6C, 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



rail. The combined action of all these effects will be, a certain amount of 

 delluctiou in the direction of the resultant of the several forces, considered in 

 contiection with the position of the base whereon the blocks or aleejiers ulti- 

 mately rest. The direction of the combined action of the incumbent weight 

 upon so yielding a base, and liable to be affected by so many circumstances ; 

 must, it may he supposed, vary in almost even* case, and, therefore, no instru- 

 nieutcoultl be so placed as to indicate the resultant effect of these various motions. 



The only mode of determining this appeared to be, the application of an 

 instrument to measure the extent of horizontal dellection, in addition to that 

 of the vertical di^liection, when it will at once be seen that the two motions 

 could bo resolved into their resultant. 



In a practical point of view, independently of being able to res(dve the two 

 motions into one, it appeared desirable to know the amount of horizontal, or 

 lateral deflection, as well as that of vertical; a particular plan of construction 

 of railway misht exhibit very perfect results, as regarded the amount of vertical 

 deflection, and yet be very inferior, as regarded the lateral motion, or horizon- 

 tal deflection, and vice versa; the investigation could not, therefore, be com- 

 plete without having developed the extent of each description of motion. 



The mode of conducting the experiments was as follows ; — 



These instruments were first of all applied to the rails of the Great Western 

 Railway, one instrument being placed opposite a single transom, another in- 

 strument ojiposite a double transom, and the third midway between the 

 transoms. The trains were then run along the rails, at first with a slow mo- 

 tion and diagrams taken, the motion was gradually increased, and diagrams 

 were again taken ; several diagiams were thus taken at different parts of the 

 line, with the rails in their working state. The piles were then detached from 

 the transoms, by withdrawing the bolts, and diagrams taken in the same 

 manner ; next, the transoms were cut asunder, thereby allowing the longitu- 

 dinal timbers to act independent of any support from the transoms or piles; 

 and in some expeiHments, after the transoms were detached from the piles, 

 they were cut asunder between the two lines of way, when they acted as cross 

 sleepers between the timbers without piles, diagrams being taken in all these 

 variety of cases. 



The instruments were not, however, always placed in the positions above 

 staled, they were varied, both as regarded the places where joints of the iron 

 rails occurred, and also with respect to the joints of the timbers, as regarded 

 their position with the joint of the rails. The experiments were likewise 

 made on embankments and in cuttings ; and also on the longitudinal timbers 

 where no piles existed. 



It was also found to be desirable to ascertain if any motion of the rail upon 

 the timbers existed, and consequently diagrams were taken by applying the 

 instruments successively to the rail, and to the limbers. 



The next set of experiments were made upon ihe London and Birmingham 

 Railyway, two of the instruments were here placed as near the chairs or points 

 of support as possible, and the other midway between them. Diagrams were 

 taken on oOlh. and 621b. rails respectively ;' but the vertical deflection only, 

 was taken on this railway, and on stone blocks. 



Experiments were lilcewise made with the same instruments, on the I>iver- 

 pool and Manchester Railway, of both horizontal and vertical deflection, on 

 601b. rails with ibur feet bearings, and 751b. rails with five feet bearings. 



A more extended course of experiments were made on the Grand junction 

 Railway ; on this line all the rails are of one weight and section, but thev are 

 placed in some parts of the road on stone blocks, on other parts of tlie liiie on 

 cross wooden sleepers, and ujion the Dutton Viaduct on longitudinal timbers. 

 Diagrams were taken at varying rales of speed, of both horizontal and vertical 

 deflection of rails supported by stone blocks, wooden cross sleepers, and lon- 

 gitudinal timber bearings respectively : the instruments were then applied to 

 the chairs, and diagrams of the deflections of these taken, and lastly, they 

 were .ipplied to the blocks, sleepers, and timbers respectivelv, and diagrams 

 taken of the depression produced by the passage of the trains' on these difl"erent 

 description of bearings. 



The next railway on which experiments were made, was the Manchester, 

 Bolton, and Bury ; this railway is constructed parflv of continuous stone 

 blocks, but mostly of continuous timber bearings, witli cross timber ties, or 

 trans(uns, and without piles. It became, therefore, an object of great interest 

 to ascertain the comparative eflect upon the road by the passage of Ihe trains, 

 ov,T continuous bearings on this Una without piles", and on the Great ^^'estem 

 Railway with jdles. Experiments were therefore made, in every respect the 

 same as those on the Great Western Railway, the instruments being applied 

 successively to the rails and timbers. Upon "the stone bearings resting upon 

 masonry there was in fact no depression or yielding whatever, and therefore 

 these diagrams, though taken, are not given in the book. 



The following tables will show the vertical and horizontal deflection of the 

 rails and timbers in the several varieties of application of the instruments, on 

 the Great Western and other railways in parts of au inch : — 



TABLE X. 



GREAT WESTERN HMI.WAV. 



Instrument 



applied to. 

