The Erie railroad had a six-foot guage. When ordered to convert they nailed in a second rail and ran six-foot guage equipment together with 4 foot eight and a half inch "narrow guage" for many years. My question is how long did they run dual gauge equipment, and if anyone has a photo of both types running in a train?
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I don't know if this site would be of help (or how accurate it is) http://crookedlakereview.blogs...ped-broad-gauge.html .
A portion of the road near Elmira was dual gauged in the 1860s to permit operations by the Northern Central (future Pennsy).
http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/ERIE05.Html
The rare old photo ... was taken at Cameron Mills gravel pit in 1879 while the crews of the New York, Lake Erie & Western Railway were engaged in laying the Erie's second main track ... The third rail visible within the 6-foot gauge tracks of the Erie was used by the standard gauge trains of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, the latter using a section of the Erie's trackage on the journey between Waverly and Buffalo, New York.
http://crookedlakereview.blogs...ped-broad-gauge.html
Cincinnati Commercial, Jan. 4, 1879
Erie's Narrow Gauge - The Laying of the Third Rail - Advantages of the New Gauge
... We have saved the unloading of through cars by changing trucks at Buffalo, but this cost forty cents for each car and took considerable time. The way it has been done is this: Two cars, one on broad-gauge trucks and the other on narrow, were run in side by side. By hoisting machines the cars were raised and the trucks changed; one car went on west by the narrow gauge track and the other ran to this city on the broad-gauge. By the new regulations, cars of both gauges may be run on the same train. We have been doing that on portions of the road already provided with three rails. No difficulty is found, as we use a patent coupler, which causes a direct draft between the two widths. Much care is necessary at the switches, however, and extra caution is enjoined upon all employees. To simplify matters as much as possible, we try to keep all cars of the same width together."
Cattaraugus Republican, Salamanca, N.Y., Thursday, June 24, 1880:
The Erie Narrowed Standard Gauge--A Day Without A Railroad Train--Waiting Passengers--Quick Work--An Ovation--Again On Time.
... Never was the enterprise and push characteristic of our age more fully exemplified than in narrowing the gauge of the Erie last Tuesday. For the last few weeks extra gangs of men had been busily at work preparing the track and switches for the change, and getting everything in readiness for the moment when the order should be given to move one rail fifteen and a half inches nearer the other ...
Thanx for the time to do the research.
Ace - That's very interesting old time narrative on the subject.
http://crookedlakereview.blogs...ped-broad-gauge.html
Cincinnati Commercial, Jan. 4, 1879
Erie's Narrow Gauge - The Laying of the Third Rail - Advantages of the New Gauge
... We have saved the unloading of through cars by changing trucks at Buffalo, but this cost forty cents for each car and took considerable time. The way it has been done is this: Two cars, one on broad-gauge trucks and the other on narrow, were run in side by side. By hoisting machines the cars were raised and the trucks changed; one car went on west by the narrow gauge track and the other ran to this city on the broad-gauge. By the new regulations, cars of both gauges may be run on the same train. We have been doing that on portions of the road already provided with three rails. No difficulty is found, as we use a patent coupler, which causes a direct draft between the two widths. Much care is necessary at the switches, however, and extra caution is enjoined upon all employees. To simplify matters as much as possible, we try to keep all cars of the same width together."
Cattaraugus Republican, Salamanca, N.Y., Thursday, June 24, 1880:
The Erie Narrowed Standard Gauge--A Day Without A Railroad Train--Waiting Passengers--Quick Work--An Ovation--Again On Time.
... Never was the enterprise and push characteristic of our age more fully exemplified than in narrowing the gauge of the Erie last Tuesday. For the last few weeks extra gangs of men had been busily at work preparing the track and switches for the change, and getting everything in readiness for the moment when the order should be given to move one rail fifteen and a half inches nearer the other ...
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