266 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[August, 



The framing to be all of good English oak ; sides and ends to be 12 in. 

 deep and If in. thick, also of oak or elm, and connected with kneed 

 straps to the cross sheths, e, these straps to be 2i in. by 1 in. thick, 

 sunk flush with the surface of the deals, and fixed with A in. bolts. The 

 distance between the outside of the upper soles at the hinder end to 

 be such as to allow them to come between the innef sides of the under- 

 soles when the wagon is being emptied. The door or back end to be 

 made to lift off. The end of the soles to be hooped with iron, 2 in. 

 broad and i in. thick. The joint or hinge, g, for the coup, to be 

 formed according to the sketch, so as to give a broad surface to bear 

 on. The wheels to be 3ft. diameter, and the naves cut and hooped 

 with iron, and to weigh cwt. qrs. lb. each. The axles to be 

 turned and of the best scrap iron, and the whole to be completed in a 

 substantial and workmanlike manner. 



Remarks.— If it be objected that the upper soles, b, are placed 

 diagonally, they may be put parallel with the inside of the under ones, 

 which then might be shortened at the long end, and the crook, h, for 

 traction attached to the under side ; but in this there is a disadvan- 

 tage, for if they come in contact with other wagons, the shock will be 

 given to the coup, which throws a considerable strain upon the joint 

 or hinge. The size of the wheels might be reduced to 2 ft. 6 in., but 

 I do not think them too large, viz. 3 ft. 



The next description of wagon, shown in the annexed engravings, 

 Figs. 3 & 4, does not tip from a joint, but slides along rollers or 



WAGON, BRANDLING JUNCTION RAILWAT. 



Fig. 3.— Side view. 



Fig. 4. — Transverse section. 



sheaves, with a curved stop attached to the body, which arrests the 

 sliding motion ; the momentum causes the body to tilt up. This con- 

 struction possesses many advantages; the wheels are large, and the 

 weight is well distributed amongst them, it carries a large quantity, 

 and is at the same time low; it is also easy to tip, the hinder sheaves 

 being set a little higher, it almost runs when the catch is disengaged, 

 two men at the embankment end can easily recover the coup. I sent 

 a sketch of this construction to a friend who wished to make some ; he 

 inquired all over the north, of parties who would leave no stone un- 

 turned to serve him, yet he could not learn anything about this con- 

 struction except from the sketch I sent. I mention this to show the 

 difficulty ef collecting information of this kind, as most parties make 



a mystery of trifles, who are engaged in such constructions. It is one 

 of the attributes of want of education, and an external sign of a con- 

 tracted soul. The wagons used on the Midland Counties Railway 

 were similar to those just described, excepting that the sheaves were 

 8 inches diameter, and set lower, within the thickness of the under 

 frame, so that the construction is a little lower than the former. 



WAGON, HARTLEPOOL RAILWAY. 



X\ 



Fig. 5.— Side view. 

 Plan of Top. 



!; 



ffi 



T 



IE 



Fig. 6. — Plan of Under -framing. 



Figs. 5 & 6 show a wagon used on the Hartlepool Railway: it tips 

 from a hinge, and the draw bar is attached to the body of the wagon, 

 and the upper and under frames are of nearly equal lengths. Figs. 7 

 to 10 show the construction of a wagon used on the Great Western 

 Railway, drawn to a scale of 3 ft. to the inch. It is nearly similar to 

 the last, excepting that the draw-bar is attached to the under frame 

 and that the upper and under frames are of unequal lengths, which is 

 a decided improvement, as it leaves a space between each wagon, so 



