130 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[April, 



power. Thus the united power is equal to that of 529 horses. The men 

 employed in tliis department are nine engine-men, at 24*. a week each ; 

 twelve stokers, at 18». ; and nine drummers, at 14.v. each per week. 



The first plane, ascending from Sunderland to Ryliope, is worked by three 

 ropes; two being each 24.')0 fathoms in length, of .'ij inches circumference, 

 and weighing together 43,200 It).; and tlje third 4j inches circumference, 

 and weighing 13,210 li)., and also 2I.')0 fathoms long. The Scaton plane is 

 worked by one 7^ inch rope, 2,325 fathoms in length, and weighing 32,5881t>. ; 

 the rope is drawn out by the wagons descending by gravity. The Merton 

 incline has two ropes; the one a 5 inch, 1250 fathoms in lentrth, and weigh- 

 ing 83,33 it).; the other of 6^ inches circumference, 575 fathoms in length, 

 and weighing 0986 tl>. The fourth plane is worked by one rope for the as- 

 cenflirig, and by gravity for the dcscemhng wagons ; this rope is of OJ inches 

 circumference, 7 HI fathoms in length, and weighing 8990 lb. The fifth in- 

 cline is also worked by one rope, which is of 4i inches circumference, 1425 

 fathoms inlengtii, and weighs 7094 tt). The sixtli plane has two ropes; the 

 one being of the same length and weight as llie last ; and tlie other being 

 700 fathoms in length, 5} inches in circun'.ference, and weighing 5124 tt,. 

 The seventh and eighth planes are eacli worked by a single rope, the length 

 of eacli of which is 2450 fathoms ; the siz.e of the seventh being 5^ inches, 

 and the weight 21,000 lb. ; and of the eighth, 4 inches, and the weight 

 15,120 11). The whole weight of ropes, therefore, is 170,545 lb., or 7013 

 tons. Mr. bicnkinsopp, the engineer of this railway, estimates the cost of 

 these ropes at 40/. per ton, and their average duration about nine months. 

 In this ease, the ann\ial cost for ropes on this line would be 2283-90/., or 

 172-03/. per mile. At level road-crossings, the ropes run in channels pro- 

 perly constructed for the purpose. The rope-sheeves are of cast iron, weigh- 

 ing 28 ft. each, 12 inches in diameter and 7 inches \ride ; some of them 

 being fixed in cast-iron standards, and others in wooden boxes, at intervals 

 of 18 and 24 feet respectively. In curved portions of the line they are 

 inclined to the horizon. At night the way is lighted by large fire-lamps, 

 three at each bank-head. 



The description of the inclines on the Dundee and Newtyle railway, 

 will very appropriately follow. 



The planes worked by fixed engines are the Law, the Balbeuchly, and the 

 Hatton inclines. 



The Law incline, which is 1060 yards long, the ratio of inclination being 

 1 in 10, is laid with three rails at top, four in the middle, and two at the 

 bottom. It is worked by a forty-horse high-pressure engine, having a cy- 

 linder of 211 inches diameter; stroke 5 feet; rope-roll, 12 feet in diameter; 

 the pinion on rty-wheel shaft having 32 cogs, and the spur-wheel on rope-roll 

 shaft 97 cogs ; the usual working pressure is 40 tti. on the square inch. The 

 ordinary loads are from twenty to twenty-four tons, including a ballast-wagon 

 of four tons, which always accompanies the train in its ascent, and is fur- 

 nished with a break and clutches for the purpose of stopping the train in 

 case of the rope breaking. The time occupied in the ascent is about six 

 minutes. The counterbalance is of from ten to twelve tons weight. The 

 cost of this engine is stated tu have been 2750/. The rope is of 75 inches 

 circumference, and weighs 8900 ft. The lialbeuchly incline, which has a 

 single way only, is about 1700 yards in length, ascends at the rate of 1 in 

 25, and is worked by a 20 horse condensing engine ; cylinder 26J inches, 

 stroke 4 ft. 6 in., usual working pressure of steam 4^ lb., the pinion on fly- 

 wheel shaft has 48 cogs ; rope-roll 12 feet diameter ; and the spur-wheel on 

 rope-roll 97 cogs. The usual load is about 16 tons; the time occupied in 

 the ascent being six minutes. This engine cost 1600/. The rope is of 5^ 

 inches circumference, 900 fathoms in length, and weighs 7056 ft. The Hat- 

 ton incline, which is also laid with a single way, descends to Newtyle, at 

 the rate of 1 in 13, for a length of 1000 yards. It is worked by an engine 

 similar to that for the Balbeuchly incline. The pinion, however, has only 

 31 cogs, and the spur-wheel 94 cogs. All the above inclines are straight; 

 the sheeves are fixed at intervals of six yards. The consumption of fuel for 

 the three engines is about 85 tons per month ; the coals used are from Pres- 

 ton Grange, east of Edinburgh, and cost 10.«. a ton delivered on the Une. 



The plan on the Edinburgh and Dalkcith/ailway, for stopping the 

 trains in case of the rope breaking is ingenious. 



Mr. Rankine calls it a self-acting stopper. It consists of two plates of 

 iron, cacli having a d(iul)le claw, the points of which are 15 inches asunder. 

