Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-03-17
A TWO FOOT GAUGE.
AND INTERESTING FEATURES
OF A LITTLE MAINE RAILROAD.

American Railway Projectors Are In
quirIng About - Navel Features Of an
Extremely Narrow Gauge Ioad-Cost.
As our narrow gauge road, the Brdgton
and Saco River, which taps the Portland and
Ogdensburg standard gauge) at Hiram, six
teen miles west of Bridgton and forty miles
west of Portland, is a representative, and one
Of the best representatives, of its kind, l will
take it for illustration. The general reader,
as well as railroad men, will readily note its
unique, curious and interesting features
Tho road was built in tho summer of 1882
and the winter of lSS2-53. That winter was
notable as one of the most severe on record,
the mercury for weeks at tinio registering
from 5 degi. TO % degs. below zero, and the
snow being deep, which, with the then high
price of materials, made the expense much
more than it would cost to build the same
road at the present time. The exact length
of the road ii 1919 miles, independent Of
sidinCs. The COST of construction was SlG9,-
so; of equipment, SGT, ,4i3; total cost, $780,
SG3. The same kind of steel rails can now be
bought from so 10 - per cent. less, and other
materials are cheaper; SO that what then
cost about 81 900 per mile to construct could
now be done for 500. The rails are of steel,
Cambridge pattern, are 30 feet long, and
weigh 30 pounds to the yard. Number OF
ties used per mile, $3.50.
There are two engines-built at the Hink-
ley Locomotive works, Boston-each weigh
ing 26,OOO pounds, with driving wheels 30
inches in diameter and their power, con-
sidering their small size and weight, is simply
surprising, as is shown by the way they con-
quer steep grades with heavy loads, and force
their way with plows through deep SHOWS
and huge drifts, by which they are seldom
long detained. The two passenger ears built
at the Laconia Car works, New Hainpshirc)
are each 45 by 6 IL feet Each seats thirty
passengers-One person to a seat, there being
two rows of seGts-is finished in solid ma
hagony, and nicely upholstered. Between
the floorings of each car mineral wool three
inches deep renders them fire proof, prevents
any cold air from passing, and deadens the
noise. These cars are run with little jar or
noise on IS inch wheels, are equipped with
the Miller platform and vacuum brakes, are
elegant, co2y, pleasant, comfortable in short,
are every way satisfactory, and compare
favorably with their more pretentious breth-
ren. The freight cars some twenty in num-
Der, are 26 by q l-2 feet, and carry ordinarily
burden of eight tons, although having a
capacity of twelve tons There are also "a
baggage mail express car, combination car,
three hand and three push cars and snow
plow All the trains are mixed. They ordi-
narily take one hour to accomplish the six
teen miles of road, but have been run that
distance in thirty-six minutes. The amount
of coal required for tho round trip-thirty-
two miles-is 500 pounds. The heaviest grade
900 feet to the mile is near tho Hiram ter
,it,t,G p,n1 iS
There is another curve of IS dcgs. one of 16,
one of l2, one of II, four of 10 each, and a
considerable number Of less degree.
The Central and South American inspec-
ton parties learned some, to them, surprising
facts in their forty minutes ride from Hiram
to Bridgton. They learned that the little
~, 900 pound locomotive could draw a well
loaded trian up grade of 300 feet to the
mile; that it could easily round 20 deg
curve; that the seeming recklessness of at
to run train on rails only two feet
apart proved thoroughly safe performance,
50 far as any danger of tip over was CON
cerned, on account of the nearneSs of the cars
to the ground and consequent lowering of the |
center Of gravity; and that three essentials |
Of safety, speed and comfort were abund- |
antly secured. Our road was built five years |
ago, and in all this time not passenger has |
been injured, not an engine nor car over |
burned nor derailed, not a smash up of any |
kind. What better record could be had!
There are four other two foot gauge roads |
in Maine, the Sandy River, the MonsSn, the |
Franklin and Megantic, and another whose |
name l cannot now recall, varying from |
fifteen to eighteen miles in length
A few words, in conclusion, in regard to |
The two roads to be built in tho southern |
part of this continent, the possible adop-
lion by which of the plan of the little
Two foot road away down east drew these
'missaries from the south hither. The
Central American road is to be built by
he Honduras North Coast Railway and I'm
Drovement company, whose president, S. b.
McCarnico, lately inspected our road, and
will connect the port of Truxillo with
Puerto Cortez, in the republic of Honduras,
Il5 miles long, for the development of the
rade in tropical fruits and vegetables, native
woods, medicinal plants, minerals, etc. in
which that region abounds The route of the
south American road is 10 miles long, and
extends from San Lorenzo bay to Isbarra,
lbout forty miles from the city of Quito, in
Ecuador, the city being the capital of the re-
public, with a population of 10000, and 10
ated at an elevation Of nearly 5000 feet
bove sea level among the Andes mountains.
t is the intention to complete the road to
quito, in time, the name of the road being
he Pacific and Quito railway. There is not
railway in the country, most Of the traffic
,eing done on the backs of mules, and it is
proposed to build this line to help the trade
# that country with America. Charles o.
'tickney in Boston Transcript.