Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1894-02-08
THE RAILROAD OF THE FUTURE
Aar'igue,s Single Rail Scheme Marr
ally Supersedc the presa,+ c' 'ehtu-

"AS ue single Rail Sche,oa Ny
S Supersede the Present Systen,
we recently pointed out tba+
press trains in England seldo,,, cA-
tam over long distances an a,n naih-
speed exceeding fifty miles an Iiase
ana that the same thing mioh4 'o' W.
or the United States. No do,,b4 'sio
Gineers have demonstrated on 49, ~ III
gllsh Great Northern railway sad '-i'-
our New \ ork Central that sbo,.t VI
tlon OF straight track can he ira 17a,.'a1
much more rapidly, but it has co, ~ '. 4'
DC accepted as an axiom that md.
eN!stlhG mechanical conditions "a
raIe mentioned the highest sneod
consistent with safety. 't'eco
"hat are the conditions which have
imposed this conclusiono It is Tia
curves he existing lines which ron
der long continued movements NJ
speed OF ninety or 100 miles an bour
impossible, unless the weight of tba
engines and trains should be increased
Tar beyond what the bridges and road
ped would bear. In the absence of
s.'cil an increase of weight and
strength, which is economica1lr ;n,'
r. r. "e va y. oIe' a 100 mile express would
1iy OIL the rails at the first sha,.,,
competent engineer. He knows tha
mathematical relation of cnrves 20
speed. He knows. for instance that
the force tending at a riyen curve 10
throw OFT the rails a train movinm az
the rate of $50 miles an hour would he
about Ga times greater than thai
which Il train resists when runn;n,r ~
sixty miles an hour 1t follows that
the existing lines must be both
Strengthened and strengthened if tho
present average speed of express
trans is to be materially heightened
Such strengthening and strengthen
ing is practically out Of the question.
owing to the tremendous outlay that
would be involved. Is there. then,
any way of obtaining new rates of
speed on the old routes? 1t appears
from the London Spectator that this
question is answered in the affirm
atlve by Mr.. Behr in a pamphlet adj
vocating the application to exist
ing routes of the Lartigue single
rail system. In this system. which.
as we shall see, is no visionary
scheme, but is actually in operation,
the cars sit astride single rail raised
to height of four feet from the
ground on steel trestles, on either
side of which, but two and half feet
lower, is small guide rail
The wheels on which the cars run
move on the central rail, while the
guide rails on each side are gripped by
smaller wheels. TO speak accurately.
this is not a single rail, but treble
rail line, although the hard work is
done on the raised central rail. But
whatever name should be given to the
system it is said that the stability and
security of the cars, mounted on the
central rail saddle, with the guide rails
serving as Stirrups, are such that it is
almost impossib,: for a train to be
thrown off the track. When curves
are encountered, the rail is canted
transversely to degree calculated to
neutraiize the centrifugal force. and
if the canting does not suffice the sur
plus of centrifugal tendency is coun-
teracted by the joint action Of the cen
trail rail and inner guide rail.
AS we have said, the Elartgue sys-
TEN is no untried proposal. 1t is now
working for a short distance, nine and
a half miles, from Lstowel to Bally-
bunion in ireland, and an application
of the principle on much larger scale
has been made in the department of
the Loire in France. The calculations
relating to the stability and safety of
cars run on this plan go TO show that,
even for a speed of $50 miles an hour,
the demand made upon the Lartigue
lines would not exceed, IN the case OF
the most unfavorable curve, the nor
NAL limit of strain at present allowed.
r If these claims can be sustained, 1t
seems clear that the Lartigue system
may render unprecedented rates of
speed not only mechanically but
financially possible, for the
single rail can be laid side by
side with the present lines on the eN-
istinc routes The financial difficulty
which would be presented, were new
routes required, being eliminated, the
provision of an adequate motor power
need not stop the way. Mr.. Behr es-
Inmates that the cost of constructing
on either side of the existing main
line from London to Brighton Lar
tigue line to be worked by electricity
at a speed of from 1870 to $50 miles an
hour, Including rolling stock, geuerat-
inc plant and all appliances for work
mo trains. would not exceed S5,ooo'-
600. 1t is contended that by this means
Brighton, which is fifty miles away
could be reached in twenty or twenty
five minutes ride from the British me-