236 



THE CIVIT. ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[Jttnk, 



Birmingham in 5 liours. A stoppage ol' 8 minultis will be allnwed at Triiig. 10 

 minutes at Wulverton, '•i minutes nt Wceilun, und 9 minutes at Coventry; malting a 

 total of 25 minutosoccupiclby the sluppagfs, and only 4 hours and 35 minutes in 

 performing the jonrney of 110 miles furlongs. The' day mail train from Birming- 

 hiun will accomplish the journey in the same time, allowing the same stoppages at tlic 

 diftVrent places above-menlioned. The nigat mail train will leave Eustou-grove 

 station at half-past 8, and comi>lete the distance in 5 lionrs and a half; the stoppa^ii's 

 to be for tlio same periods and at the same places as lliuse named for the day-mail 

 trains. 



Norih MhUand Hailway. — The YorLshire directors of this important public under- 

 taking have, during the present week, been examinuig intn the progress of the wliole 

 work in their comity. They commenced at the Trecton contract, near Derbyshire, 

 and walked nearly the whole distance to Woodlesfurd, a tract of about thirtv-seven 

 miles. The works in es-ery part of the line \\cre found to be proceeding mos't satis- 

 factorily, so as to afibrd the best ground for expecting that the whole line will be 

 completed by tlie time specified in the contracts — namtdy, the close of the present 

 year; and we hope that eai-ly in the spring of 1810 the travelling and canning 

 business of the line will be in lull operation. Owing to the obstacles in the way of 

 the company until very recently, that portion of the line between \^'oodlesford and 

 Tliwaite Gate has not yet been commenced; these diliiculties are, however, now 

 removed, and the contracts for the few miles will be let during the present juouth, 

 witk a view to the entire line up to Thwaite Gate being opened at the close of the 

 year. 'J'he railway is in a still more advanced state in Derbyshire than in Yorksliire. 



Clay Crofs Tunnel. — It is expected that this Herculean department of the North 

 Midland Railway will present a clear passage from one end of it to the other in July 

 next. 1.500 yards are completed. Tlie portion contracted for by Messrs. Harding 

 and Cropper is limshed ; and ihc excavation remaining to be completed extends 

 somewliere between two and three hundred yards. — IaciU Intdligenver. 



As the Di-rhy and Bii-minijliam Railway is expected to be open in July, as soon as 

 the North Midland is completed, there will be an unbroken railway conveyance all 

 the way from Leeds to London, except one mile at this end, which we hope "will soon 

 be supplied. No fewer than 8,yOU men arc directly employed on the line, to say 

 nothing of the very great number indirectly employcd.as brickmakers, *;c. in order to 



complete this great undertaking. — LirJs Meroi ry. The open cutting through tlie 



town of Belper is expected to be completed in about fiuir months. The bridges over 

 the_ several streets and laTies are commenced, as are also the retaining walls, for 

 which avast quantity of stone is prepared. The bridge for the new turnpike road, 

 north of Belper, is completed, and will soon be ready for use. The passage under 

 the bed of the Gromfnrd canal at Bull Bridge, has been open some time, and tlie 

 works are proceeding there with gi-eat activity. The last of the foundations of the 

 large bridge over the Derwent, near Amber Gate, w as put in this week , considerable 

 difficulty has been experienced here, as the workmen have been many mouths, night 

 and day, at work, assisted by a powerful steam-engine. — Derby lltportcr. 



Olasyow and Ayrshire iJrn'hru;/.— We have stated, from time to time, the progress 

 of the works on this line of railway between Ayr and Kilwinning; and we are now- 

 gratified in being able to communicate that the operations thence towards Glasgow- 

 are also proceeding with great spirit, so that no doubt is entertained tliat the entire line 

 will be open to the public by May, 1840. But we believe it is stiil the intention of 

 the directors to open that part of the line between Ayr and Irvine some lime during 

 the present summer. There have been of late, at the ports of Ayr and Troon, nume- 

 rous arrivals of cargoes of rails, from Newport in Wales, which are being laid down 

 permanently. The freights on these we hear have fallen from 1.5s. to 10s. per ton. 

 We understand that while the harbour dues exacted at Ayr for these rails are only 

 at the rate of id. per ton, those at Troon are 18d. The erections at the depots, both 

 here and at Irvine, are proceeding expeditiously- — Ayr Adcertiser. 



Cheltenham and Greai Western Union Eaihray Company. — Extracts from the 

 Report of the Directors. May 1 , 1839.— Since the last general meeting contracts liave 

 been made for the formation of the line from the Bariiwood-road to the Gloucester 

 depot, and also for sinking the permanent shafts in the Sapperton tunnel. 



All these contracts have been satisfactorily let to responsible parties. 



By tlie amended Act of last session it was provided, that all the land lequired for 

 the railway, between the depots at Cheltenham and Gloucester, should be purchased 

 and paid for on or before the 25th of March last; which enactment has been fully 

 carried into eflett. 



