50 Book of Engineering 



to supplant. At the end of the line it ran 

 into a siding where some sleepers had been 

 so placed that they brought the ground 

 level up to that of the rail top. In three 

 minutes the road wheels were lowered and 

 the rail wheels raised. 



The Ro-railer then became to all in- 

 tents and purposes a motor-coach and 

 ran smoothly through the town, made 

 a tour for exhibition purposes, returned 

 to the siding again, was converted for rail 

 travel and off it went the whole trans- 

 ference having been accomplished in six 

 minutes for both changes. 



Those who made the journey remarked 

 that at the same speed the travelling was 

 better on the road than on the railway, a 

 fact which is sufficiently remarkable until 

 we remember that the line upon which the 

 experiment was carried out was a branch, 

 and therefore not so well laid as the main 

 line. There was more swaying noticeable 

 but then speed was higher on the whole, 

 also the day was wet and sand had to 

 be used on the slippery rails, the coach 



