Selections From The Splinters - Volume 14

P 206

We have                                 1% G.   2% g.
Bringham to end 1% grade                22.50 
End 1% grade to Volunteer                       56.50
Volunteer to John Rogers                        23.67
John ROgers to Foot heavy grade         10.13 
Heavy grade to Pineveta Creek           15.62 
Pineveta Creek to Picacho DIvide                 7.38
Picacho Divide to Peach Spring          47.11 
Peach Spring to Colo. River            102.50
                                       197.86   87.55
On 1.8 Grade I have heretofore counted on 6 trains each way per day.
On 1% Grade the proportion is 609 to 1000 or 3.65 trains per day.
On 2% Grade the prooportion is 1112 to 1000 or 6.67 trains per day.
We then have -
       197.86 miles x 2 x 350 x 3.65 x $1.00 = $ 505,532.30
        87.55 miles x 2 x 350 x 6.67 x $1.40 = $ 408,770.95
                                               $ 914,303.25
On a basis of 75' grades going west over the mountain Division
We have                                         1% Gr.   1.42% Gr.
   Brigham to end of 1% Grade                   22.50 M. 
   End of 1% grade to Yampai DIvide                      149.41
   Yampai DIvide to Colorado RIver             114.50
                                               137.00    149.41
On 1.42% grades we would have - 
   1.8% gr. to 1.42% gr. as 790 to 1000 or 4.74 trains per day -
   137 miles x 2 x 350 x 3.65 x $1.00  =     $350,035.00
   149.41 mi. x 2 x 350 x 4.74 x $1.00 =     $495,742.38
                                             $845,777.38
Again taking from Colorado River to Peach Springs 102.5 miles 1%
grade -
   Brigham to end light 1% grade           22.5 miles
                                          125.0 miles of 1% grade 
We have 125.0 x 2 x 350 x 3.65 x $1.00 = $319,375.00
161.41 x 2 x 350 x 4.74 x $1.00        =  535,558.38
                                         $854,933.38

By these estimates of Annual Operating expense on a 1% grade and 1.42% grade as proposed, we will take the latter grade from Peach Springs east to within 22.5 miles of Brigham. You will observe that I have allowed 1 mile of the distance to obtain the 52.8 grade and 2 miles to obtain the 75' grade and Pineveta slope.

We have a difference of $68,525.87 in one years operating expense in favor of adopting a 75' grade as I have proposed. This amount capitalized as 7% gives $978,941.00 in favor of this grade.

You will observe that I have used $1.40 as the cost of running a train on double maximum grade with Pusher. This is, in my judgement, about right. Should the cost of running trains on ordinary grade exceed $1.00 per mile, then the cost of Pusher would advance in the same proportion, so that the final results would remain the same.

   9.38 miles x 2 x 350 x 4.74 x $1.00 = $31,122.84
   7.38 miles x 2 x 350 x 4.74 x $1.40 =  24,486.84
                                         $ 6,636.00

While considering the question of Grades I would like to express my views in regard to "chopping grades".

I differ with our late worthy Chief Engineer on that question. In my Report of which this is a supplement, I gave one table for value of rise and fall. I believe in adhering to the values of rise and fall in all cases, both for grades and long ones alike. My reasons are these. While admitting that short "chops" do not increase the cost of operating on moving trains, theoretically, yet in reality, I think they do. The train runs by jerks, twitching, bumping and trying all weak points, and increasing the cost of repairs of cars more than any one feature of our present railway design. I do not believe in carrying this to an extreme, and for that reason think our value of rise and fall should determine how much a fill should be raised and a cut lowered. I would like your ideas upon this subject, as the question of laying grades is one on which engineers differ very widely. I see no reason why there should not be some system in this as in running in curves and other details.

Still another question may be considered. Would it not be cheaper to run our heavy engine adapted to the 75' grade over the light grade from Brigham to end of 1% grade? We see by Wellington, table 1,p.5 - the average cost of Maintenance of Way is 27 cents. This varies about as the engine tonnage. On our 1% grade, our engine need only weigh 36 tons. On our 1.42% grade our engine need only weigh 50 tons. The waste or loss from running a 50 ton instead of our 36.5 ton engine would be 27% or 27 cents per mile or 0.073 dollars per mile and for a year it would cost the company on 4.74 trains over the 22-1/2 miles $5,449.81. Whether it would pay to change engines is doubtful, but it is one of these places where the company's future profits leak out.

ESTIMATE IN DETAIL (coming next)

Page 206 and portion of page 207 Splinters Volume 14 transcribed in altered form for the Web by Russell Crump

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