146 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



ECONOMY OF RAILWAY LOCOMOTION. 



By J. W. GROVER, C. E. 



THE primary conception of a railway is a perfectly smooth, level, 

 and straight road, upon which friction is reduced to the minimum, 

 so that heavy loads may be propelled with the least possible resist- 

 ance, and at the highest rate of speed. 



The earliest type of locomotive-engine was designed to run upon 

 such straight and level roads, and it was supposed for many years that 

 locomotives could not climb hills, or be made to go round corners. 



The first railway-carriages were a simple modification of the stage- 

 coaches, names and all. It is interesting to look at the curious three- 

 bodied "Marquis of Stafford" with yellow panels and windows, 

 filled with ladies in large coal-scuttle bonnets as shown in one of 

 Ackermann's early engravings of the Liverpool and Manchester Rail- 

 way, the only substantial diiference being that, inasmuch as the rail- 

 ways of those days were made nearly straight, no arrangement was 

 provided for allowing the axles of the carriage to radiate as they do 

 partially in common road-vehicles, but both axles were rigidly fast- 

 ened so as to be immovable. 



Again, as all road-vehicles have to turn abrupt corners, their wheels 

 are made to turn independently upon their axles, but, so soon as flanges 

 were employed to keep the wheels of the railway-carriages between 

 two straight rails, this arrangement was found unnecessary, and, to 

 obtain greater strength and security, the wheels were rigidly fastened 

 to the axle, and both were compelled to revolve together. 



Now, since the primary conception of the perfectly smooth, straight 

 road, a great degeneracy has been of necessity taking place ; with 

 greatly increased demands, less capital than ever has been forthcom- 

 ing ; consequently the great cuttings and embankments of early days 

 are being abandoned as precedents, and it becomes necessary that rail- 

 ways should approach more closely to the form of ordinary roads, 

 which follow the surface of the ground only, at small cost. 



Hence it follows that the rolling-stock itself must revert more 

 nearly to its original pattern, readopting those contrivances which, 

 under altered circumstances, were discarded. 



Let lis keep to the most elementary principles, for it is these which 

 are forgotten and misunderstood, and yet should be engraven on brass 

 and hung up in every railway board-room in the world. On a com- 

 mon road, a horse can pull a ton weight in a cart behind him on 

 the level at 4 to A\ miles an hour, or, which is the same thing, if a 

 weight of 70 lbs. were hung over a pulley and lowered down a well, 

 he could pull it up at the speed mentioned. It is necessary to be a 



