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THE STORY OF ERIE 45
the overcoming of which, according to Mr. Post, nection by rail with Albany, there to meet the
would require the use of locomotives of enormous Canal and projected Central New York railroads.
weight, a weight so great that a broad-gauged track Hence the charter for the New York and Erie Railalone
could offer sufficient space for placing within road expressly prohibited, under penalty of its forthe
locomotives the mechanism necessary to give the feiture, connection with any railroad leading into
power required to move successfully so monstrous a New Jersey, Pennsylvania, or Ohio, on the childish
machine. Mr. Post, also, saw a great future for the theory that thus traffic could not be diverted from
New York and Erie Railroad, and insisted that the the Erie.
time would come when trains would necessarily have This was in 1832, and in 1838, when the New York
to run in " squads "over it—a number of trains on and Erie Railroad Company was committed to the
practically one schedule time—and that these squads six-foot gauge, those railroads, and others, were
could be made few in number by the heavy locomo- either entirely or partially in operation, and had the
tives being capable of hauling trains of many cars; lesser gauge. The charter provision prohibiting outwhich
argument he used in favor of the practical side connection might be easily changed some day.
economy of the broad gauge. Mr. Post's prophecy To change a great railroad's gauge so that connecas
to trains in " squads" came true years ago, as tion with other roads might be made would not be
witness the running of a regular passenger train in a so easy. Hence Mr. Lord's adoption of the broad
number of " sections," and regular freight trains gauge. Eleazar Lord looked a long way ahead, but
with many " extras."
he did not look far enough. If he had, he might not
But,if none of the arguments in favor of the adop- have insisted on his six-foot gauge. It came to be
tion of it had been made, the New York and Erie responsible, in a great measure, for much of the
Railroad would have had the broad gauge just the Erie's subsequent financial tribulation. While the
same. Eleazar Lord had an idea of his own about Western terminus of the New York and Erie Railthe
six-foot gauge, and it was this that most moved road was still at Middletown, in 1845, the then Chief
him to favor and insist upon it. There was an ap- Engineer, Major T. S. Brown, returned from Europe,
prehension in his mind that a change in a certain whither he had been sent to study the best methods
provision of the charter of the Company would be of railroad building, and he repotted that English
sought at some future time. The avowed object of engineers were discouraging the six-foot gauge, and
the originators of the project for a railroad such as that some of the railroads in that country had abanthe
Erie was to be was, besides the opening up and doned it. A. S. Diven, of the board of Directors, was
developing an isolated portion of the State of New in favor of reducing the gauge of the Erie before the
York, to enhance the trade and commerce of New work got further along. Major Brown, in response
York City by giving it communication with markets to a request of the Board, estimated that the change
in New York State and the West which were tribu- of the gauge of the fifty-fourmiles of track between
tary, or likely to be, to Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Piermont and Middletown would cost not more than
Boston, through public improvements then going $250,000. Director Diven offered a resolution that
forward. Consequently, it was intended that the the gauge be changed to the narrow, or what is now-
New York and Erie Railroad should be entirely inde- the standard, gauge. James Brown and Homer
pendent of any connection that might, although Ramsdell were the only members of the Board beindirectly,
lead the desired new trade away from sides Mr. Diven who voted for the resolution, and
New York. The Camden and Amboy Railroad was the six-foot gauge remained. The road was cornthen
building, as was a local road from Jersey City pleted with that width of track. When, at last, it
to Paterson. A railroad from the New York State became necessary to make the road and its branches
line, near Elmira, leading southward into Pennsyl- standard gauge or go out of business, nearly forty
vania, its ultimate terminus to be Baltimore, was years later, the change cost far up into the millions
about to be begun. Boston was hastening its con- of dollars, this being actual outlay; not taking into