RULES FOR TRAVELLERS. 



degree by any accidental cause ; and inasmuch as it is extreme, 

 they are more difficult to be stopped in time to prevent a 

 collision in such a contingency. If a collision occur, the 

 effects are disastrous, in the direct ratio of the relative speed of 

 the trains, one of which overtakes the other. The momentum 

 of the shock, other things being the same, will be proportional 

 to the excess of the speed of the faster over that of the slower 

 train. 



The "probability of a collision will also be increased in the 

 same ratio. 



To work express trains with safety, an additional line of rails 

 should be laid down and appropriated to them. 



Their number per day being necessarily small, and the duration 

 of their trips short, the same line of rails might, without 

 inconvenience or danger, serve for the traffic in both directions 

 as on single lines of railway. 



Examples illustrative of the danger attending express- 

 trains abound in the reports. The following may be men- 

 tioned : 



On the Great- Western, on the 10th of May, 1848, six pas- 

 sengers were killed, and thirteen injured, in consequence of 

 a train coming in collision with a horse-box at the Shrivenham 

 station. 



On the Lancaster and Preston, on the 21st of August, 1848, 

 one passenger was killed, and two seriously injured, in conse- 

 quence of a collision at the Bay Horse station between a 

 Lancaster and Carlisle Company's express-train, and a local 

 train belonging to the Lancaster and Preston Company. 



On the North-Western, on the 2nd of September, 1848, an 

 express-train ran off the rails near the Newton Road station, 

 causing severe injury to two passengers, Mr. Shuard and Colonel 

 Baird, both of whom died afterwards. 



On the South- Western, on the 17th of November, 1848, an 

 express-train ran into a ballast-engine on the Richmond line, 

 causing death to one servant of the company and injury to four 

 others, all of whom were riding on the engine ; also injury to 

 eight passengers in the express-train. 



17. Rule VII. SPECIAL TRAINS, EXCURSION TRAINS, AND ALL 



OTHER EXCEPTIONAL TRAINS ON RAILWAYS ARE TO BE 

 AVOIDED, BEING MORE UNSAFE THAN THE ORDINARY AND 

 REGULAR TRAINS. 



There is always more or less danger of collision when 

 any object on a railway is out of its customary place. The 

 engine-drivers of the regular trains are always informed of 



187 



