The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1900-07-14
Pixies PEAK WONDERFUL r. R
Something About Its Construction

Last week we gave description
of the scenery from Manitou up
to Pixies Peak along the cog
wheel railroad. This week some
thing about the road itself will
not be amiss.
= The traveller who now makes
the ascent of Pixies Peak in COM
fort by its wonderful railway,
i does not appreciate the amount of
study devoted to the difficult pro-
! bIem by the hest engineers and
| mechanics, or the periIs and hard
ships attending the survey and
construction of the road. Camp
| ing out, climbing over mountains
covered with fallen timber and
jagged rocks, the occasional in
! tense cold, terrible snow storms,
| fearful winds and the difficulty of
getting provisions, made this un-
| dertaking almost beyond cOncep-
| ton,
The first project for building
railroad to Pixies Peak summit
took form in 1884. when work was
commenced and nearly eight miles
graded for line which was in
tended to reach that point by a
circuitous route thirty miles in
length, with a ) per cent. max
Ihlnh! o,t. 8taciehI' D0O o"i"s " III
Suillclent 1inanclal SUPPORT occa-
sioheo oF adverse opl.io"0 aS 70
tne uLIiiil"te success o' Ilie ScIeine'
Uhe WORK was aoahGon7o'
IN, Inc te2SlHliitE OF Ihe -hahlIou
9 ike : ! @aN ~hali"ay' as nov now
cop9ITUcte'' vas cohceiE el' III - lo9o : .
ana some PFoIilhl!nay surveys mace
! th4t year. I'rading was comneh-
! ceG 1902 ana Tue 8oiden spike
driven OgJooef Z-JGh, 1917
| inns railway dIiforS III TWO res
| poets from ordinary railroads;
first. in the heavy gradient, which
lin a few feet less than nine miles.
overc0nes an elevation Of ISIS
feet, second the system of Abt
rack rail used, which forms a con-
tinuous double ladder. into which
the toothed wheels of the loco
! motive work.
The r9adbed, which is from fif-
teen to twcntv-two feet in width,
lis most substantial. being cut from
= or built up0n solid rock in many
places. There is no trestle work
Whatever: the four short bridges
on the line are of iron, resting
on solid masonry. To prevent the
7 moving or sliding of the track
(Which is within the dim shade of
. possibility owing to its enormous
weight and the effect of varying
temperature upon iron and steel
, 146 anchors are imbedded into the
= solid rock or masonry at distances
: of from POO to 1-400 feet apart
c "0oHra'ns s,S, to the grade
Inc common L tfofty pouna'
per yaro are the Ordinary ran,
p, uSeu' anu II, Hhey are ialo 20 SIanoaIo !,
r gauge Inc once OF 'hese raii>
= Is 10 carry the weight ana guloe
:. the traiu' all the pusnin9 lorct
: oelhg eXerteo npon, the rack
rams. rams hnese @ rack S rallS are IT mau' W
aI l!olh tLe . pes: & aIaPteo pesSenle. i 7.
sUeel' tue 'eeIh haV'hg oeen GU
from Cne soiia piece 0I machlhe'
especially constructed Tor tue Pur
: pose. Iney are oU lnCneS ions
I ana vary IN "elght from Il te
Ola POUNDS per foot, the hea
west ones Deing used on th'
SCeepe5C grades 90 Partculal
= were the constructors thecontrac1
3 Ior making these ralls requlrec
l tnaT each tooth De WITHIN the nj
fie5h @ part OF ?T, an men OF the spec!
heo size 1hlS nlcety OF deIal
characterlzed the work through
;, out; In the center OF the track
u ladder which IS formed by two
rack rails set L 5-6 inch apart
which are firmly held by fouI
bolts (two in the center and one
at either end? to three die-forged
chars which IS turn are securely
! fastened to the extra long anc
heavy ties. The rack rails are laiC
SO as to break joints, and the
teeth are also staggered, thus Civ
ing the two double wheels Of the
locomotives practically an even
bearing at all times.
T The exact length of road is A.
! 992 feet, and the average grade is
10 per cent, or S44.8 feet to the
+ mile. The maximum grade is 2;
! per cent, and the sharpest curves
! are 16 degrees, or curve with a
radius Of 359 feet. The present
equipment of the road consists OF
farr Iono,,,o+,,-o- ,,l - ,,,--o,,