Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-08-11
Boston's one-Rail Elevated Road.


They now have a charter, which .nl~
lows them to form a company aud
build one line Of their road Ia tho city
of Cambridge. When that Is done. Il
the railroad commissioners approve
tho new road as practical and safe, the
company win be allowed to build into,
and upon Boston streets, provided tho
city government gives permission. The
work they have just begun is the build-
ing OF a 2,5O0-feet section of their pc
culiar new railroad, also an engine and
car such as they propose 10 use. Tho
new railroad is somewhat difficult to
describe without Il technical knowledge
of engineering and the use of technical
terms. Its chief characteristic is
single rail elevated upon limo of posts
at q height of fourteen feet from the
ground. 1t is called a single, though
perhaps moro correct description
would be two rails placed one above
the other at distance of four fcct and
connected by series of braces. The
supports or posts are placed at q dis
tance of forty-live feet and arc almost
exactly like those Of tho Now York el-
evated railroad, except that the lower
end is firmly incascd in concrete and
rests upon q solid bed of concrete sew
cral feet undcr the ground.
The truck frame OF the cars is placed
astride the rail like saddle upon the
back of horse and each truck frame
has six wheels. Upon either side two
Of these wheels run upon the lower
part Of the rail, inclining upward and
outward from the point of contact at
an angle of forty-five degrees. Tho
other two wheels are placed horizontal-
ly under the car and level with the top
of the rail. along tire sides OF which
they run, one upon either side. BY,
means of hydraulic pressure, applied
from the engine, they aro made to
clasp the rail tightly, and by this pow
er Of traction the forward and back
ward motion is secured. Each wheel
has an independent axis Of It's own,
and by most ingenious contrivancc
under the car the opposing wheels arc
always kept at right angles with the
rails regardless of curves. Some of the
curves may be very sharp; steep grades
may be overcome by means Of tho
traction power.
The truck frames of the locomotive
are like those Of the car, with the con-
uCSbAAk AOAS abbdCtlG0 ~ AltC MOllAVutttA
wheels upon either side of the rail-
The pressure Of the wheels upon the
rails is such as to make it almost inn
possible for them 10 leave tho track.
1t would simply drop nm inch and a
half and slide along resting upon the
top Of the rail, the truck frame serving
as a substantial brace on both Sides
The cars arc Of novel pattern, cyl
indrical in form and built OF iron. IN
carrying out their plans for this unique
railroad, the builders have, Of course,
to guard against horizontal strain upon
the rail, which surface roads have
nothing to do with, but they are con-
fident the precautions they have taken
viii make accidents almost impossible.
People are very quick to laugh at tho
idea Of putting On engine and cars
fourteen feet frcm the ground upon
single rail, but the scheme is certainly
bearing the rigid inspection Of cngin-
GERS and other scientific men wonder
fully well, and nobody has yet risen to
prove that the principles upon which
1t is based are not sound. C0r. AIal-
a1eGp0iis Tribune