ISO 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



[Junk, 



the engines less liable to get nffthe rails; the short engines on four wheels 

 were liable to violent oscillation "when nieetini; any inequality, the front 

 ■nheeU being sometimes actually lifted olf the rail : believes the accidents 

 on the Brighton line and on tlie Hrcntwood inclined plane were attributable 

 to this pilrhins; niulion. The thickness of the crank of the original engine 

 on Ihe iManrhester and Liverpool was 3J inches. There were various 

 plans of reversing Ihe engine at that time. Kvery engineer, in fact, at 

 that time, had his own plan; some were extremely complicated, requiring 

 lime for Ihe reversing to be elfected ; they moved in fact, the eccentric. 

 For a long time they moved the eccentric, which slipped upon an axis, and 

 thereby move{i the eccentric from one side of the axle lo the olher, and 

 conse(iiiently reversed the engine ; but it ie(iuired a lateral motion of some- 

 thing Ilk*- 3^ inches ; and there being two eccentrics, of course, Ihe mere 

 act of changing Ihe g^ar occupied G or 7 inches of the axle, independent 

 of the m<ire bulky construction of the apparatus itself. The long engines, if 

 kept withiu 12 iVet, are not more likely to get oflT the rails at curves than 

 short ones. 



The resistance in passing round curves is materially affected by the 

 width of the gauge. In the collieries about Newcastle, where the 1 feet 8 J 

 gauge prevails, wherever they come to any mining operations where the 

 power to be used is that of a horse or man, they immediately reduce their 

 gauge, because thfy want to go out and in amongst ihe mines with very 

 sharp curves, and the wide gauge would be quite impracticable amongst 

 those. In fact, the small carriages that are used in Ihe mining operations 

 are upon a gauge of about 20 inches, and they go round curves under 

 ground of about 10 or 12 feet radius; and they could only work such 

 mines by such a gauge. It is quite obvious ihat the width of gauge must 

 limit the curve. In the case of every gauge at a sharp curve, the outside 

 and the inside rail are quite brightened by the sliding motion, because the 

 one set of wheels has lo slide forward lo keep pace with Ihe other, and the 

 others have tb slide backward. In fact, when going round a curve, both 

 operations have lo take place, — Ihe sliding backward of the one set and 

 the sliding forward of the other. Of course, as you increase the width of 

 the gauge, the dili'erencc between the two becomes augmented. 



Is chief engineer of Ihe Northern and Eastern Railway, and was at its 

 construction. Adopted the .'S-feet gauge in consequence of its being 

 brought into connection with the ^'astern Counties line, which had been 

 laid down with that gauge by Mr. Uraithwaite, and with the same view 

 lie laid down the 5-feet gauge on the IJIackwall, in case there should be 

 connection between tliem hereafter. The gauge of the Northern and East- 

 ern and Eastern Counties lines has recently been altered under his direc- 

 tion; vthen the extension of the Northern and Eastern was considered, 

 aud that junction with the narrow lines in the Midlands would take place, 

 a ch tnge was thought absolutely neceasary, and the same change was also 

 decided on for the Eastern Counties, from the inconvenience of blending 

 two gauges at the Shoreditch station ; the expense of a separate carrying 

 estai)lishment would have been greater than the cost of alteration, which 

 was £.52.000. Of course it involved the necessity of working upon a sin- 

 gle line of rails ; the establishment was divided into two parts, one of 

 which was retained as available for the 5-feet gauge, whilst the other half 

 was altered to be ready to work upon the other line, which had been con- 

 verted into the 4-feet 8J in. gauge, therefore the alteration from one gauge 

 to the other was to lake place in one night, in fact, between Ihe two 

 trains, the last at night and the first in the morning. The whole distance 

 was 8H miles. The operation occupied about six weeks altogelher, but 

 preparations were made beforehand. The alteration was made entirely 

 under his superintendence, and the rails being on transverse sleepers faci- 

 litated it materially. No new rails were required, and the boilers being 

 of tlie same size as those on the 4 feet S- J in. gauge, the engines could be 

 ocnverted. 



