TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 193 
On the Giconomy of Railways in respect of Gradients. 
By Mr. Vicnoxes. 
Looking to the great cost of railways, the author had turned his 
attention to a comparison of the result of the working of railways, with 
the price paid for various degrees of perfection. On an average, the 
hitherto ascertained cost of the principal lines might be divided thus :— 
Land’ ion, <adessieessinnstonusesaeseaeuneen 10 per cent. 
Stations and carrying establishment 20 is 
Management ....scccscssccncscascceree 10 
Pron, ee Cees eis ateccentes Spates 10 $ 
Works of construction proper ...... 50 ‘: 
100 
These items differed considerably in various railways, and in general it 
might be said that the works of construction constituted one-half of 
the whole first cost. Mr. Vignoles stated that he had analysed railway 
expenses of working, and had reduced them to a mileage,—that is, the 
average expense per mile, per train, as deduced from several years’ ex- 
perience, and observations of various railways under different circum- 
stances, and with greatly different gradients, some of which lines were 
enumerated. The result on passenger and light traffic lines was, that 
the total deduction for expenditure from gross receipts was 3s. per 
mile per train; 2s. 6d. being the least, and 3s. 4d. the highest; and 
that this average seemed to hold good, irrespective of gradients or 
eurves. Particular lines might, from local circumstances, differ in 
detail, but he was satisfied that the following was a fair average ap- 
proximation :— 
s. d. 
Daily cost of locomotive power and repairs.........+++++04. eee 1 6 
Annual depreciation, sinking fund, and interest on stock, tools, 
shops, and establishment ..........scecscetsceescsensecsencccessoes 0 6 
Daily and annual cost in carriage department............-2.00e0+- 0 4 
Government duty, office expenses, police, clerks, guards, ma- 
nagement, and maintenance of railway ........sccsseesees vere O 8 
3.0 
It was not found practicable to distinguish the additional expense, if 
any, arising from curves or gradients ; but as three-fourths of railway 
expenses were quite independent of these curves, such addition must 
be small ; especially as, on the North Union Railway, a line which had 
5 miles out of 22 in gradients of | in 100, or nearly 53 feet per mile, 
tne total expenses were less than on the Grand Junction Railway, and 
several other lines. 
__ Mr. Vignoles then proceeded to illustrate, by diagrams, the mode in 
which the ceconomy might be made in the works of construction, on 
what he called the first system, by the occasional introduction of in- 
clines of 50 and even 60 feet per mile, if not of too great a length; 
and again, on the second system, by introducing entire series of severe 
gradients, such as those of 30, 35, and 40 feet. 
On the first system he had executed the North Union Railway ; 
1840. Oo 
