844. 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



203 



to such a statP of things. We, therefore, place no confidence in the 

 siift'ty of the Yorkshire traflic of the Birmingham, and we think the 

 ■present truce a hollow one. 



If, however, wo consider the Yorkshire alliance a hollow truce 

 what shall we think of the warfare with the Grand Junction. The 

 London and Birmingham, it is true, is not so much bound up with the 

 Grand Junction, but the Grand Junction cannot do without the London 

 and Birmingham, while after all neither of them has got anything to 

 gain by hostility. If the London and Birmingham, by the Trent Valley 

 line, make a shorter route to Stafford and Manchester, the Grand Junc- 

 tion may give a Manchester direct line a shorter route between Lon- 

 and Liverpool than by the Birmingham, and also a more convenient 

 line to the north. The Grand Junction have now not got the Man- 

 chester traffic to lose, and a slight modification of the Trent Valley 

 line, carrying it by Leicester, Kettering, Bedford, Hertford and the 

 North Eastern to Loudon, would leave the London and Birmingham 

 but little to boast of, while it would please all other parties much 

 better. The London and Birmingham, of all parties, are the least able 

 to engage in offensive warfare, for they have nothing to gain and 

 have much to lose. Indeed, the best thing for them would be an 

 amalgamation with the Grand Junction, although we are aware there 

 is a difficulty in settling the claims of London and Liverpool to the 

 seat of management. If, however, this be not done, it is by no means 

 beyond probability that the Grand Junction may amalgamate them- 

 selves with a line to London, such as we have mentioned, to be worked 

 right through, and which would have many attractive features. 



The Great Western have again countenanced the Forest of Dean 

 line, which starts from Stonehouse, on the Cheltenham and Great 

 Western, and Bristol and Gloster, crosses the Severn, proceeds near 

 Monmouth, crosses the Wye, and then extends into South Wales, 

 communicating with the numerous collier lines which extend up the 

 vallies of South Wales ; undoubtedly the traffic on this line from that 

 seat of wealth, the iron district, to London, Birmingham, and Man- 

 chester, would be considerable, tbe advantage to the ironmasters of 

 communication with the manufacturing and commercial districts being 

 self evident. At the same time this project will provide for a rapid 

 communication from Milford and Fishguard with the South of Ireland 

 and Dublin. It seems well conceived and likely to add much to the 

 traffic of the Great Western Railway, though it may pare off a little 

 of the Bristol traffic to the South of Ireland. The capital is to be 

 £2,500,UUO. 



We shall now proceed further south, still keeping westerly. Here the 

 line from Exeter lo Plymouth is the main ground of contest, one line 

 proceeding inland and the otiier by tbe coast. Funds have, however, 

 been promoted by the associated Western railways to make a commu- 

 nication between the two towns. The continuation to Cornwall is in 

 agitation but is not adequately supported. The Great Western sup- 

 port an extensive plan for a line into Wiltshire. This line, starting 

 near Corsham on the Great Western, this side of Bath, proceeds by 

 the populous and active towns of Troubridge, Westbnry, and War- 

 minster, to Salisbury, having a branch from Melksham to Devizes, and 

 another from Westbury to brome. The length of line is reckoned at 

 o2 miles, and the estimate is £10,000 per mile. It has been suggested 

 by the Railway Record that this is done out of spite against the 

 South Western, but we do not see how it is to aftect the legitimate 

 traffic of the South Western, while we believe it would be a most re- 

 munerative line, as providing for the traffic of the North Wilts towns 

 with London, and for the traffic of the whole district with Bristol, its 

 natural port. There is now before Parliament a line from Salis- 

 bury to the Bishopstoke Station on the South Western line at 

 the junction of the two lines, Southampton and Portsmouth, which 

 will tend materially to promote the interests of Southampton, 

 for we are convinced that an extensive system of railway com- 

 munication is essential to its commercial prosperity. In North 

 Wilts considerable manufactures are carried on, and access to 

 this district would enable the merchants of Southampton to extend 

 their trade. The line proposed would also give them the benefit of a 

 supply of coal from the Bristol field, a supply which they much want. 

 Altogether we consider the Salisbury and Great Western a valuable 

 line. 



The Bristol and Exeter have proposed a branch to Crediton. This 

 is a short line, but seems likely to be profitable and useful. 



Agitation is going on lor lines from the South Western to Poole, 

 Dorchester and Weymouth; and we hope the demands of the local 

 interests will be complied with, for we are sure the realization of these 

 plans will be for the benefit of all parties. 