Considers it would be advisable to run the same carriages from Euston- 

 square to Edinburgh and Glasgow, were a railway complete. There are 

 men at different stations to see that nothing is wrong, and the carriages, 

 both for passengers and goods, are now so substantial, that they may run 

 many thou^-anil miles without anything but greasing. Goods wagons go 

 at less velocity, and would probaljly stand it better. The carriage is now 

 much more judiciously constructed than formerly. Tlie strength of car- 

 riages conduces very mucli to safety in case of accident, and the plan of 

 making the under frames of carria;;es of wrought iron instead of wood, 

 will be carried out lo prevent the harm at present done by splinters. Is 

 projector of the Chester and Holy hiad Ifailway, and will use the 4 feet 

 .M^ inch gauge, that carriages may run from Euston-sqnare to Holyhead ; 

 ««y change would interfere with communicaliim to Ireland. His father 

 anil he were consulted as to the lines from Antwerp lo Brussels, aud from 

 Liege to Os'end, and he was connected with the Leghorn and }*isa, and 

 recommended Ihe 4 feet Scinch gauge, as it liad been fouml in this country 

 to answer every purpose. An inch or two, more or less, would have in- 

 volved a dill'erent construction of engines, and he saw no reason for altering 

 that which had been established by experience. Was consulled on the 

 Belgian Kailways and on the Leghorn and Fisa. When giving his opinion 

 as to the lielgiau lines, the Great M estern was not opened, but in reference 

 to the Italian line he had seen both gauges in operation. 



Is not aware of any advantage the Great Western possesses, and it has 

 several disadvantages ; the additional expense of construction, as in etu- 

 baukments, cuttings, tunnels, bridges, and viaducts, and also in carriages, 

 engines, tenders, workshops, and stations, everything being on an increased 

 scale. The sliding-frame system has lo be introduced instead of turn 



tables, so that the management of the station is more expensive. Thinks 

 the t^ar and wear of the carriages on the Great M'eslern is as much as on 

 the narrow lines, and the resistance of the wide carriages is greater ; there 

 is more friction of the wheels on the rail to be overcome. The increased 

 expense of the carriage department on the wide gauge would not be in the 

 haulage per mile, but in the fixed establishment of engines. Even the in- 

 creased boiler (4 feet 9 inches) of the Cireat M'estern would as nearly as 

 possible go into the narrow gauge. While he thinks the Great Western 

 has no advantages by the wide gauge, its introduction has involved the 

 country in great inconvenience ; if a meeting of gauges takes place in the 

 midst of great traflic, canals would have a decided advantage over rail- 

 ways ; the system of boxes and loose-bodied wagons for the transfer of 

 coals has been tried aud failed. The loose-box system involves the neces- 

 sity of increasing the number of carriages on the railway very materially. 

