Railway Gauges. 16T 



wheels, thus utilizing the whole weight in the work of hauling 

 the train. Instead of an engine carrying 57 to 50 tons to ob- 

 tain the power of 20 tons, we have an engine weighing 20 tons 

 and no more ; and this load distributed over eight wheels, with 

 a pressure of 2 1-2 tons per wheel, instead of 6 tons, as with 

 the broad-gauge. The action upon the rolling stock is the 

 same as upon the track. The wheel receives a blow of pre- 

 cisely the same weight as that administered to the rail at alow 

 joint, and the shock is transmitted to the axles except what is 

 taken up by the springs and the yielding of the parts of the 

 whole structure of the engine or car. The saving of dead 

 weight is so much saved from the grand total of this destruct- 

 ive agency ; and by the reduced weight upon each wheel, no 

 single blow of such enormous forces can be given on the nar- 

 row gauge. 



Can narrow-gauge locomotives be constructed of sufficient 

 power and speed to answer the general requirements? They 

 can, as daily experience testifies. The locomotives of the 

 Denver and Rio Grande Railway, freight and passenger, are 

 giving entire satisfaction both as to speed and power. By 

 adopting the proper form of construction, the engines can have' 

 sufficient power to handle any number of cars that can be- 

 prudently and economically run together in one train, and such 

 a train can be handled with as much safety as on the broad- 

 gauge; while the proportion of dead weight being much less, 

 the same number of train men will handle more tons of pay- 

 ing freight, when worked up to the same tonnage. There is 

 no difficulty in making as fast time as the great majority of 

 the broad-gauge roads make, which is all the public demands. 



The first class narrow-gauge coaches on the Denver and Rio 

 Grande Railway are 40 ft. long over all, 7 ft. wide inside, 7 ft, 

 6 in. high, with two 4-wheel trucks, wheels 24 in. in diameter^ 

 weight 12,000 lbs. and carry 36 passengers. The sills are only 

 27 in. above the rails, making the center of gravity very low^ 

 hence the cars ride exceedingly steady and with less lateral or 

 oscillating motion than is usually observable upon the broad- 



