Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-02-24
A TWO FOOT GAUGE.
UNIQUE AND INTERESTING FEATURES
 OF A LITTLE MAINE RAILROAD.

Or A LIT TILE MAINE RAilROAO. Something Which South and Central
 American Railway Projectors Are In-
 quiring About-Noyel Features of an
 Extremely Narrow Gauge Road-Cost.
 As OUT narrow gauge road, the Bridgton 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 representative, and one of the best representatives, of its kind, will take it for illustration. The general reader, as well as railroad men, will readily note its unique, curious and interesting features.
 The road was built in the summer of 1882 and the winter of 1SS2-S3. That winter was notable as one of the most severe on record the mercury for weeks at time registering from degs to 9 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 is 15.9 miles, independent of sidings The cost of construction was s169,- 395; of equipment, S26, ,473; total cost, s195,- S6S. The same kind of steel rails can now be bought from 30 to 35 per cent. less, and other materials are cheaper; so that what then cost about S1 ,000 per mile to construct could now be done for S700 The rails are of steel, Cawbridge pattern, are 30 feet long, and weigh 50 pounds to the yard Number of ties used per mile, 2,640.
 There are two engnes-built at the Hink- ley Locomotive works, Boston-each weigh ing 26,0o0 pounds, with driving wheels 30 pches in diameter; and their power, con- sdering 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 blows through deep snows and huge drifts, by which they are seldom long detained. The two passenger cars Quilt at the Laconia Car works, New Hampshirc) are each 45 by 6 1-2 feet Each seats thirty passengers-one person to seat, there being two rows of seats-is finished in solid ma hagony, and nicely upholstered. Between the foorings of each car mineral wool three inches deep renders them fire proof, prevents any cold air from passing, and deadens tho 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. cozy, pleasant, comfortable, in short, are every way satisfactory, and compare favorably with their more pretentous breth- ren. Tho freight cars, some twenty in num- Der, are 26 by 12 feet, and carry ordinarily a burden of eight tons, although having a capacity of twelve tons. There are also baggage mail express car, 8 combination car, three hand and three push cars, and snow blow All the trains are mixed. They ordi- Itarily 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 the round trip-thirty- two miles-is 500 pounds. Tho heaviest grade (2OO feet to the mile) is near the Hiram ter minus, and is On a half mile 20 deg. curve There is another curve of IS degs. one of It. one of 12, one of II, four of 10 each, and a considerable number of less degree.
 Tho Central and South American inspec- tjon parties learned some, to them, surprising facts in their forty minutes ride from Hiram to Bridgton. They learned that the little 26,OOO pound locomotive could draw a we'll loaded trian up grade of POO feet to the mile; that it could easily round 20 deg curve that the seeming recklessness of att tempting to run a train on rails only two feet npart proved thoroughly safe performance, 50 far as any danger of tip over was con- celned, 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-
 
 kind. What better record could be hada 1 There are four other two foot gauge roads | in Maine, the Sandy River, the Monson, 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 1 the two roads to be built in the southern part of this continent, the possible adop- tion by which of the plan of the little two foot road away down east drew these emissaries from the south hither. The Central American road is to be built by the Honduras North Coast Railway and I'm provement 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, 115 miles long, for the development of the trade in tropical fruits and vegetables, native woods, medicinal plants, minerals, etc., in which that region abounds. The route of the | South American road is no miles long, and extends from San Lorenzo bay to Isbarra, about forty miles from the city of Quito, in | Ecuador, the city being the capital of the re- public, with population of %, ,O00, and To- cated at elevation of nearly 5000 feet | above sea level among the Andes mountains It is the intention to complete the road to Quito, in time, the name of the road being the Pacific and Quito railway. There is not a railway in the country, most of the traffic being done on the backs of mules, and it is proposed to build this line to help the trade of that country with America.-Charles O. Stickney in Boston Transcript.