 Single transom i 

 Midway > 



Double ti ansom 3 

 Single transom J 

 Jjidway > 



Double ti^ansoni j 

 Single transom 1 

 Midway ' 



Ponble transom) 



Piles Febfect. 



riLEs ClT. 



TK.v^so.^! C'li, 



TABLE XI. 



. LONDON AND BIRMINGHAM RAILWAY. 



dOlbs. Fisk-bellied Ea ih, 'A feel beariiif;s on Blocks. 

 Inslrument applied to the Hail at 

 Single Chair. Midw.ty. Joint Chair. 



Engine. Coaches. Engine. Coaches. Engine. Coaches. 

 Vertical -0283 •0133 -0522 •03C2 •0638 •0488 

 OOlbs. Rails, 3^75 bearings on Blocks, 

 ditto -0422 •0266 -0633 0344 •0372 ^0273 



TABLE XIL 



LIVERPOOL AND MANCHESTER RAILWAY. 



62lbs. Parallelllails, <ind 3 fert hearings on Blocks. 

 Instntmcnts applied to Jiails at 

 Single Chair. Midway. .Joint Chair. 

 Engines. Coaches. Engine. Coaches. Engine. Coaches. 

 Vertical. •0676 •0501 ^0743 '0415 •0445 -0240 

 ditto •OaiO -0197 



TABLE XIII. 



MANCHESTER AND DOLTON RAILWAY. 



Instruments applied to Timber at 

 Transome. Midway Joint Midway. 



Engine. Coache.5. Engine. Coaches. Engine. Coaches. 



Vertical. -0980 •OeSO •0690 .0440 •0861 •0641 



Instrum«7its applied iQ Raits. 



ditto -1007 •0661 •0587 -0331 •1310 ^1004 



TABLE XIV. 



GR.\ND JUNCTION RAILWAY. 



Rails of 65lbs. four feet bearings. 

 Instrument 

 1. applied to 



Single chair ) Rails on 



Midway J Stone Blocks. 



Single Chair 

 Midway 

 Joint Chair 

 Chairs on Blocks 

 Chairs on Sleepers. 

 Blocks 

 Sleepers 



Rails midway from Chair 

 Rails at Joint Chair 

 Chairs 



Timbers at Chairs 

 Ditto Midway 



On an attentive examination of the results of these experiments, as ex- 

 hibited by the preceding tables, but more particularly on examining the 

 diagrams themselves, and the measurement of each, it will be seen that stone 

 blocks (except in some cases where they were not properly seated), alTord 

 decidedly the firmest, and most unyielding base; that there is not much dif- 

 ference in the firmness of base between cross timber bearings, and continuous 

 timber bearings without piles, as exhibited on the Grand Junction, and 

 Manchester, Bolton and Bury Railways ; but that there is a greater variety 

 in the results of the diflerent experiments in cross sleepers than in continuous 

 bearings. 



It will likewise be seen, that on isolated supports there is agreateramonnt 

 of deflection shown in the rails than in the chairs; and still less deflection in 

 the blocks and wooden sleepers than either Ihe chairs or rails. The in- 

 ference from this is, that the rails in these cases were not firmly fixed down 

 to the chairs > and also that the chairs were not immoveably secured to the 

 blocks and sleepers ; and as the experiments comprehend a great many cases, 

 it may be presumed that such is the case generally on isolated bearings. 



On the Manchester and Bolton Railway, the joints of the rails rest on flat 

 chairs, the rails being on either parts of their length fixed to the timber 

 bearings with iron clamps ; here also we find a considerable yielding of the 

 rails upon the timbers, the latter showing less deflection than when the in- 

 struments were applied to the rails. 



The experiments on the Great Western Railway, shew in the table a 

 less difference of deflection between the rails and the timbers, than any 

 of the modes of fastening either on isolated supports or on Ihe continuous 

 beaiinijs of the Manchester and Bolton Railway ; and hence we may 

 conclude, that the mode of fastening the rails to the timbers on that 

 railway by screws, eftects a firmer junction than any of the other modes 

 of fastening. On examining the table it will be seen that notwithstand- 

 ing the assistance sf the piles, the diagrams show a greater amount of 

 deflection of the timber bearings of the Great Western Railway than the stone 

 blocks, and quite as much as the continuous bearings without piles ; the firm- 

 ness of base as shown by these experiments, is, therefore, less than with stone 

 blocks, and not greater tlian with continuous bearings, without piles, but less 

 than cross isolated timber bearings. It must, however, be remarked, that these 

 tables show the deflection on the Great Western Railway, with engines and 

 carriages much heavier than those used in taking the deflections on the other 

 railways of the ordinary width ; and although they exhibit the comparative 

 delieetlons produced by the passage of the IraiBs, according to the respccti\« 



RailsonCross 

 Sleepers. 



Dutton Via- 

 duct on 



Longitudinal 

 Timbers. 



