge cars are so feet long, ia
cars-4SQ feet. The narrow gapge cars arc
"a feet long, 20 cars-4S4 feet.
1t will be here seen that the narrow gauge
train is the same length (shorter because the
engine and tender are shorter than the broad
gauge and tender) as the broad gauge train,
and the gross weight is seventy-six tons less.
Thus it will be seen that the narrow gauge
engine pan traverse higher grades and sharper
curves, hauling the same amount of freight,
than the broad gauge.
There are many and great advantages of
this system over that OF the prevailing 5
feet gauge, but have not time at present
to enter into this subject, but will aend you
All extract from q letter just received from
the Chief Engineer of two narrow gauge
roads about being completed, He says;
II have no doubt about the great advanta-
ges of the narrow gauge system. The
saving is very great IN ererything. My
bridges are superior work. Nothing
less than q cyclone can move them. 1 do
not know better bridges than these.
Our equipment for 90 miles, operated, is one
ten ton and one thirteen ton epgine one
passenger coach, one e3nscss and mail car
and twelve box and 6ye Hat cars, ~ 7
have ordered one eighteen ton first class
Baldwin locomotive, with all improve
nents, price $5400. We are building our
own box cars, cost $3.50 each. Our 13 ton
engine hauls 81 tons paying freight over lis
grades and 100 curves. Enclosed is an esti-
mate for mile Of road as we found it. We
have an exceedingly broken country,
Estimate actual cost s4,ai8 per nile, COM
Pletea ana equipped"
Chief Engineer S. Y. r. r.