Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-05-19
STATE HOUSE.
Comparison of Narrow and
Wide Gauge Railroads.
Committee on Readjustment Of Sal
aries Will Meet Today.
Portland Will Bid for Removal of Cap
itol to That City.


torial on the light traffic railways in
Maine, which the editor stated was
based upon the annual report of the
Maine railroad commissioners for 1902
The article in part says:
THE State of Maine offers a very in
teresting field to the student of light
railway operation, because there has
been tried there more radical expert
ment in the building of narrow-gauge
railways than has ever been attempted
anywhere else in the United States.
The question of narrow gauge versus
standard gauge was pretty we'll
threshed over a quarter of a century
ago, and it is now universally agreed
that wherever in the United States it
will pay to build d 3-foot gauge or j.
foot. 6-inch gauge railroad, it will pay
better to build a standard-gauge road,
over which the freight cars from any
other railway can be hauled without
transfer of lading. The narrow
gauge railways of Maine, however,
have the very narrow gauge width of
2-feet: and it has been claimed that
With a railway of this size there was
obtained a great enough reduction in
the cost of road and equipment to make
the system more economical than the
standard gauge for lines of very light
traffic.
The article then goes on to say that
a compilation was made from the COM
missioners' report, giving some statis-
tics of the cost, traffic, earnings and
expenses of these roads, and also of
number of independently-op
standard gauge roads in Maine. The
following comment as to the character
of the different roads is given:
1T will be seen that the five stand
ard gauge roads divide at once into
! two classes. Three, the Rumford Falls
| &, Rangeley Lakes, the Somerset and
| the Washington County r. r., We
| Judge by their cost per mile to be roads
| built on ordinary steam railway stand
ards. with care to keep grades and
| curves within reasonable operating
limits. The Georges Valley and the
| Sebasticook & Moosehead railways are
| lines which have been built as cheaply
as possible, and the very low figure of
4 S9527 per mile given as the cost of the
II former is certainly remarkable.
Turning to the narrow gauge roads,
II the Kennebec Central and the MonsOn
are short local lines, the former carry
ing chiefly a passenger traffic and the
latter reaching some slate quarries.
The Franklin & Megantic, the Phillips
& Rangeley and the Sandy River roads
form a connected system in northern
central Maine. and are subjected for
lpart of their business to the competi-
ton of the Rumford Falls IL Rangeley
Lakes standard gauge road, which is a
| ati 70 R1jID-
ton & Saco river road is a line by itself
with no competition. The Wiscasset,
Waterville & Pennington parallels the
Maine Central road; but at consider
able distance. so that it should BE- aole
to command it's own local traffic.
Looking at the figures of cost of
construction per mile of these two feet
gauge roads, it appears evident That
| something has been saved in first
cost over standard gauge conStruc-
ton. but the amount saved is prob
ably not as great as the comparison
with the standard gauge roads would
Indicate Probably $4,000 per mile Tor
a typical two feet gauge road as COM
pared with 100000 per mile Tor a
standard gauge road built with equal
regard for economy in first cost would
he the limit of advantage in first cost
(which could be assigned to the two feet
gauge"
| The editor then refers to the den-
sitv of traffic of both classes Oh fotu9
and SAYS that the narrow gauge ROADS
have to get along on very Scaiity ia
tions and further states That lhlee ol
the higher class roads are having Il
large business compared with lhe MAJ =
lrow-rauge lines. The article also con-
tends that the cost of operation nlaih-
tenance of ways, etc, is not muci less
an the two feet roads than on those
lof standard width.
"'rhc thin traffic road, says the
News must be operated WIN "Ii
owe TO freight traffic and not pasSeh-
ger traffic if it is to be a paying en-
lterprise. and frequent tram service -
| of no importance at all IN haliuiiilS
freight traffic. 1t will be founu true
we believe. that wherever lines OF lhlfl
TRAFFIC are returning satisfactory dlVl-
dends to their owners, they are doiiS IT
Inv charging rates of fare ana lrelSh'
sufficient to permit such Il return
!, ] Representative Thornton of Ashtand
House member of the committee OH re-
u | xtiS CT IF the statutes, WIS tit 'i'N >'b
, ;toI Yesterday, attending to matters
connected with the work.
: The members of the committee Oh
salaries of State and county ofllcers
c viii meet at the State House, tomor-
ro,y morning at 10 o'clock. The COM
Z. nittcn consists of Senators StetSon ol
panohscot and Morrison of YORK ano
REPRESENTATIVES Weeks OF tallile.u, Al
Ion of Sanford and Leavitt OF Turner
! No arrangements have yet been MADE fIlit
for meeting of the special commute.
an removal of the State capltoi' po,
:, is understood the committee VII
\ soon he invited TO go to Portland ana
,:otop to the claims of that city as 4
!, = place for the establishment oil OH 'ne
4 etate government instead of Augusta
Il n,hn following gentlemen compose the
!: ommittee: Hon. Don A. II. Powers
+. Houlton: Hon. f. e. Chase 6luehni
S, Senators Hyde of Sagadahoc ano