The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-03-25
The Saddle Car Railway Project.

AS unheralded as if he had descended
from the skies, DR.. j. b. Mahana of Oregon
appeared in Montpelier last week with
somewhat startling proposition to connect
the town with Rutland by direct line of
railway. A great deal of interest was i'm
mediately felt in the doctors scheme, and
on Wednesday afternoon large number of
citizens assembled to listen to his explana-
tion of his project, hear his proposition
and examine the model of the track and the
peculiar mechanism of the rolling stock and
motive power.
Respecting railways of standard con-
struction, DR.. Mahana maintained that be-
tween passenger and death or disaster
there is only the inch of rounded fiange on
the car or locomotive wheels. To confine
a car to the track it is loaded with tons of
dead weight. A Pullman sleeper weighs
from forty to fifty tons. With full com
plement OF passengers, and each weighing
200 pounds. its load would not exceed five
tons. The weight of common passenger
and freight cars is enormously dispropor-
toned to the burden they carry. To secure
sufficient traction for hauling heavy loads,
locomotives are given weight of from
sixty to eighty tons. With locomotive of
twenty tons, freight cars Of five tons and
! passenger cars OF eight to ten tons. DR..
Mahana proposes to do the work of the
standard railway in carrying freight and
passengers. He rightly claims that his
scheme proposes " revolution " in railway
construction. Briefly described, his railway
has single rail- of sufficient strength of
build and metal to sustain the heaviest
loaded train. The road bed Is made of trusses
placed eight feet apart. In level country
! the rail is some four feet from the ground.
! In shane It's upper part is similar to the
standard rail. From each side of the car
trucks extend arms supporting at the end
wheels which play upon rail attached TO
each side of the trestle work Thus the
" equilibrium of the car is maintained.
! Attached to the truck are also rollers fitting
into the lateral grooves of the rail. Derall-
ment is thus rendered impossible. The To-
comotiye proposed for this railway is novel,
like everything else about it. The traction
that is secured on standard roads by dead
weight is obtained by lateral wheels bearing
against the sides of the rail. Atmospheric
pressure, crowding these wheels against the
rail with pressure of ten tons on each side,
is the agency for providing the traction. BY
these devices DIR. Mahana proposes to re-
duce the weight and cost of the equipment
of railway and to secure all the practical
results and benefits OF the standard-bullt
railway. He proposes to load his freight
cars with fifteen tons and to give his pas
senger cars the size, capacity, conVenlences,
and luxuries of cars Of standard build. The
climax of audacty is reached in the doctor s
device for Harvesting electricity with steam
for the purposes OF propulsion and for as
cending steep grades. To the rear OF each
train he attaches car equipped with dy-
namo of adequate capacity. Under the car
are powerful storage batteries. In round
trip on any road, there is as much down hill
as up hill. looming to the top OF descend
ing grade, instead Of shutting off steam and
applying the brakes, DIR. Mahana proposes
10 switch on connection with the dynamo In
the rear car give his engine full head OF
steam, and, in descending mile grade, &C
cumulate and store electricity enough to
oiya the angina a hOOst in drawing the train
without abatement Of speed up mile OF as
cending grade. Here are the chief features
of this proposed railway-proposed, we say
for IL exists at present only in the doctors
fruitful brain. The problem Is to evolve II
and reduce it to practice. This the doctor
undertakes to do, and the faith that moves
mountains, even the Green Mountains, IL
his that he can do what he projects.
Mr.. Mahana's proposition is this He Will
build and equip the railroad from Rutland
, to Montpelier for bonus OF $3oOQ mile
he will build six miles out from Rutland
and put it in successful operation before the
payment Of any part OF the bonus pledged
by that town; when he brings the road tt
the town line OF the next town that towI
l shall pay one-half the bonus II has pledged
7 the other half on the completion OF the roac
through the town, and so on till Montpelier
. is reached. The proposed route from Rut
8 land is through Mendon, thence by way o
. Pittsheld, Rochester aud Granville Il
: Warren down Mad River Valley to tn,
I Winoosk and up that river to Montpelier
{ When the line reaches the westerly limit o
I of the latter town half OF its contribution
shall be due, the other half on the com
Q pletion of the road to its terminus. Most o
1 the towns along the route are able ant
: would be willing to pay $1,000 mile for
7 railroad. Some may not be able, ana tn'
larger and wealthier might have TO help th'
. smaller and poorer. DIR. Mahana has peei