1849.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECrS JOURNAL. 



The greatest work on the line was the hridge over the Tees, at 

 Stockton; it was originally a suspension hridge, of 281 feet span, 

 erected by Samuel Brown, R.N.; it was the first and only apjdi- 

 cation of the suspension principle for the support and continuation 

 of a railway. The experiment was not successful : the bridge had 

 to be supported, and was afterwards replaced by one of Robert 

 Stephenson's trussed girder bridges, of about 90 feet span; this 

 was, I believe, the first application of the trussed cast-iron girders 

 to such extended spans. The present bridge has been strutted 

 since the failure of the Dee Bridge at Chester. 



You state, "the number of travellers was 428,514 (in 1847); of 

 these, it is said, 33,222 were by horse-coaches (showing that some 

 still ran on the line), and 1,840 by coal trains; each passenger 

 travelling about 6^ miles, and paying about lOrf. as a fare." I cannot 

 understand this statement at all as to the number of passengers 

 conveyed by horse-coaches, and the inference drawn from it, 

 seeing that there are no hnrse-coaches at all on the line. The 

 passengers travel from Redcar to AV'olsingham, about 50 miles, 

 riiere are three through-trains each way in the day, with inter- 

 mediate trains between Middlesbro' and Stockton, and Stockton 

 and Darlington. The passenger-trains travel at about the same 

 velocities as the ordinary passenger trains on other railways; hut 

 as to horse-coaches, there are none. 



Again, you state, " It may be said that the manager (of the 

 Stockton and Darlington Railway) is now Mr. George Stephenson, 

 nephew of the engineer ; so that the name is still kept up." This 

 is not the case. There is a person of the name of George Stephenson 

 connected with the line, but not as manager; he fills some subor- 

 dinate situation, I believe, in looking after the coaching and traihc 

 at the Darlington Station, but is no relation to the late Geoi'ge 

 Stephenson, engineer. The present engineer of the line is Mr. 

 John Dixon, who resides at Darlington, and is, since the death of 

 George Stephenson, the oldest railway engineer on the list. Tliey 

 commenced together on the first of railways, the Stockton and 

 Darlington ; and after its completion he accompanied Stephenson 

 to the Manchester and Liverpool, and had a portion of the line 

 under Stephenson during its construction. After the line was 

 opened he remained on it for many years as resident engineer, and 

 was afterwards connected with several other of Stephenson's lines ; 

 and is now engineer on the original line, where he and Stephenson 

 commenced their career as railway engineers upwards of a quarter 

 of a century ago. Had you been aware of the fact, anda])plied to 

 him, he could have given you every information on a subject which 

 you regret so little is known about — viz., the Stockton and Dar- 

 lington Railway, the first great work on which Stephenson's talents 

 were more particularly developed, and especially interesting on 

 that account. I have no doubt but he could also speak as to Ste- 

 phenson's labours on the Manchester and Liverpool Railway, as 

 they were together during the whole of its construction. He was 

 intimately acquainted M-ith Stephenson during the %vhole of his 

 career as a railway engineer ; and could speak of many little traits 

 of character, acts, and opinions of that eminent man, which would 

 have been of the greatest interest in your paper, as exhibiting 

 more minutely tlie workings of his mind ; whidi can be but imper- 

 fectly shown by the scattered facts from so many imperfect sources, 

 which you have, with praiseworthy labour, laid' before the readers 

 of the Eiiyhii'er's Journal. 



The Stockton and Darlington Railway was the first public rail- 

 way that was constructed, and the one on which Stephenson 

 more particularly commenced his career of railway engineering, 

 which was to do so much for the world. This was the beginning of 

 that system of railways whidi was eventually, and witiiin a ^ery 

 short period of time, destined to expand itself so rapidly, and to 

 attain such a magnitude and influence as to completely revolu- 

 tionise the previous system of travelling : within the short space 

 of a quarter of a century it has grown into a gigantic system, 

 affecting, and calculated to affect, the whole of the civilised world. 

