THE PORT CHALMERS RAILWAY.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2350, 13 October 1870, Page 2

THE PORT CHALMERS RAILWAY.

To the Editor of the Evening Star. Sm,—The Evening Star of yesterday contains a paragraph criticising very severely the action of the Provincial Engineer in refusing to lessen the minimum radius of curves on the above named railway to corres- ■ ond with the narrower gauge now adopted. This criticism proceeds from misinformation, which, in justice to Mr Barr, we hasten to correct. The curves of small radius now used on many lines, are not to any great extent the result of narrowed gauges, but of the adoption of the bogie carriage. A glance at Mr Barr’s paper, read the other day before the Otago Institute, will shew that he highly appreciates the advantage of what is called the Fairlie system. The merits of this system are the lessening of oscillation (gauge concussion) and the cheapening of railway c mstruction by using sharper curves, Bolb these advantages result from the adopti m of the bogie carriage. The proposal to conform to the gauge adopted by the General Government, which we made to the Executive, certainly co itained a request that the minimum radius of the curves should be lessened in a cor -?sponding manner, but it afterwards appe ired that this corresponding diminution was so small that we were induced to aband m it. We feel sure that you will gladly insert this in your next issue, and so remove unmerited blame. Your’s obediently, Proud foot, Oliver, and Ulpii. Dunedin, October 13, 1870.