1843.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



267 



WAGON, GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY. 



DaJ 



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Figs. 7 & S.— Side and End view. Fig. 9.— Under-framing. 



Fig. 10.— Tail-board. 



that when an accident happens, the driver has some chance of escap- 

 ing from being crushed between two wagons when they buff against 

 each other. The following are the dimensions of this wagon ; length 

 on the top, 8 ft. 3 in., and bottom 7 ft. 8 in ; breadth at top in front, 

 7 ft. 2 in., and end 7 ft. 8 in. ; the bottom is 1ft. less, and is 14 in. 

 thick ; the sides and end are 2 in. thick, the bottom is 1 ft. 5 in. above 

 the under soles ; the soles of the under frame, 5 in. wide and 8 in. 

 deep, the shetbs, 5 in. by G in. ; diagonal braces, 3 in. by 6 in.; width 

 in clear of soles, 3 ft. 3 in. ; length of soles, 8 ft. 3 in. Wheels 2 ft. 6 in. 

 diameter. I must observe that considerable talent and experience was 

 employed in consultation upon this wagon before it was adopted ; it is 

 of maximum size, low, firm in construction, and strength of materials 

 well proportioned; the appliances of the break, and disengagement 

 of the tail board, are skilfully applied. As the draw bar was found 

 not to answer so well when attached to the body, it was removed and 

 fixed to the under-frame, and that by the elongation of the under-frame 

 the shock is given to it and not to the body ; therefore the hinge 

 which is most liable to be broken, receives no shock. I can fully re- 

 commend this form of construction. 



On the Midland Counties Railway, a wagon of a different construc- 

 tion to any of the preceding was used, both the sheaves and joint 

 being dispensed with, the whole body of the wagon being lifted up 



from the hinder axle in the act of tipping, and the two axles being 

 retained at an equal distance, so that the wagon falls to its original 

 position as soon as the coup is recovered. I have seen wrought iron 

 used for bodies of wagons of this construction, which answers a very 

 good purpose. 



Several attempts have been made, but invariably without success, 

 to combine the end and side wagon in one construction, by making 

 the body of the wagon to revolve. Mr. Cuthbert Burnup made one 

 so early as 1829, for the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway as a pattern, 

 which I tbiuk obtained a premium. Wagons of a good construction 

 are a very material point for the consideration of a contractor ; and as 

 the days when Banks flourished are past, they are the main thing a 

 contractor has to rely upon for a profit, if there is to be one in the 

 present day. 



The diameter of wheels for 14 yard wagons is usually 24 inches, 

 and for 2=1 yard wagons 30 inches. The iron work in each wagon 

 consists of draught hooks, draw bar, angle plates, breaks, tail-board 

 irons, coupling chains, bolts and hoops. In taking dimensions, hoops 

 are all outside measure, and bolts are measured from inside of head 

 to outside of nut. In one wagon nearly 4001b. of iron is used, includ- 

 ing say a dozen hoops and twelve dozen bolts. The best wood is 

 elm of English growth, which is better than oak, not being affected 

 to a similar extent by the abrasion. 



A wagon made to contain 34 cubic yards, is found in practice to be 

 too large, 24 yards being found better, and in some cases they are 

 made to contain only 14 cubic yards. The axle's diameter should be 

 in proportion to the weight of the wagon. The bearings are internal, not 

 as trucks and carriages for passenger traffic. To obtain a maximum 

 effect, the pressure per square inch of surface should not exceed 90 lb. 

 The friction of attrition alone is -Jg of insistent weight. The axles 

 are generally 3 in. diameter, and the breadth of the bearing 44 in. 



In the execution of the Willesden contract on the Birmingham and 

 London Railway, the contractor's outlay for rails was £4767, and for 

 wagons £3588, together equal to £8355. At the completion of the 

 contract, the rails and wagons were sold for £3237, causing a defici- 

 ency of £5118, for a distance of | mile, and for the removal of 

 837,000 cubic yards, which is equal to about 14^. per cubic yard. 

 The greatest estimated quantity of earth capable of being moved by 

 one wagon in a year is 5000 yards ; the wagon will require renewing 

 after three years' service, when the value of the old materials, sup- 

 posing the cost to have been 16/. would be about 4/. 



Although the construction of earth wagons and coal wagons are 

 dissimilar, yet the amount of capital employed in the more perma- 

 nent operation of conveying coals is not so much proportionally 

 greater as would at first sight appear. On the Brandling Junction 

 Railway, a thousand wagons are employed, at a cost of £13,000 ; and 

 the charge per annum for repairs and interest is £4000. The com- 

 pany have taken them into their own hands. The Midland Counties 

 Railway expended nearly £7000 in coal wagons, for the use of which 

 they charge at the rate of one farthing per ton, and a toll of \d. per 

 ton; and estimate depreciation and repairs at 14 per cent per annum. 

 The North Midland charge Id. toll, and parties find their own wagons, 

 the company having no stock of wagons. The cost of plant for 

 earthwork under a mile lead, including all expenses, is generally taken 

 at 2{i. per yard, being lrf. for rail and 1 Jrf. for wagons, or half the 

 cost of labour; and in a former article I showed that nearly £7000 

 was spent in one contract in plant alone. 



I think sufficient has been said in justification of devoting an entire 

 article to this subject, and I can with a good grace affirm, that little , 

 if any, detail is to be had in any of the works recently published, ge- 

 neralization being the order of the day. How far I have fulfilled my 

 promisa of entering on the construction of earth wagons, as noticed 

 at the conclusion of a former paper, I must leave to the readers of 

 the Journal. Few persons have had opportunities so extensive per- 

 haps to observe different constructions, as I was engaged on three 

 public lines of railway during their construction, and, besides, visited 

 most of the principal railways when in hand. I have known the 

 faulty construction of wagons make a halfpenny per yard difference 



