New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-12-14
Rails FoE SYrELT FLILRo1DS.

,n,v THE CfXrHr-lEtEITG PATTERN HAS SUPER
SEEDED TIE slD.-BEAIiNG STEEL RAILS USED.
When street railways were first introduced
one Of te most seIi19s problems % construction was
that relating 9 tie shape OF the rail Tor r'iIlo'7
,luung through The couutr, the rail aaf"er'd every
rurpo,e and nothing for Slch use has been i""hu 10
,,e,scIe f. TO tn. day. But Il necessary TO lay
such tracks In cities that ordinary N'hIcies' running
along or across c -holll meet with as te ob'truc-
lion a, possible Tho Oh Philadelphia pattern OF street
fallwa Wa. fist used FOR tn purpose, and many tracks
Of this kind are sill In existence. THIS Is known a,
tine ,idc-bcaring rail. During the last few years the
ceutie-b,aring raii has com, INFO neral use cross
section OF tAc a.tcr ia shaped like straight br nmtd
Derby hat while taat Of tAe former is Ike portion of
Tie same nai,rc cut vertically. The wheel bears on
the roiuld e!-e Of The crown o, tie hat which grad
,,uv wears away; and the advantage OF the centre
bealn. raj, i when this occurs IL can be taken up
and rcyc 20 present fresh rounded edge for
tl. wheel TO take hold Of This crown projects above
the bim the level OF the pavement rom one men 10
one inch and quarter
correspondent writes from buffalo inQririns whether
rho height Of ,. projection cannot he rcduced and says
that If It were only half an inch high II would interfere
less with ordinary vehicles attei tins 10 cross the track
or TO turn out from when an approaching Cur claims
the right OF way Tie difficulty is that II the height were
reduced the wheel the would NOT hc able 10 grip
tine rail with sufficient nunucs' TO keep its position on
,l,e track The subject has been fully considered by
tosc who manufacture rails, and nothing better than
those in ,,se has thus far been invented.
In this cy AZ present nearly all the principal railways
have tnc centre bearing rail Tie Twenty third street
paro,1 has such rail weighing forty seven pounds 10
Tho ,,ri and the following have the same Kind of rail
weighing sixty pounds 10 the yard; Dry Dock, East
,t,,,, and nnttcry; Second Third. sixth and Eighth
A,enua Railroads; Broadway, and seventh Avenue;
, .d street aud Grand Street Ferry; Forty
80 S,rc.f Nuh1ttanve and - Nlchoa' Avenue;
the Am line and the Houston, West street AMI laNoia
Lrrrv Railroad Tie most difficult street aiiIoad To
cross ia that which runs through iUHIth anu '."'',oi
aud 4. continued down town through hfinu,
Eroonc and Centre sis. and faIk row va ,ns route
thr + rail is u.cd because the freight cars W tIe NcW
York Central and Hudson kiNer anu ~. . , o'
roads pass over it their way to ana nom c Iebht
Xii the railroads In this country are now using steel
rails instead OF the iron rails that were former III c
The steel rails are now cheaper ~ well ~ hct'' th
iron rails No iron rails now inanulactlitu m 'l'
country The steel rails used here are al "I Ahel,oal
manufacture The duty imported steer Ias i - :,
ton and ordinary American steel rails can ne pu,hascu
for 500 ton which IL Just one dollar more IMAM me uu
year ago. before the reduction oi tr tdiIh Mont
into effect n there were no daty English steel rails
would cost about - less than the American article ON
account OF the lower rate oi WAGES ia England Tho
life OF steel rail Is from Ten to twenty years hc-
cnriiug to the nature and amount Of the trahc The
prnca manufactures Oi steel rails In tlin country are
In Philadelphia. Harrisburg, Iltlshug ana other iron
the United states il not prosperous. doubt" SAID
| iron merchant to IHiBtN ~ reporter WHETHER with
pig at sl9 ton steel I.s saa pe turned out ~ ~
a ton without the manufacturer losing money. There
are about ninety rail mills III the United states, with
| capacty of about 2.jOOUOO tons ot rails som,
idle, running on hai tlloi ana tue lnhisrJ
| is ia "A depressed condition. the reason broadly !
that number of railroads projected ana actually
bsgun In $40 and l-SO Indicated very heavy deman,
sarted and the capacity O mills already existing wa
very much increased. since then Railroad constructor