A&S
2
Au official dinner was given here at which congratulatory speeches were made, and it was possible to gather a few technical details concerning the line from the officials of the company. It should be understood that the ceremony was purely official, in celebration of the completion of the line, as trains had been running as far as Tau Shan for some time.
Leaving Sunning again at 9-20 P.M., Kung Yik was reached at 10·15 P.M.
The railway requirements of the Chinese are so different from those of other peoples, and obviously badly constructed lines so often yield satisfactory results that it is dangerous to criticise too adversely any policy that a new railway may adopt. In a country of such vast distances, where every line has in prospect the linking-up with some main, there would indeed seem much to he said in favour of the policy of constructing a chcap or even "jerry-built "line, and relying on subsequent earnings for the upkeep of a proportionally expensive maintenance and the gradual improve- ment of the permanent way. It such a policy is justifiable, the Sunning Railway Company have certainly carried it out to its extreme. Owing to the lack of an official position on the same footing as the Canton-Hankow Railway, they appear to have had great difficulty in acquiring their land, both with the people and with the local officials. They have, in consequence, not hesitated to build their line over any land they could get, with the result that the line for the most part consists of a series of the most alarming curves of a sharpness that would at once be ruled out of court by most other railways except in circumstances of extreme difficulty. For instance, while the standard maximum curve on the Canton-Hankow Railway is 4 (ie., radius, 1,432 feet), the Sunning Railway in several places has curves of 15° (radius, 382 feet). The curves in fact are so sharp and the super-elevation of the outer rail is so great as to cause a real feeling of discomfort inside the train.
The same fault is evident in a vertical direction, and while I was unable to ascertain exactly their maximum rate of grade, it was obvious that several of the gradients were heavier than any of those of the Canton-Hankow Railway, which has to negotiate far more difficult country.
The embankments and cuttings appear to be narrower by 2 or 3 feet than those of the Canton-Hankow Railway, and, as far as could be judged from the train window, contain very rough work. The slopes of the cuttings are too steep, and look dangerous.
There are ninety bridges in all, some sixteen of which are over 100 feet in length. They are without exception wooden bridges on hardwood trestles.
Most of the sleepers are from Kuangsi province, and appear to be soft and of poor quality. I was informed that there were fifteen to a rail length of 30 feet, but in Kung Yik station I counted sixteen. This compares favourably with the Canton- Hankow Railway, whose standard is thirteen.
The rails are from Germany, and are light, being only 60 lb. in weight. A rail length is 30 feet.
The company possesses nine locomotives: three of 65 tons and two of 60 tons from America; two of 40 tons, one being from America and one from Germany; also two small engines of 25 tons from Germany.
The rolling-stock of the company is as follows:-
Ten box freight cars.
Fifty-six flat cars. Four third-class cars.
Eight first-class cars.
It is perhaps worthy of note that the first-class cars are greatly superior in comfort to those in use on the Canton-Hankow and Samshui Railways.
The stations from Kung Yik to Tau Shan are as follows:
3
Taa Shan is at present the last station on the line, but rails are laid for a considerable distance on the way to Sam Kap Hoi, at mile 3977, which is, I under- stand, to be the eventual terminus of the line.
Sanction of the Board of Communications has been obtained for the extension of the line to Kongmoon, where the terminus will be at Pak Kai, near the Imperial maritime custom-house. The work is, I was told, to be taken in hand in about one month's time, and it is hoped to finish construction in about one year's time. A 2,000-foot bridge will connect Kung Yik with Tan Shui Ho, on the other bank of the river, for the purposes of this extension.
The takings of the company amounted, I was told, to about 800 dollars daily, and it was calculated that when they amounted to 900 dollars the company would be in a position to pay some interest on the capital of the shareholders. The figures given, however, do not agree with those published from time to time in the native press, in which the earnings are given at about 21,000 dollars per month.
Mr. Chen I Hsi, from whom I gathered much of the foregoing information, is the president and chief engineer of the railway, and appears to have promoted and constructed the line practically by himself. His sole remuneration is said to be 80 dollars per month, and this economy is considered to give the company great prostige vis-à-vis the expensive methods of the Canton-Hankow Railway. A further instance is the cost of the two lines, which are about 15,000 dollars per l, and nearly 100,000 dollars per mile respectively. All of the many persons, however, who were careful to make a point of this in conversation with me, completely ignored the fact that the Canton Hankow Railway has very much more difficult country to negotiate, and, moreover, is being laid down in a more or less permanent form, to which the Sunning Railway cannot lay the faintest pretensions.
A map of the line, compiled and translated from a map issued by the railway, is enclosed.
R. S. PRATT.
June 10, 1909.
Station.
Miles from Kung Yik.
Miles from
Station.
Kung Yik.
Kung Yik
Sung Tsai Long
19-75
Mak Kong
2.84
Ng Sap..
Man Fuk Sz
8:06
Ha P'ing
Tai Kong
6.81
Sze Kau
Ch'en Pien
8-10
Tai Tong
Sui Pu.. Tung Hang Pan Kong Sunning Tai Hang
9.95
12 77
14.21
16.08
Hung Ling Chung Lan
Lok Chun
Tan Shan
:::::::::
21.08
22.66
23-76
26.09
29-60
31-22
34.06
35.98
18-48
!
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