Rensselaer Union, Volume 1, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 January 1869 — Wooden Railroads. [ARTICLE]

Wooden Railroads.

A correspondent of the Montreal Gazette gives the following interesting account of a wooden railway now in operation at Clifton, in Northern New York, neap the c; - nal line, and on which immense quantities of iron ore are transported from the Adriondac mines: The grading is the flame as for an iron road, except that the stiffer grades can be ascended. The ties arc of the ordinary description, but are not square on any one side,and on the Clifton road aro placed at the usual distance of three' feet apart, except on the trestles, where there are three ties so every two yards. In future,' however, the on- i gincer intends to put three ties to every two yards, as he proposes heavy engines. The rails are made of maple, six inches by four; but in future their shape Will be altered a little, without increasing the quantity of timber, making them uiree and a half inches on the top by seven inches deep, bo as to be better adapted to the increased.weight of engines (fourteen tons instead of Notches are cut in the ties to such a depth as to keep the bottom of the rail nbotit*Tw« iffdhds from the ground after the road is ballasted, 2nd the rails project sufficiently above tho notched tie to allow the flange of the wheel to pass. The rails are fastened to the ties by a couple of hard wood wedges, driven in opposite directions on the outside of the rail, withttr theuotch. This has the effect of making the whole superstructure one solid mass, wifhojJTfS'CaddUiou q£ aqy spikes or pins. / In making the curves, the rail Itself is beiit to the required shape, so* that there is no angularity whatever in tlfo lines of the rails. The trestles are of the simplest description. They consist of two dpright stick* of square timber immediately under the rails, let into a •w . . * .•.. *. f - "Sn--'. ‘ a a a» * «

ISPWK Ing dircctiorifTW'ithole of which is let into m kfjf *C r tho .ray wSfc tnfi cmrinegr, "nas succeeded up Ttrrfklrig it pvng a partoclft of iYon m the u whbie structure, and.has,- moreover,-dwfc-thai AufJblWffflways, Crate (Tost, anatnis actwrntiTWheve rtnlrnit‘'niffl? Ks rirdttikrih'gonatreoted, woWtb’br ptWßrf•cpUy qn i«ipqa.,»ttlHv. Mr. llui'lbeetsays If tig th contract to lay the super, structure df ft IvWden thiTwiiy'df his own improved corn struct ion at thy rate 0f41,50Q, Agftmean eurmu'V, a nul.fi, where,, hemlock can ,be obtained at reasonable rates. Since iny Visit t' nave becomfi ednrincr'd «Vs tHi* hktfhiffe Usoftilhefttiofiftftrh linns art- railways ip develop ing tiifi. resources-, -ot\» new conntnf and fjpfitjfit;* to tHink jibes, fc lXve no. lu st, tfttloii th prophesyrng''thaf many yews we shall imtl 4holn Running in all directions th rough. the jPpmiuion. ; ~,,