New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-05-29
MADE STANDARD GAUGE.
.p1NELS FAMOUS RAILROAD TRANS
FORMED AT LAST.
ruorsAND MEN IN TWO DAYS CONVERT
TUE GREAT WESTERN TO UNIFORMITY
WITH THE OTHER RAILROADS
OF ENGLAND.

-, calm Of railroad engineering has Just occurred
u az ~. transformation Of the Great Western Railway
10 rr,,nd from broad to standard gauge. This line
=" L.ouv constructed from London TO Bristol, and
ror, extended to Plymouth, Penzance and other
"'n,s was designed and constructed by the famous
P.ner Brunei, the author of the Thames Tunnel,
Great Eastern steamship and other colossal works
u con NJ the designer OF the old BOwery Theatre
= yeu.York lie made il. equally with them. on II
4mntic scale. 1t was In the early days OF rail
ainr and much uncertainty existed as to the best
-, NJ rack-Iaying. Many experiments had been
'N,1 and lines had been built of many varying
rances from three feet upward Bruncrs opinions
- tho subject were positive, and he unhesitatingly
"a, bc rails of tho Great western at the extraordinary
distance OF seven feet apart. This by far the
,5st gauge ever employed for ordinary railroad
york Brunes idea was, of course, to give his trains
cr,ter stability. and. by the employment of larger
na heavier engines and cars. to obtain greater speed
ord carrying capacity.
like others OF his remarkable achievements how
ever this work did not meet in practice the expecta
,,ons he had formed OF ii In theory. Instead of
allowing his example. other roads built Of what
now called standard gauge, four feet seven inches.
IN these the trains found TO b, safe and
,,le as on the Great Western to attain high
,sts Of speed and practically TO possess as great
Carrying capacity, while the Of construction and
oneration was much less Nevertheless the gauge
Of the Great Western has remained unchanged until
the present month, a remarkable relic Of early ideas
IN engineering.
some years ago it was that II would be TO
the advantage Of the company to conform TO the
standard gauge which had been adopted on every
other road in England. Accordingly on that portion
~ the line from London to Exeter a mixed gauge
was established. That is 10 say. a third rail was
placed between the two regular rails that
standard gauge train might be the line.
Thereafter as far Exeter. broad gauge and
some standard gauge trains run. and IL
possible for the engines and of any other road
10 BE- the line to that point. Beyond Ex-
eter. however the road remained broad gauge with
the exception of short space OF line between Truro
and Pcnzance and short branches built in
recent years All through trains necessarily
NAMED broad gauge. and indeed the bulk Of the
rolling stock has been of that type down to the
present time.
To make the actual change Of gauge. both in the
tracks and in the rolling stock a Supendous
job There about 200 miles OF road
and 800 miles of track. 1t is one of the
greatest lines in England. with numerous trains and
heavy traffic, which could not be suspended or in
terrupted for any considerable time. Most Of the
stations and the switches and sdings had to be
reconstructed also Preparations for the Conversion
began long time ago. The alterations in the
stations. sidngs. etc. at Taunton and Newton Abbot
cost in each place 100000 from which the expense
OF the entire undertaking may be roughly estimated
Wherever the road was built on the crosste system
rs American roads, third rail down.
rs had already been done from London to Exeter
But a considerable proportion Of the road was built
on the longitudinal sleeper system. the rails being
spiked to huge tmbers running I'm the direction
on this part of the road the change Of gauge was n
more difficult task. The CrOSSbaiS binding together
the longitudinal tmbers partly cut and a
trench dug at the point where the rail must
be laid. Then, when the change actually made.
s,a
was taken up and relaid in this trench The date
selected for the beginning of the work Friday.
May 20. on that day the last broad gauge train
run through from London to Pcnzance. on
Saturday and sunday the entire system beyond Ex |
eter closed to traffic, the mail trains being run
BY special arrangement from Exeter to Plymouth over
the lines of the Southwestern Railway SATURDAY
and Sunday
Before sunrise on Saturday Nav 81, 5000 men. |
distributed along the lne simultaneously began to
work. One thousand Of them regular employees
the road I'm the sections where the work was 10 be
DONE The others brought from other parts Of
the Great Western system from London, Chester,
Birmingham Wooster and elsewhere. Eight special
trains carried them from different parts Of England to
Exeter on Thursday aud Friday they were scat
tered by the last Of the broad gauge trains all along
the road from Exeter - Falmouth. They were sent
down in gangs Of sixty and housed In the stations
freight sheds and tents They required to provide
unlimited quantities Of oatmeal and water for drink
From before sunrise on saturday morning to the hour
Of darkness that evening they hard AZ work. on
Sunday morning they were al IT again. and before dark
Sunday evening everything done. Every yard Of
the entire lire transformed 10 standard gauge all
the sdings and switching, and stations and platforms
we're adjusted and on Monday morning the fall service
Of trains began running again inst usual, only On
standard gague. Before Tuesday night all the men
were back at their homes
50 much for the tracks. The conversion Of the |
r0lling-stock was. is. different and more difficult
task. sufficient supply of new standard gauge stock
was procured I'm advance for the operations OF the line
At swindOn twenty-five miles OF broad gauge 'idinSs
were specially constructed 10 hold the old rolling stock
which COMPRISED nearly 900 cars and engines. All |
this old rolling stock was made up rapidly As pos
slbe In special trains which sent In almost con
slant process ion on Wednesday, Thursday and fria;
u the sldngs at Swndon. Many Of the cars ana en-
s4 mad 10 be KEPT n re H ailay 1o }rdo Oh FRI
DAY evening The last broad gauge tram lnl over t
line consisted of tbe Last remaining eep;y car II
left fenzance few minutes aer ocIoch on ilIdar
evening and passed through Exeter early Sa''uu'ii
morning II carried Of the inspectors OF ne rQin
who p0uhed each station as he passed Una, lhf LIZ
clear OF all broad gauge stock ana mat opeido"
Preparations for starting the narrow gauge trac from
the western end Of the line had also been nd1e Wy VU
veying TO Penzancc sufficient amount OF nafIV" etne'
rolling stock. This was simply loaded upon Dloa cb
gauge plafocars and carried down there a. 50 ihuo
A
upon the sidngs at swindOn workncn began cOlVcri,
Ing them to narrow gauge and within T." weeks an
the rolling stock that Is worth keeping longer III use
Will be thus changed. -, 49, nm
This is the largest gauge changing work ever ac-
cOmphed I'm England. and the expense OF u ht. Deen
enormous probably between r3O00ODO ana Go'ooo,-
COO. 1t will prove paving Job. however. Inc eh,
pensc of Operating the road Will be mufh r@luccd anu
ihe cost Of transferring goods from broad gdgne 10
narrow gauge cars will be saved IL VIII hereafter
BE- possible TO run loaded freight cars over az paris vi
this line from any other railroad in England wlhouI
change All the road, Of importance IN England ana
Scotland nov, conform the standard gauge, and en-
gineers are universally Of the opinion that II Is he
best possible gauge for practical purposes ana that IL
will not hereafter be changed