Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 August 1891 — This Road Was Up on Stilts. [ARTICLE]

This Road Was Up on Stilts.

Probably the most unique railroad ever built in this country was the old Bradford & Foster Brook. It connected Bradford with Derrick City and was only four miles long, but did an immense business during the boom days in the oil regions. It wa3 built in 1877 and two years later went down ii a smash that killed a number of people. The road was appropriately nicknamed the “Peg Leg” from its peculiar construction, for it was built on stilts, and passengers entered the cars from the second stories of the stations. Frank Campbell, the Traveling Auditor of the Pittsburg & Western, was one of the officials of the old “Peg Leg,” and gives the following interesting account of its construction and how it was operated: “There was but one main rail, which was of iron, but there were two auxiliary wooden rails. The main rail rested on strong wooden beams supported by massive stanchions strongly braced. About two feet below the top beam were two wooden rails about eight inches in width, which were securely nailed to the supporting stanchions. The wooden rails were mainly for balancing purposes. The height of the odd little road varied from twelve to twenty-five feet, according to the lay of the land in the valley through which it was built. Without this elevation the scheme of the inventor would have been impossible. The cars fitted on the rail like saddle-bags, hanging down on each side, and were really two-story cars, the upper portion being used for passenger and the lower story for freight. The grotesque-look-ing train was headed by two engines connected with each other other, one on eaoh side of the man rail, the two balancing like the cars. When the fireman put on more coal he was obliged to desoend to the furnace by a ladder. The engines and cars ran on a set of central wheels which pro- ; truded through the floors into wooden hoods pat on to prevent their damaging passengers. The cars were narrow and the main rails were broad. Whenever the oar tilted side wheels caught the wooden rails and aided to preserve the equilibrium of tbo train.