 At Erewash the coal-owners could not avail themselves of the railway, 

 and sent the coals by canal. Coal-owners would prefer transferring their 

 coals from railway to canal, to moving them from one railway to another, 

 on the loose-box system, as by the latter they would lose control over their 

 boxes ; they would prefer the transfer by hand, from one railway to an- 

 other, to loose boxes. The American railways are universally of 

 the 4 feet SJ inch gauge. There is a railway from Basle to Strasbourg 

 of 6 feet 3 inch gauge, but parlies there deeply regret the alteration, as 

 they look forward to a transfer at each end. There is a line laid down by 

 Deridder, from Ghent to Antwerp, of 3 feet 9 inch gauge ; travelled with 

 him on part of lhat line from Brussels. Has seen at the Paddington ter- 

 minus the modes proposed to supersede the necessity of removing goods 

 and passengers at thejunction of different gauges, and believes it would 

 answer the purpose as far as machinery could, but seeing one or two trans- 

 ferred does not convey the amount of inconvenience incident to transferring 

 100 coal wagons. The olher mode of transferring by running the 

 train on another set of trucks, would increase the dead weight to be drawn, 

 so as to be highly objectionable, and Ihe increased height would prevent 

 some classes of goods from getting through the bridges and tunnels. The 

 London and Birmingham goods- wagon, properly laden aud placed on the 

 Great Western truck, could not pass under their bridges. The expedient 

 at the Great Western terminus for diminishing and widening their gauge 

 of wheels may be safe, but being complicated, he thiuks it would not keep 

 in good order; it would also be au expensive arrangement. A modifica- 

 tion of the sliding axle was tried on the Newcastle and Carlisle, and soon 

 abandoned. Has not been able lo think of any expedient to avoid a 

 transfer; he has seen various ones contrived; Ihe one by Mr. Harding, of 

 the Bristol and Gloucester, is as good a mechanical expedient as any, but 

 that would be so objectionable as to lead to the actual transference of goods 

 in preference. An arrangement at the Birmingham termini for lifting 

 goods wagons from one level to another is the simplest operation, but if 

 they had to be put on different wagons, the evil would be very much ag- 

 gravated ; even with regard to Birmingham, ihe inconvenience of the lift 

 is so great, that it is to be abandoned, and au inclined plane substituted. 



Is still a locomotive engine-maker, and is of opinion lhat the 4 feel 85 

 inch gauge gives ample spade to get the utmost power necessary for work- 

 ing ordinary trains ; at present there are, he believes, more powerful 

 engines working on the narrow than on the broad-gauge lines. 

 The cylinders of those engines are 10 inches in diameter, the length of 

 stroke is 24 inches, and the wheels vary from 4 feel ti to 4 feet 9 in dia- 

 meter. They are all six coupled ; and ihose engines are as heavy as the 

 present rails will bear. They weigh from 22 to 23 tons ; I believe the 

 same weight as the Great M estern engines. There is now as great a 

 weight upon six wheels upon the narrow gauge as ought to be put upon 6 

 wheels; and that will be hereaftertlieliinit of power, not the widtii of gauge; 

 engines may be built upon the wide gauge, no doubt heavier and larger 

 in dimensions, and more powerful, but then you must make a road to sup- 

 port it on purpose. The weight of the rails is 75 pounds to the yard; 65 

 have been used. 1"he widih between the bearings varies from 3 ft to 2 ft. 9, 

 Thinks the narrow-gauge lines best calculated for carrying weight with- 

 out injury lo the road, and the transverse-sleeper system is belter for keep- 

 ing the rails in order than Ihe longitudinal bearings. The expansion and 

 contraction of the iron tend to disturb the action of the sleepers. Instance 

 on Ihe l'eterborou;;h line, where the rails had been laid loo close, and 

 acted on by the heat of the sun, raised the sleepers three feet into the air. 

 Locomotives can be manufactured for the narrow gauge capable of attain- 

 ing as high velocities as those on the broad ; they are now running up- 

 wards of 50 miles an hour, with engines not made for maximum speed. 

 No diHiculty in making a narrow-gauge engine to take 40 tons at 60 miles 

 an hour, or more ; the engines on the Great \V estern were made tor greater 

 speed, but the average on it was the same, or a little under the Northern 

 and Eastern. — The average speed of the Great M'esteru is greater 

 than on the Loudon and Birmingham, except for mail trains, which are 

 precisely alike. — Has worked the express trains ou the narrow lines 

 with as much economy of coal &c., as on the Great Western. The ex- 

 press engines on the Birmingham are smaller than others, weighing only 

 12 or 13 tons, aud costing about £1300. — Should recommend those weigh- 

 ing 17 or 18 tons, and costing about £1650. Thinks the public safety 

 would be endangered by having the bodies of Ihe passenger carriages 

 moveable at a change of gauge ; any slight collision, not otherwise dan- 

 gerous, would throw them oil', besides Ihe risk of porters neglecting the 

 fastenings of each. — Would never incur the responsibility of having 

 the bodies separate from the under frames, as, besides other oljjections, the 

 under frames wou!d be more liable lo deraugemenl. — The couiplexity 



