THE FAIRLIE RAILWAY SYSTEM.

Southland Times, Issue 1308, 16 September 1870, Page 3

THE FAIRLIE RAILWAY SYSTEM.

In a communication to the Freemantle Herald, Mr Fairlie, C.E., says :— I am prepared to build railways of three feet gauge that shall work as many tons per train at a speed of twenty to thirty miles per hour as the best sffc 6in gauge line ever built. That the 3ft gauge line shall carry as many persons in each train 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 gauge line sha 1 be very considerably less than the broad gauge, taking precisely the same character of work in either case. That the first cost of a 3ft gauge line will be very considerably less than that of a sft 6in gauge. And that the expense of working, main- ! taming, and repairing the 3ft gauge line when made, shall be 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 commissions to inquire into the working of my system. We are now building for the Tanique Railway (Peru) engines on my principle, to work their long incline (eleven miles) of one in twenty.seven. The representatives of the company are at present in England, and saw the exhibition of the enormous power of one of the Double Bogie Engines on the Midland Railway, and the ease with which it adapted itself to curves of the smallest 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, up the gradients 1 have named. In the United States, Mr Geo. E. Q-rey, engineer-in-chief of the Central Pacific Railway, has ordered an engine on the Double Bogie j principle, which, has just been completed by Mr Mason, locomotive builder, Taunton, Mass. This engine has just been tried in steam, and gives the greatest satisfaction. 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 the system is making great headway here. My engines are working the narrowest gauge railway in the world (two feet 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 requirements. If you have plenty of money to throw away, you cannot do better than adopt the wider gauge, and Mr Doyne 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.