 These plates are each 13.i inches in extreme length, 9 inches along the 

 middle line of each, and 6 inches wide in the middle, increasing to 15 inches 

 at the points of the double claw. The plates are | of an inch thick, and 

 5^ inches apart, secured together with IjJ inches bolts. At the narrow- end 

 is a roller, 2 inches in diameter ; in the middle is a 2 inch axle, to which an 

 arm or lever is attached, this lever being connected at its upper end with the 

 last wagon of the train. By means of the roller the stopper runs on one of 

 the rails ; and the lever, by which it is connected with the wagon, keeps the 

 stopper at uniform distance from the train while in motion ; but in case of 

 the rope breaking, the train immediately runs back, raises the arm, and thus 

 throws the stopper over, which causes the train to run off the rails. 



On the subject of the Leeds and Selby earthworks, Mr. Whishaw 

 approves of the mode of constructing the embankments. 



Some of the embankments are of considerable height ; and instead of 

 lieing carried up with regular slopes, have their sides faced to a curved bat- 



ter, the chord-line of which forms an angle with the base of about 67J'. 

 M'here stone is plentiful, this is decidedly an economical mode of construct- 

 ing embankments ; for not only is the quantity of earthwork verv much re- 

 duced, but there is also a considerable saving efliected in the area of land 

 required. The same observation will apply to the lower portions both of 

 cuttings ami embankments; for by carrying up retaining walls for about 

 1 .'. to 2 yards in height, the quantity of excavation is much reduced, and also 

 the area of lard. Where stone-fence walls are placed on the top of the em- 

 bankments, the whole width is 30 feet, and the clear width 27 feet. 



We shall follow this by a description of the Manchester and Bir- 

 mingham drains executed under the direction of Mr. Buck. 



Besides the open field drains, circular perforated earthen drains are used 

 to great extent in the cuttings. They are each 2 ft. 5 in. long, 14 inches in 

 extreme diameter, and 12^ in>.hc3 in the clear. They are formed as iron 

 water-pijies, with sjjigot aud faucet ; the clear diameter of the faucet, or 

 larger end, being 14| inches, and the whole depth of the neck 4 inches. 



The following observation is made by our author as to the use of 

 bricks, while speaking of the Midland Counties railway. 



The bridges almost throughout this line are built of red brick, the copings 

 and strings being formed ol hard-biirnt brick earth, of the particular form 

 required, as on the South-Eastern Railway. This ]ilan might be advan- 

 tageously carried out in many other districts where brick-earth is abundant. 



Cowran Hill Cutting on the Newcastle and Carlisle railway here- 

 after described, was originally intended to have been a tunnel. 



The strata intersected consist chiefly of clay, with intermixed veins of 

 sand. The length is about one mile, the average depth 43 feet, and the 

 greatest depth, 110 feet. The width of this cutting at level of rails is 26 

 feet. The sides are carried up with slopes of 1^ to 1, and below the slopes 

 is a retaining wall on cither side, built of stone, 14 feet in height, 2 feet wide 

 at top, and having a suflicient batter from the railway. On the top of each 

 retaining wall is an open drain, which receives the water from the slope; 

 and by means of vertical drains, which are connected with the main drains 

 running under, and having the same inclination as the railway, the surface- 

 water is entirely emptied into How Beck. 



On the same line we have some interesting details as to the bridges. 



There are several bridges of wood spanning the rivers. The chief one is 

 that at Scotswood Road, being constructed on the skew principle. It is 30 

 feet on the square, and 50 feet on the skew span, and 30 feet high above the 

 road. It is built of iron and stone, having five girders, weighing together 

 70 tons. The parapets arc of rubble walling, coped with masonry. The 

 whole presents a useful and economical piece of workmanship. 



On the branch to Redheugh there is a bridge of singular construction, 

 which carries a coal-way over the line. This bridge, which is of wood, and 

 3 ft. 4 in. wide, represents, as it were, the skeleton of lock-gates, consisting 

 of four trussed portions, each hung folding, the meeting parts being fur- 

 nished with small wheels, which run on iron segments when the gates ut 

 opened for the purpose of allowing the locomotives to pass. 



Buchanan's Practical Essays on Mill Work and other Machinery. 

 Re-edited by George Rennie, C.E., F.R.S., &c. Part I., 30 Plates 

 and Text. London: Weale, 1841. 



Robert Buchanan's Essays on Millwork are well known to every 

 practical engineer, and still better as having been subsequently revised 

 by Tredgold. To bring the progress of the art up to the present day, and 

 to describe the modern improvements was a task yet to be attempted. 

 This has happily devolved upon George Reimie, and it is almost super- 

 fluous for us to say that no better man could have been intrusted 

 with them, to one who has cultivated with equal success both the 

 theory and the practice, who is himself the author and inventor of so 

 many of the innovations, which he will be called upon to describe. — 

 Having contributed so much to enlarge the world of science, it was the 

 least that we could expect of hiiu, that he should come forward to do 

 justice to his own works and those of his predecessors, the more par- 

 ticularly as he has in his own factory a museum from which to draw 

 ample means of illustration. 



The present Part is principally confined to the elementary matter, 

 but the plates in it which refer to the forthcoming one give jiroinise 

 of most valuable matter. Among them are Bramah's Slide Latlie, his 

 Lathe for turning Sphere?, the Great Boring Lathe, the Wallside 

 Drilling Machine, the Double Pillar Drill, the Key Grooving or Slotting 

 Machine,Self-actingNut-cutlingMachine, machine for cutting the Teeth 

 of Wheels, another for cutting the Teeth of Wood on Wheel Models, 

 the Vertical Boring Machine for Cylinders, Planing Machine for Iron, 

 Nasmyth's Planing Machine, a Punching Machine, Heck's Mandrel for 

 expanding rings, &c. 



