The preparations being sufficiently advanced, the change of gauge of the main line, the Utica Division, Surcease & Binghamton and the Oswego & Syracuse divisions was begin May 27 and successfully completed the same day. The change covered about 365 miles of main line, and preparations for it have been in progress for several months.
On the day before, everything was put in readiness; on the main all the trackmen from the Morris & Essex Division were collected besides those belonging there, and on the Utica and Syracuse divisions a number were borrowed from the Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg, the Utica & Black River and other neighboring roads.
A number of spare engines from the Morris & Essex Division were so sent up to the mainline for use there. There was no delay in the work, and on that night standard gauge trains ran through over the whole road. The work of the day was to change the main track so as to permit the passage of trains, and, of course, there is still much work to be done in the way of changing sidings and all laterals, removing the third or six-feet gauge rail from the Morris & Essex and Bloomsburg divisions, etc., and in completing the change of equipment. This, however, is all work for which a reasonable amount of time can be allowed. The wide gauge is now practically a thing of the past, so far as this road is concerned. The supervision of the change required some very arduous and exacting work from the officers of the road, but everything was carried out as previously arranged and no trouble was experienced anywhere.
The Erie and the Atlantic & Great Western with their branches are now the only railroads of 6-feet gauge left on the Continent, we believe. More than half of the Erie main line has a standard-gauge track also, formed by laying third rail; and evidently the day is near at hand when there will be no 6-feet gauge in the country.
It may be noticed by this change and the recent completion of the Lake Ontario Shore road to the Niagara River, a new route of standard gauge is completed from the Canadian roads to New York. It is possible for Great Western and Canada Southern cars to take this route instead of the New York Central, and it is not much longer than the latter, though of course at present of very much less capacity.
As Mr. Sloan, the President of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western, is reported to be the probable successor of Mr. Joy as President of the Michigan Central, it is easy for those who wish to speculate on future events to construct a new and independent through line between New York and Chicago, substantially managed by one body of proprietors, with the exception of the Great Western of Canada, which will hardly be able to refuse itself to any through line of which the Michigan Central makes a part, as it depends upon the latter for by far the larger part of its through traffic.
But before a final conclusion is made as to the probability of this scheme, it will be well to bear in mind that the Michigan Central has an immense New England traffic – probably its largest through traffic; that this traffic is largely dependent upon its connection with the short Boston route formed by the New York Central and the Boston & Albany, and that could hardly afford to make any arraignment which will jeopardize this connection and the traffic depending on it.
The new line, however, will connect with the Vermont Central, and will give that a western all-rail outlet in addition to the Grand Trunk, and perhaps shorter. Another reason why it may be rash to conclude that a new through-route will be made where a new through can be made, is the fact that it is quite questionable whether through traffic will pay on a single-track road not already prepared to handle a heavy general freight traffic. The new route will be able to carry through to Philadelphia, as well as to New York, without changing cars.
Source: Railroad Gazette. June 2, 1876. Provided by Richard Palmer.