240 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURXAL." 



[AUGVST, 



can always nxel light rails by a different mode of layin?; them. But the 

 great defect is the want of ]no\)eT attention to the fastenings of the rails 

 and the chairs. I attribute almost all the accidents that have happened 

 from engines and wagons and carriages getting off lines of railway to the 

 imperfect state of the road ; and yet no sooner has an accident happened, 

 than the engineers go to examine the engines, and examine the carriages, 

 to tind out what is the matter. The fact is, the caun- is done away with ; 

 because it generally happens in most of those cases from the ends of the 

 rails gelting out of the joint-chairs, or the end getting loose, that it must 

 inevitably throw off the engine, and throning off the engine it tears up the 

 line at the place, and we never can see it, because it is done away with. 

 I have seen 100 yards of line torn up entirely frdin an engine running off 



be rails. ^ ■ • i 



There was an accident not long ago upon the Urnndling .Junction, where 

 the engineering officer sent down to report ujion it stated that he could dis- 

 cover no cause for it. Do you thiuk that it probably was from some defect 

 of this kind ?— No doubt of it. 1 have witnessed an accident upon that 

 vi-ry line. The engine and carriages tumbleil over one another, and the 

 line was lorn up for 100 yards ; but I knew from whiil had taken place 

 inst before upon the line that that was from the defective state of the 



road. 



And you think that in the case referred to in the preceding question, 

 when it was clearly proved that there was no fault in the arrangement of 

 tlie points, or m the engine, in all probability there must have been some 

 fault in the permanent way ?— Yes. M hen the permanent way is a little 

 defective the shock become? very sharp, and the rails, resting in an imper- 

 fect chair, are apt to work ont. I am now having chairs made with a very 

 long socket, to prevent the ends of the rails getting out, for when one of 

 those ends gets loose it jumps up or gets sideways, and it must throw 

 the engine otl', and in doing that it must break the chair to pieces. 



One of the witnesses has stated, when the Gauge Commissioners were 

 duwn near York, the engine they had went off the line, and was upset; 

 and tliat that was occasioned very much by the great length of the engine; 

 and that they found on the rails the marks showing where it had struck, 

 by tlie great sway backwards and forwaids, till it found a defective rail, 

 aiid then it went off?— I have seen rails and sleepers moved out of their 

 jilHie from the oscillations of an improper engine upon a badly laid road. 

 1 mean an engine not well balanced, and having too much play. 



Do you thiuk that if it were possible to get the weight lower down, by 

 a greater width of gauge, it would in a great measure obviate that?— The 

 difficulty would be obviated altogether by a wider gauge, a better road, 

 and an improved engine. AVe might then go 100 miles au hour with as 

 great safety as we no now do 30 ; there is nothing to limit the speed. 



Is not it from the increased rate of speed that engines so frequently 

 burst ?— No ; it is a small tube that bursts ; a tube about two inches dia- 

 meter. There are about 90 to 120 of them in each boiler. After they 

 have been used some time they wear thin, with the draught and the fine 

 particles of coke ; one tube may be a little defective in its making; and 

 when a great pressure of steam and the action of the wear upon them cut 

 them thin, sometimes they will burst, and the water will flow into this 

 tube, and the steam will flow out, and stop the engine going. 



Does that ever happen with any but fast trains?— Yes ; but you do not 

 hear of it. Indeed it would be rather less likely to occur with an increas- 

 ed rate of speed, because when the engine is driven very fast there is less 

 pressure upon those tubes.* 



When the directors of a railway are desirous of remedying the want of 

 power, what is the expedient to which they have recourse?— To build 

 larger and more powerful engines. They require to be made either longer 

 or larger to make them more powerful. Some of the engines on some of 

 the lines, I believe, are worked up to more than lOOhorse power. That is 

 an enormous thing in that space. 



If for the purpose of increasing the power the expedient adopted is that 

 of lengthening the engine, does nut that increase the danger upon the nar- 

 row gauge?— No ; not the lengthening it, but the raising it higher makes 

 it more dangerous. They have to make them higher when they make them 

 larger and more powerful. 



A wituess staled the other day, that projecting the engine very much 

 over the wheels, if they could not extend on account of the turn tables, 

 caused oscillation from the w eight being fore and aft ?— So it does. That 

 was the great defect of the engines on the Eastern Counties Railway, and 

 caused the late accident on that railway. In making them longer it brings 

 the wheels too far apart, and there was an overhanging weight. 



Would not also the great length of the engine be inconvenient in a curve? 

 The longer engines are between the wheels the more they are likely to im- 

 pinge upon the rails in going round very sharp curves ; but that is obviated 

 in America upon another plan, and I recommend the plan very much to 

 the Gauge Commissioners. I told them that all those things may be over- 

 come v/hh proper arrangements. On narrow gauge railways they cannot 

 go so fast as on broad, because they cannot get as large driving wheels 

 ■with safety, without carrying the centre of gravity too high. I could make 

 an engine of any length which should be better adapted for going round 

 curves than any engines now are. For instance, au engine 20 feet long 

 might be made perfectly safe and steady with veiy large driving wheels 

 upon a narrow gauge, even with wheels as large as the Great Western 

 wheels, simply by having what the Americans call a " Bogy" carriage— a 



« It is a^l^fd «itli great deftreiice wbetlier lliti opinion be quite consistent with known 

 me^auical piiiiciplee. ILe pressure on the tubes will generally increase willi ;ui increue 

 ot velocity!— Ed 



small cairiage with four low wheels moving upon a centre horizontally. 

