i:)4 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[July, 



these packinfirs (])lace(l the cross grain of the wood) are to prevent 

 tlie rail bedding itself into the longitudinal bearing. 



Cireat care appears to he necessary in laying down and fitting 

 the tindjers together, before the plate-layers can lay the rails. 

 There are a great number of parts, which presupposes increased 

 complexity : any re]>airs or renewals must necessarily be difficult 

 to eifect, as a general disturbance of the parts must result from 

 the renewal of any one : the continuity of the bearing cuts off the 

 cross drainage of the surface of the ballast, and induces an e.\pen- 

 sive system of suh-drainage, which is always liable to derange- 

 ment. In lifting the road, it must be a very nice operation to 

 maintain the cant of the rail at the proper angle. 



The advantages of a longitudinal bearing are the uniformity of 

 the bearing surface on the ballast, and the continuity which it 

 gives at the joints of the rails ; in this latter respect, it is much 

 superior to tlie detached bearing. 

 Henians's ULidltiiul Grmt Wextern of Ireland. — (Drawing No. i.J 



This road is on longitudinal bearings, differing from Mr. Brunei's 

 in that the transomes are placed under the longitudinal bearing. 



The weight of the rail is 75 lb. per yard. 



The cost of 5 yards of single line of railway is Ol. 3x. Id. 



The number of parts in the same length of single line is 44. 

 — (see Appendix.) 



This road may he considered as a combination of the transverse 

 and longitudinal systems, and although in some respects defective, 

 yet there is much to be learned from it. Mr. Hemans informs me 

 that in the portions of the road laid upon peat, or where the bot- 

 tom is soft, he puts in more transverse sleepers, with gi-eat advan- 

 tage to the stability of the road; and that in repairing such por- 

 tions, the men lift and pack the cross sleepers, without reference 

 to the longitudinal bearing. 



Sir .John Macniell'.i Method. — (Drawing No. 5.) 



Sir John Macniell has introduced on the railways constructed 

 under his directiims in Ireland, a description of permanent way 

 which from the attention bestowed upon its details merits particu- 

 lar notice. It consists of a bridge rail weighing 90 lb. per yard, 

 laid upon transverse sleepers, placed at an average interval of 

 2 ft. 6 in. apart. 



The cost of 5 yards of single line of railway is 6/. 4*. 4-5rf. 



The number of parts in the same length of single line is 36. 

 — (see Appendix.) 



This road possesses great simplicity of construction : there are 

 no chairs or keys; the bed of the rail on the sleepers is cut out by 

 a machine, which at the same time bores the holes for the fasten- 

 ings. In laying the road, the rail is simply dropped into its bed 

 on the sleeper, and no further gauging is required. The materials 

 are so prepared before they are brought upon the ground, that any 

 ordinary labourer can lay the road with accuracy : this operation 

 is performed with an economy and dispatch which I never before 

 witnessed. 



Sir John Macniell appears to consider that accuracy in the cant 

 of the rail, to suit the cone of the wheels, is the main desideratum 

 in permanent way, and the whole of his peculiar mode of construc- 

 tion has mainly this object in view. For this purpose, tlie adzing 

 of the sleepers claims much of his attention : it is effected by 

 machinery in such a way as to ensure that the inclination shall in 

 every case be exactly tlie same. Next, he adopted the bridge rail, 

 with its broad bottom flanch, in order that he may at once attach 

 the rail to the sleeper without the intervention of chairs and keys, 

 and by this means avoid the fitting of two additional parts,— accu- 

 racy in each of which is necessary to insure the correctness of cant 

 in the rail. The rail is also carefully examined before being laid, 

 and made perfectly straight, and all twist removed. 



Sir John has thus reduced this road to one of the utmost simpli- 

 city, consisting of but two parts — the rail and the sleeper. He 

 takes every precaution that each individual of these parts shall be 

 exactly alike, and when brought together that they shall fit each 

 other, and thus produce an uniform surface of the rails. 



On a careful examination which I made of this road, I found 

 that attenticm to these details has produced the effect which might 

 he anticipated — the top of the rail is wearing with unusual uid- 

 forniity, and there is no appearance of the flanches of the wheels 

 having come in contact with the edge of the rail. 