The South Western branch from Basingstoke to Newbury has been 



approved by the House of Commons, while, most unaccountably, the 



' Great Western branch to the same place has been rejected. By 



the Newbury branch, and the proposed London and Birmingham 

 line from Rugby to Oxford, it may, however, be considered that the 

 communication from Southampton to the north is provided for, an 

 object of great importance to the port of Southampton, conse- 

 quently essential for the developement of the local traffic on the South 

 Western Railway, and giving that company a stronger hold on the 

 mail traffic. 



A bill is before the House of Commons for a railway, on Prosser's 

 wooden principle, from Guildford to the Woking Station on the South 

 Western Railway. This must be considered an experimental line, 

 and one of much interest. It will most likely hereafter be extended 

 to Godalming. 



A line which is started by the South Eastern and Croydon Railway 

 Companies is called the London and Chatham and Chatham and Ports- 

 mouth Junction Railway. The hne is formed by the Kingston and 

 Epsom, Epsom and Croydon branches, and thence by Bromley to Chat- 

 ham, with a branch to Gravesend. This line does not seem to be a 

 favourite. 



The Brighton and Chichester line, under the auspices of the Brighton 

 Railway Company, is to have a capital of £300,000. It proceeds from 

 Shoreham, through Worthing and Arundel, to Chichester. On the 

 other side of Brighton the same company propose a line by Lewes to 

 Hastings, with a capital of £475,000. These two lines together will 

 form a long extended line along the coast. From Hastings the South 

 Eastern Company support a line by Hastingj, Rye, and Tenterden 

 to their line. We should, however, provide for a coast line differently. 

 Let the Brighton proceed with their lines from Brighton to Hastings, 

 and from Shoreham to Chichester, thus forming a continuous line of 70 

 miles along the coast ; let the South Eastern abandon their branch 

 from Headcorn to Hastings, and instead form a continuation of the 

 Brighton and Hastings line, through Winchester and Rye to Ashford, 

 by these means there will be a direct communication with Hythe, Folke- 

 stone and Dover, and also through the proposed branch from Ashford, 

 to Canterbury, Ramsgate, Margate, and Whitstable. Let the South 

 Western form a line, from the Portsmouth branch through Fareham 

 and Havant to Chichester, and unite with the Brighton branch ; also, 

 let the Southampton proceed with the line projected to Dorchester, 

 along the coast ; then let the Great Western and Exeter run a line 

 along the coast through or near Sidmouth, Lyme Regis, and Bridport, 

 to join the South Western extension at Dorchester ; also, let the 

 Exeter proceed with the line to Plymouth and Falmouth, then we 

 shall have the whole Southern coast of England accommodated, and 

 we may say protected, by a continuous line of railways — now become 

 imperatively necessary since steam power will enable the French to 

 invade our Southern coast suddenly at any point. 



Branches to Maidstone, and from Ashford to Canterbury, Ramsgate, 

 and Margate, are taken up by the South Eastern Railway Company. 



With regard to metropolitan lines, the projected lines to Manchester 

 and York are the chief features. The Bricklayers's Arms branch of 

 the South Eastern and Croydon line is now finished ; the West London 

 Extension has been rejected by the House of Commons. The Mid- 

 dlesex and Surrey Grand Junction Railway does not appear to make 

 any way. Us proposed capital is £000,000, and it is projected to run 

 from Harrow on the Birmingham Railway, to Merstbam on the Brighton 

 and Dover lines, crossing tbe Great Western at Southall, and the South 

 Western, and consequently the Thames, at Kingston. 



The Richmond and Staines Railway is being revived. It starts 

 from the West London Railway to Stainse, throwing off a branch to 

 Richmond. This would be rather an expensive affair; but we believe 

 a Richmond line, if properly managed, would pay well, for the traffic 

 is very great and could be much increased. 



The Blackwall have brought forward a railway to Gravesend. It is 

 to begin on the Kentish shore, opposite to the Blackwall terminus, and 

 thence be carried along the north shore of Kent, through a populous 

 and trafficking district to Gravesend, having a branch of about a mile 

 long to Dartford. 



The squabbling of the South Eastern lines is lulled for a time, but 

 is ever ready to break out again. Experience and the force of cir- 

 cumstances have now produced a strong bias against short lines ; and 

 the necessity of amalgamating these four lines, for the purpose on the 

 one hand of staying Wie misctiievous bickering which has prevailed, 

 and on the other augiueuting the general income by consolidation, has 

 become more and more apparent. The ill-feeling of a few narrow- 

 minded and litigious individuals may for a moment stand in the way, 

 the ambition or interest of directors and officials may induce them to 

 withstand any measure which will shear them of emolument, but com- 

 mon sense and common arithmetic must prevail in the end. The ces- 

 sation of competition, the abolition of a plurality of offices, the energy 

 devoted to a general development of traffic, the economical conduct of 

 one grand operation instead of four small ones, must inevitably and 