 Imagine a small truck with four w heels upon the line ; then imagine an- 

 other small truck behind it with four wheels. Now those wheels and 

 axles would be stronger than the present ones, and lighter. 'lhen,if we 

 support a very long boiler indeed upon tliose trucks, the trucks with four 

 wheels can each turn independently at each end. Then anywhere be- 

 tween those we may have large driving wheels without flanges, there 

 being eight other wheels to take the weight at both ends. \t e might have 

 the driving wheels of any height; then they would turn round curves very 

 rapidly indeed. I explain this to show that there are no insurmcuntable 

 dillicullies mechanically, for the wheel might be improved in every re- 

 spect. 



Still you would recommend, as the best security for safety, an alteration 

 of the narrow gauge to a wider gauge'- Yes; to a reasonable gauge. 

 The lower the centre of gravity the greater the safety. 



Will you state what width of gauge jou would consider the best? — A 

 six feet gauge I take to be ai)outthe best that could be adopted, or it might 

 be live feel eleven or six feet one ; a few inches more or less is of no con- 

 sequence, but six feet is about the best gauge; it is an integral measure, 

 it is an even measure, it is an easy measure, and il is of easy reference, 

 and well understood. 



Is that the gauge which was recommended by the commissioners upon 

 the Irish railways ? — They recommended six feet two inches ; but 1 do not 

 know why the two inches were put on. 



Have you ever made any estimate of the cost of altering the carriages 

 or wagons? — The first, second, and third class carriages will cost about 

 the same sum almost to alter. The average passenger carriages may be 

 altered from a four feel eight inches and a half to a six feet gauge at an 

 average cost of ±130 each, and I think for less. 



By multiplying the number of carriages constituting the stock of the 

 different companies at present at work you could ascertain the total cost of 

 altering the carriages ? — Yes ; and it would cost fS.'JO to ±1400 to alter an 

 engine and tender, leaving the working parts exactly as they are now. 



So that it would be perfectly possible to ascertain the total cost of the 

 alteration ? — "^'es. 



Have you ever turned your attention to the means of providing the ne- 

 cessary sum to defray the expense of the alteration? — 1 think it should be 

 paid for partly by lime gone by aud partly by futurity ; that is to say, 

 money might be taken up at a certain rate of interest for doing this work, 

 either from Government or by transferable bonds, payable off by lot; any 

 thing of that sort. Then ihe works should be paid for as they were done. 

 Athatever they cost should be apportioned, as nearly as it could be, over 

 about 40 years ; that is, 20 by-gone years, and 20 future years of railway 

 extension; and all newly-made railwajs should pay their quota of the 

 alteiation as the past had paid ; so that in 40 years, or 45 or 50 years, the 

 thing should be paid ofl', aud the work all done. The work should be all 

 done at once, for the sake of the public. It would be paid for in a long 

 time, for the sake of the parlies. It would not lax any company harshly 

 to make the alteration, and therefore they could not complain of it in point 

 of expense. AU the new railways would have to pay a quota for the same 

 thing, although they would make their gauges right in the first instance. 

 I think thai is but fair. 



You have no doubt that it would be of considerable advantage to the 

 country in many points of view that there should be but one uniform 

 gauge? — There can be no donbt about that. 



Both for traflic and for the military defences of the country ? — Yes ; in 

 every respect ; I w ill not make one exception, because 1 do not think one 

 can be made. But I should be sorry to see olher narrow gauge lines 

 granted if there is likely to be an alteration, because there will be many 

 miles of new railway ; many more than are made ; I thiuk twice as 

 many. 



You think this is a good opportunity for making the alteration? — I 

 think if the thing is ever to be done there should not be a season lost, cer- 

 tainly. I think the thing may be easily done, and economically done, and 

 done without loss to the public and without loss to the companies, and ia 

 a very short time, and at a very moderate expense. ■ 



You tliink it very important that if anything of the kind is contemplated 

 it should be settled with the least possible delay, in consequence of the 

 numerous railways now in progress? — I think so. It is a very serious 

 subject, but almost all parlies who speak upon the subject are in some way 

 or other interested in this, that, or Ihe other gauge. 



You think it is very important that it should be practicable to go at high 

 speeds on railways for persons who have to go great distances? — I think 

 that Is evidenced every day, for if we put on express trains every day, and 

 advertise to go at 60 miles an hour, people will risk their necks as long as 

 you will carry them, and therefore it is highly necessary for the safety of 

 the public (for people will not take care of themselves) to have all the ma- 

 chinery of the best kind, and if Ihe permanent way is perfect, and the gauge 

 a proper gauge, there is nothing to limit Ihe speed but the resistance of the 

 atmosphere. Tiiat I am sure of, as far as safely is concerned there is no 

 dauger. 



No greater danger in going CO than in going 30 miles an hour ? — On 

 a perfect railway there is no more dauger in going 60 miles an hour ihau 

 ia going 30. 



But the mere alteration of the gauge to the improved width which you 

 propose to make It would not at once allaio the Increased speed which you 

 hope to attain ? — It would be the greatest step to it. 



