4
TABLE showing the Cost of Locomotive Poioer for 1842.
Miles run.
Expense.
Cost permile.
Year
Remarks.
35,031
$ It,399
324
1842
Freight engines.
77,774
23,352
30
1842
Passenger engines.
Western Road.
397,295
84,165
2lf
1842
Exclusive of wages.
357,295
115,000
30
1842
Wages included.
155,828
33,454
2l4
1841
Exclusive of new engines.
155,828
52,268
33 t V
1841
Including new engines.
83,717
17,443
20 a
2 oP
1841
With new engines.
Reading lload.
198,055
49,800
1842
New, hut heavier, engines.
This table entirely confirms the previous estimate (vol. iv, p. 307.)Another table in my possession (derived from reports of 1S42) givesfor the average valne of repairs of locomotives, 7 cents per mile run ;my impression is, however, that this item is worth not less than 8cents, and that future observation will maintain it, for engines that arenot fresh from the factory, at about that average.
We may now pass to the method and the rale which I propose forcomputing the aggregate annual expenses of a road. In the first nutn-berof this investigation, I proposed a formula which was published inthis journal, for determining the value of these expenses—stating,however, that there was no line in the country which had yet exhib-ited results as favorable as those expressed by that formula. Thepresent paper is intended to show these expenses as they are; thesame formula is used though the constants are modified to suit theactual condition of the system.
For new Roads.
The aggregate annual charges on new roads * are made up of thefollowing items, viz.:—
For every mile traveled by the engines, 24 cents; for every ton con-veyed one mile, 9 mills; for every passenger conveyed one mile,7 mills;and for every mile in length of the road, 300 dollars, a fact which isexpressed by the formula,
24 9
—-N+-T-f
100 1000 T
/
1000
P+300A.
Now, new engines consume as much, or nearly as much, fuel andoil as those which have been used; and they require the same numberof enginemen and firemen. The only reduction in the cost of theirmaintenance, consists in the item of repairs. The bill for repairs forthe first year or two, is only abont one-half its mean value ; and asthe average cost of repairs is about 7 cents per mile run, the aggre-gate cost per mile run on a road which has passed its fourth year,should be 274 cents, instead of 24 cents.
The timber in the superstructure is worth, on the average, from1000 to 1500 dollars per mile, and lasts from 5 to 7 years. The decayof timber in roads of mature age, is, therefore, about 8200 per mile—so that ordinary repairs on such roads will be about 8500 per mile.
The wear of cars after the road has been a few years in operation,is equivalent to about 44 mills per ton per mile ; and on a new road
* I designate as neui, roads less than five years old.