The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1890-10-30
Pixies Peak Railroad.

organizing Of the Mantou and Pixies
Peak Railway Company in the tall
of 1880 for the construction OF
railway nine miles long, from Mani
tou to the old signal station on Pixies
Peak, nearly 600 men have been
! constantly employed. The road is
built on the Abt system, and, as re-
CARDS grades surmounted, is perhaps
the steepest and most important Abt
line in the world. The exact length
is 46,I58 feet. or very nearly 81
miles. The altitude of its station at
Manitou is 5000 feet; at the summit
| it is "A, 200 feet above sea level, the
total ascent being 1000 feet, or an
average of $40 feet per mile The
maximum grade is IS per cent, over
22 per cent of the line having
grade Of from 223 to IS per cent.
The line is tolerably crooked, even
for an adhesion road, and has many
share curves. Of straight line there
is 1878 feet, and Of curved I8,477
leet, about 80 per cent Of the line
being on curves. The sharpest
curves are 70 degrees, of which
there are many. The roadbed foun-
dations are firmly secured, and fur
tner protected and sustained by wide
entertainments wherever practicable.
There are four iron bridges, two of
&c feet and two of 80 feet span, rest
ing on masonry abutments.
At intervals Of from 200 to 600 or
900 feet, depending on the grades,
anchorages are made by straps fast
ened to the ties and carried up grade
to eyebolts set in solid blocks of ma
sonry. AS the whole track is tied
together, not only by the spiking
but by the extra fastenings of the
rack rail, it is thought that these an
chorages will be amply sufficient to
guard against the movement of any
part down grade. The rack rails
consist of two rack bars set side by
side in chairs. Each section is
eighty inches long, and the chairs
are forty inches apart, on each sec
ond tie, the race bars breaking joint
according to the usual Abt practice.
Three locomotives on the Abt
spstem, each weighing twenty-five
tons, have been built for the line.
The cab and boiler are much like
those of any other steam engine, but
the intricate machinery underneath
is wholly unlike that of an ordinary
locomotive. The wheels bearing on
the rails are merely bearing wheels,
not drivers, the plant differing in
this respect from some other Abt en-
gines, which work either by adhe-
sion or rack indifferentIy. The
Pixies Peak line being al! on rack
grades this double provision became
superAuous. The engine is propel-
led by three sets of gearing directly
over the center Of the track. On
these are six pinions with steel teeth,
which fit into the two rack rails run
ming along the center of the track.
The propelling power is applied di-
rectly to a drum above the two rear
pinions The front pinions are NOV
ed by connecting rod running from
the second one. The brake appa-
ratus is especially powerful. On
either side of the pinions is CORFU
gated surface which the steam brake
presses against with tremendous
force The engine is also fitted
with hand brakes and the lie Chate-
lier water brake, by which the cylin-
ders act as brakes, which is so ef-
fectively and largely used on mount
ain grades. One engine will push
two cars weighing $4,000 pounds
loaded. The average speed will be
five miles an hour. The cars are
not tilted, but the seats are SO ar
ranged as to give the passenger
level footing. The engine, instead
Of drawing. pushes the cars. The
cars can also be let down hill indie
pendently of the engine if necessary.
From its Manitou station the line
runs up apparently verticle cliffs
through Engleman Canon until
small but beautiful grass covered
parks are reached. About one and
one,half miles from Manitou, at Art
ist Glen, magnificent views are OBJ
tanned of the surrounding country.
including the Garden of the Gods,
and the vast plains stretching east.
Sharp grades are first encountered
on the second mile from Manitou
Station All work above timber line
it is largely in excavation. as owing
to the steepness of the mountain
sides it was difficult to build en-
bankments.