The contracts for the execution uf this part of the line expire in March 1840 ; and 

 from the progress made diu'ing the winter, and the very nnfavouralde season during 

 which the works have hitherto been carried on, there can be no doubt of the ability oT" 

 the contractors to complete their works within the prescribed period. 



About 160,000 yards of earth have been excavated during the past winter, and 

 there remain about 4t)0,000 to complete. The masonry and brickwork are in an 

 advanced slate. The ballasting for the permanent way is also prepm-ing ; and your 

 Directors have taken measures for securing an ample and early supply of such of the 

 other materials as require time to prepare, so that no delay may hereafter occur in 

 completing this important part of the work. 



^ Every preparation is making for proceeding with the consti-uclion of the depots at 

 Chellenhaiii and Gloucester, in the arrangements uf which your Directors propose to 

 study every possible economy consistent with the accommodation of the publif, on a 

 ])art of tlie line where so very large a traffic must ultimately be provided tor. 



Of the 17.i miles fi-om Cirencester to Swindon, the land on 15^ miles has been 

 conti-acted for, and a large proportion ha.s been taken possession of and paid for. 

 The works on this portion, which had been let just before your last meeting, have 

 been commenced at difi'erent points as rapidly as the land required could be procured, 

 and arc now proceeding satisfactorily, and your Engineer has no reason to doubt that 

 they will be completed by the periods fixed" in the contracts, which all expire in the 

 latter end of 1840. These periods are calculated so as to allow of the w hole distance 

 from Swindon to Cirencester being opened simultaneuusly, or as nearly so as possible 

 wall tlie opeunig of the line of the Great Western Railway from London to Swindon. 

 Lpow this district, as upon tliat between Cheltenham and Gloucester, although com- 

 menced later, and consequently not proporlionably advanced, it is satisfactory to be 

 able to state that as much lias been done as the season and other circumslances could 

 allow ot, and tliat the works are in that state which admits of the full advantage being 

 taken of the more fa\ourable period of the year wldch we have now entered upon. 

 l<ive nl the permanent shafts of the Sapperton tunnel arc proceeiiing very satisfactorily. 

 Ihree of them have alre;idy reached rather more llian half the required depth, and 

 the other two about one third— no difliculties have been experienced, and at present 

 there is every appearance of the materials through wliich the tunnel itself will be ex 



cavated. being as favourable for this work as was originally anticipated. The sixth 

 sliafi will not be so deep as the others ; some dillicuUy has occurred in procuring the 

 land, but there is now every prospect of this cause of delay being speedily reniuved, 

 and that all the shafts will be ready by the autumn of this year, so that the tunnel 

 may be commenced as soon after as may be desired. The prejiaratory steps necessary 

 for setting out the works and determining the lands required in the Stroud Valley, 

 have been jmt in hand and are nearly completed. Ihe Directors have agreed with 

 the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway Couipany for the p;irchase of about four 

 acres of land ot Gloucester near the Cattle TNIarket for their depot at Gloucester. It 

 was provided by the Act of Parliament that there should be one principal depot at 

 Cheltenham for the joint use of the Companies, to be formed at the expense of this 

 Company, and a similar de]iot at Gloucester to be formed at the expense of the Bir- 

 mingliam and Gloucester Company ; but it has been a]qneliended that, under the 

 particular circumstances, much confusion and inconvenience might result in practice 

 from that arrangement, and the Du-ectors of the two Companies have therefore come 

 to an agi'eemcnt to have distinct depots at both places, to be formed separately by 

 each Comjiany — an arrangement which will contribute greatly to the facility and 

 regularity of management in the traffic of both lines. 



Glasgow, PaJslei/, and Greenock liaihuay. — On Saturday, the 11th ultimo, the 

 Directors made their periodical visit to the road. After inspecting the new carriages 

 at Glasgow, wliich are of the most elegant and comfortable description, they proceeded 

 along the line to Greenock, examining every part of the works with much attention. 

 Between Glasgow and I'aisley the progi'ess is rapid, and a great ]»art of the perma- 

 nent I'oad is in course of being laid. The drift-way through the Arkleton tunnel is 

 almost completed, and the tunnel is widened out for a consideraltle piut of its leugth. 