 When we consider what it has grown to, and the perfection it has 

 attained, well may we look upon the Stockton and Darlington 

 Railwaj', wliich stands as the first on record, with a degree of in- 

 terest. It wasa cheai)ly-constructed line ; and being the first, it 

 is a curious fact that this line, of all others, has been the most suc- 

 cessful to tlie shareholders, by realising the greatest profits ; and 

 looking at it in an engineering point of view, we can scarcely de- 

 tect any material diilereuce between the line as a whole, its bridges, 

 and other works, and that of the most recently-constructed rail- 

 way of the present day ; although, in the latter case, we have the 

 experience and great practice of 25 years to eft'ect, as one miglit 

 naturally suppose, great changes and improvements. There is 

 certainly a diii'erence and imj3rovement in the locomotives and car- 



riages, &c., but scarcely any in the railway itself. It is reported 

 that Hudson, or the York and Berwick Railway Company, have 

 leased the line for 22 years, at 15 per cent., and the branches at 

 6 per cent., and is about to enter upon it on the 1st of January 

 next : they have already given notice of going to parliament to 

 get powers to lease. 



Yours, &c., 



A Reader of the Engineer's Journal. 



*^* Had I been connected with the line, I might have given you 

 more detailed information on some points ; but from a long resi- 

 dence in the vicinity, and particular acquaintance with the facts, 

 I can vouch for the correctness of my statements. 



THE COMBINED VAPOUR ENGINE. 



THE INVENTIO.N OP M. DU TREMBLEY. 



The Combined Vapour Engine has recently attracted consi- 

 derable attention, in consequence of the announcements in the 

 daily and weekly press, and caused a large concourse of scientific 

 persons to assemble at the engine manufactory of IMessrs. Home, 

 High-street, AVhitechapel, to witness the performance of the 

 engine. W'e were induced to pay two visits, to make ourselves 

 acquainted with its action, and to ascei'tain wliether it possessed 

 the merits set forth by our contemporaries and the French commis- 

 sioners ; but in consequence of the clumsy character of the engine 

 exhibited, which we understand was constructed in France, we 

 were unable to satisfy ourselves as to the real value of the prin- 

 ciple upon which it worked. We must, therefore, for the 

 present simply record what we observed, and gi^■e some extracts 

 from the Report of the commission, ajipointed by the French go- 

 vernment to examine and re])ort upon its merits. The commission 

 appears to have devoted considerable labour and time in investi- 

 gating the diaracter and value of the invention. When a more 

 perfect engine has been constructed, we hope we shall have an 

 opportunity of again investigating the invention, and be able to 

 lay before our readers a further description and the result of our 

 examination. 



The accompanying engraving is a back view of the engine exhi- 

 bited. It will be perceived that there are two cylinders, each 

 8| inches diameter, with a stroke of 22 inches. The pistons of 

 both are worked togethtr, upwards or downwards, and are con- 

 nected to the same cross-head. The steam-pipe was connected 

 with a steam-pipe that was wtu'king another engine at rather high- 

 pressure, and only a small quantity of the steam was allowed to 

 pass through a throttle-valve, to work the Combined Engine. 

 The quantity of perch/oride of formoyle used in the engine was 

 stated to be 40 lb., which costs 8.«. per lb. ; and the loss occasioned 

 by evaporation in a month is not more than 1 lb. It is intended to 

 use, instead of the formoyle, the perchloride of carbon, as being 

 considerably cheaper, its cost being only Sd. per lb. 



The invention is applied either to a single engine, with two 

 cylinders and pistons (C and D), or, as is usual for maritime pur- 

 poses, two distinct engines with a cylinder and piston each. In 

 either case one of the pistons is acted upon by steam, and the 

 other by the vapour of perchloride, or of any other easily- vaporised 

 liquid. The steam-power is generated and applied as in the ordi- 

 nary engine; but, upon the escape of the steam from the first 

 cylinder (C), after having exerted its expansive force therein, it 

 passes into an air-tight case, termed a vaporiser (A), containing a 

 number of small tubes charged with perchloride or some easily- 

 vaporised liquid, penetrates into the space between, and thus comes 

 into contact with the entire surface of the tubes. 



The faculty of absorbing caloric possessed by liquids of the 

 before-mentioned class is so ])owerful, that, immediately upon the 

 steam coming in contact witli the surface of the tubes charged 

 therewith, a large portion of the caloric of the steam is absorbed 

 by the liquid in the tubes, which becomes thereby vaporised; and 

 the steam, being thus deprived of its caloric, is immediately con- 

 densed, and is then returned into the steam-boiler, or, being by 

 this process perfectly distilled, may be applied for culinary or any 

 other purposes for which pure water is required. 



The vapour thus obtained, by the action of the steam upon the 

 perchloride or other liquid in the tubes (A), is conducted into the 

 second cylinder (D), and, alter exerting its elastic force (which is- 

 greater tlian that of steam), upon the piston in the second cylinder, 

 is condensed, and, by means of a force-pump, is returnedinto the 