On the subject of the cant of the rail, I am of opinion that 

 much of the side motion observable in railway trains is attribut- 

 able to irregularity in this respect. Drawing No. 7 has been pre- 

 pareil to illustrate this question. In figs. 2 and 3, the rails are 

 nhown irregularly canted, and in opposite directions The circum- 

 ference of the wheel where it touches the rail in fig. 2 is nearly 

 •Jths of an inch less than in the same wheel when touching the rail 



as shown in fig. 3: the efl^ect of this variation in the size of the 

 wheel is to induce the carriage to describe a series of curves in its 

 attempt to e(iuali/e the diameter of the wheels ; the side motion 

 thus induced is often suddenly arrested by the flanch of the wheel 

 coming in contact with the edge of the rail, and the vibrations are 

 thrown in an opposite direction, — thus great irregularity of motion 

 is ])roduced, and often continued, and even augmented, long after 

 the vehicle may have passed the original disturbing cause. In no 

 other way can I account for the side motion so often noticeable in 

 our trains, — not at any particular part of the road, but irregularly, 

 sometimes at one place, sometimes at another, and often on )ior- 

 tions which, on after-inspection, appear to be in excellent order. 



Proposed Method. — ("Drawing A^o. G.J 



Having now noticed the good and the defective points in the 

 various descriptions of permanent way under consideration, I beg 

 to lay before you Drawing No. U, which describes a construction of 

 road which I have every reas(m to think will meet the peculiar 

 circumstances of our case. These circumstances are the number, 

 weight, and speed of the trains; the soft nature of the substratum 

 of the road; and the infei'ior quality of the ballast. 



This permanent way consists of a longitudinal timber (which I 

 adopt simply for the purpose of breaking the joint of the rail), 

 accurately laid u])on cross sleepers. The rail, 100 lb. jier yard, of 

 the bridge form, has its bottom flanch of tlie same width as the 

 longitudinal timber, which it entirely copes; it is secured down to 

 the cross sleepers by fang bolts, at intervals of 3 feet apart. 



The longitudinal timber is dressed to a gauge, so as exactly to 

 fit the groove formed in the cross sleeper; tliis groove is cut to the 

 proper cant. The longitudinal timber having parallel sides (when 

 laid on the cross sleeper), will also correspond with the cant, and 

 the rail being laid upon it w ill present an upper surface of a uni- 

 form inclination throughout its wliole length. 



The cost of a yards of single line of this road will be 11. 5s. Shd. 



The number of parts in the same length, 38. — (See Appendix.) 



In conclusion, should the Board adopt this suggestion, I should 

 recommend that an experimental length of permanent way should 

 be laid down, with as little delay as possible, in such part of the 

 line as may place it under the most unfavourable circumstances. 



I am, gentlemen. 



Your obedient servant, 



Euston-square, August 23, 1848. 



Robert B. Dockray. 



APPENDIX.— Pkrmankkt Way. 



Comparative Estimates, shan-iiig tlie number of pieces required and the 

 expense in constriictiii;/ I j feet lenijth of Single line tiy each of ttie fol- 

 lowing methods, exclusive of Labour in laying down the Road. 



London and North- West em Railway. (Old Method). — Drawing Xo. 1. 



Number. Uescriutii r.. Wright. Hate. Amount. 



11>. £ 3. A. Jt: s. il. 



2 Rnils (75 111. per yard) /".W 10 U per ton. X 7 U 



2 JointCliaiis 60 7 10 4 n 



8 Intermtrtiate clitti I'iO 7 10 10 84 



20 Iron Sijikes for Chairs 10 4 3 4 



.■i Sleepers — 5 fi ' T.'' 



10 Keys - L'i 1 10* 



~^ 6 14 5 



16,544 parts In a mile of single line. 



Cost of ditto, exclusive of labour in laying *'2013 14 S 



London and Norlh-Western Railway (New Method). — Drawing No. 2. 



Number. Description. Weight. Rate. Amount. 



Ih. se s. d. £ 8. A. 



2 Rails (821b. per yard) 820 10,0 perjon. 3 13 U 



2 Joint Chairs 82 7 10 5 6 



8 Iiitermeiliale ditto 224 7 10 15 



6 Sleepers ilHj feel cuhic) — 5 8 17 6 



10 Keys - 2i 1 10* 



22 Tienails for Chairs — IJ li 2 0* 



~^ 6 5 uj 



17.248 parts in b mile of single line. 



Cost of ditto, exclusire of l.ibour in laying £1,Vi\ 18 8 



Great Western Railway (Mr. Brunei). — Draioing No. 3. 



Number. Description. Weight. Kale. Amount. 



111. £ s. d. £ s. d. 



2 Uails(721h. per yard) 720 10 per ton. 3 4 



2 Joint Plate. U IJ per lb. 9* 



2 Strwps for fastening TrimsoDies 4^ 4 Oil* 



4 Holts for ditto -. 



6 Nuts lor ditto 



ti Washers for ditto ij.) 4 4 9 



8 Spiiies f r Rails . 



4 Screiv-bults at joints of Rail , 



4 Fangs ditto dlllu -^ 



I 



