THE FAIRLIE RAILWAY SYSTEM.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2302, 22 September 1870, Page 2

THE FAIRLIE RAILWAY SYSTEM.

In a communication to tho Freemanlle Herald, Mr Fairlie, C.E., says : I am prepared to budd railways of 3ft. gauge t at shall work as many tons per train at a speed of twenty to tVirty miles per hour as the best Gft. Gin. gauge line ever built. That the 3ft. guago line shall carry as many persons in each t-ain and in as many classes, at a speed from thirty to forty miles per hour, with equal comfort and safety as the best sft. 9in. gauge line ; that the dead weight employed on the narrow g’-uge line shall be very considerably less than the broad gauge, taking precisely the same character of work in cither case. That the first cost of a 3ft. gauge line will be very considerably less than that of n sft. Gin. gauge. And that the expense of working, maintaining, and repairing the 3ft. gauge line, when made, shall he as much less in proportion as the difference in cost. The system of narrow gauge railways is receiving every attention here and throughout Europe. The Russian, Indian, and other Governments have lately appointed Com missions to inquire into the working of my system. We are now building for the Taniquc Railway (Peru) engines on my principle to work their long incline (eleven miles) of one in twenty-seven. The representatives of the companj arc at present in England, and saw the exhibition of tho enormous power of one of tho Double Bogie Engines on the Midland Railway, and the ease with which it adapted itself to curves of the .'mallest radius. They were so thoroughly satisfied with the principle that they immediately ordered engines on this system for their line, of sufficient power to take 120 tons, exclusive of engine weight, np the gradients I have named. In the United .States, Mr Goo. E. Grey, engi-neer-in-chief of the Central Pacific Railway, has ordered an engine on tho Double Bo<ie principle, which has just boon completed by Mr Mason, locomotive builder, Taunton, Mass. This engine has just been tried iu steam, and gives tho greatest sati faction. Mr Mason reports “it works to a charm.” We have just completed engines on the “Fairlie” principle for the Royal Swedish Railway Company, and are shipping others this week to France, so that you will see that tho system Jis making great headway

here. My engines are working the narrowest guage railway in the world (2ft gauge), and are giving the greatest possible satisfaction. With the above facts before you I must leave you to choose your own gauge; in my opinion one of three feet will be more than ample for all your requ rements. If you have plenty of money to throw away, you cannot do better than adopt the wider guage, and Mr Doyno as your engineer ; in this way you will be able to get rid of it to your heart’s content, and ever afterwards, in working expenses, by dragging incessantly unnecessary dead weight which will compel high tariffs to keep the line going, and thus to a great degree prevent the public reaping those benefits which railways properly constructed are sure to give.