 In Pai-sley the bridge and walls are very forward, and the hir;^)' bridirr over the (_'art 

 has its centre ready for turning the arch. Proceeding westward bc^ und Paisley, the 

 walls and embankments are creeping up, and the railway is already carried over the 

 moss. The consolidation is becoming daily more apparent, and there is no doubt that 

 an excellent bit of road will be the result of the precautions adopted. At Bishopton 

 all is bustle and activity, and nowhere is there greater evidence of the late delightful 

 weather. Between West Ferry and Port Glasgow the work is comparatively light, 

 and has made gi-eat progress since the last inspection. — Greenock Advtrtiser* 



Great Western. Railway. — The travelling on the line to Maidenhead has greatly 

 increased with the favoiu'able change in the weather, and appears likely, as the sum- 

 mer comes on, greatly to exceed that in the corresponding period of last year. During 

 the week ending the 5th inst. upwai'ds of 12,000 passengers were conveyed, and the 

 receipts, we believe, exceeded 2,000/. The Directors have concluded contracts for 

 some miles of the road between Bath and the village of Box, and the contracts lately 

 advertised will complete the entire line between Bristol and London, with the excep- 

 tion of a .sinuU portion near Bath, and one or two bridges, for which the plans will 

 soon be ready. We understand that, generally speaking, the worts along tlie line 

 are pushed forward with gi-eat eiierg}', and though muth remains to be done before 

 the bridg.s and tunnels in this vicinity can be completed, there seems no doubt that 

 thf line to Balh will be rcaily for traffic in the course of the next nine months. About 

 half a mile of tlie great tunnel at Box is now completed, and not the slightest ditficulty 

 exists in keeping the works free of water. Where the excavation is carried through 

 the oolite, or freestone, the work proceeds with a rapidity greater than that required 

 by the contract; and as this may be considered the key to the whole line, we have'no 

 doubt the Directors will take care that no unneces.sary delay takes place in its com- 

 pletion.— 5r/s(o/ Mercury. 



Sheffield and Rotherhani Railivay. — A slendid locomotive engine from the manu- 

 factoiy of Messrs. Fenton, Murray, and Jackson, of Leeds, called the Ayilis, has ar- 

 rived at the Sheffield station of the Sheffield and Rotherhain Railway, and is now in 

 active operation upon the line. We understand thiit some of its excellencies consist 

 in being proA ided with flanges on each side of the six wheels, thereby affording addi- 

 tional safety from being run off' the rails, compared with those engines whose driving 

 wheels are \vithout that very material part. Another advanliige which it posses-ses, 

 is that if either one or all the excen tries wliich move the valves, were broken, dis- 

 arranged, or even lost olf or taken away, it is still under the control and management 

 of the engineer, who can safely conduct it along the railway nearly as well as if those 

 parts had remained entire. — Sheffiehl Mercury. 



Eastern Counties' Railway. — The company have commenced laying the foiindaliuii 

 and building their i\"arehouses and offices, at the station adjoining tlie Red Lion, at 

 Ilford, for llic purpose of receiving and wai-ehousing goods, and landing passengers. 

 They will bo very extensive and convenient The buildings at the Shorechtch ter- 

 miuus will sliortly be commenced. The Northern and Eastern Railway, which is to 

 join the Eastern at Strattbrd, will of course bear a part of the expense ; the Bill to 

 so far unite them being in Parliament, and is expected to pass without opposition 

 The terminus will command tlie trade and tralfic from the north and west part of the 

 metropulis, and of ]*;uglaiid, and is not more than half a mile from the centre of the 

 city of London. At Ilford the permanent rails ar^ laid down nearly as far as Mr. 

 Curtis's brick-field, and the works are proceeding very rapidly. The railway from 

 Mary-le-point as far as is conqdeted, to the east of Ilfurd, is said by competent judges, 

 to be the best piece ol" railway in the kingdoio. The state of the bridge over the turn- 

 pike road between Ilford and Chadwell, still continues in a very nn^atisiaciory con- 

 dition, and nearly all the magistrates of the county have, been and examined it during 

 the last ^\-eek, and insist on liaving the walls of the bridge carried higher, in case 

 horses should take fright and junqt over them ; and also walls on the sides of tlie jqi- 

 proaches. The company appear to have got into a labyrinlh respecting this bridge, 

 which will require all their wisdom and talents to extricate them from. — Essex 

 Sta/idard. AVe understand that it is now fixed to open the line from Londuii to Rom- 

 inrd, the first week in June, and shortly after from Romford to Brentford, a distance 

 of ly miles; there are about 7,000 per^ns employed on this groat luidertaking 

 besides several locomotive engines and horses. — Suffolk Ilerahl. 



Briatol and E.eeter Railway. — The directors are pledged to open the lino to Bridge- 

 water, before they proceed with the works to Taunton, in order to make the outlay 

 as small as possible before an income can be secured; but if a single lino to 

 Taunton can be constructed for a few thousands more than a double one to Bridge- 

 water, and if the additional income, when it is open to Taunton, will be at least 

 '.20,000/. a year, I think it is the duty of the directors to adopt for the present a 



single line. — Bristol Gazette The works on this line are proceeding with great 



spirit and effect as far i.s Bridgewater, to which town the line is expected to hn opened 

 from Bristol next spring. The works are also proceeding steadily westward, and no 

 doubt exists of the inteniion of the Board to cairy the line on toils final destination 

 without making a temporary halt at Taunton. 



