72 YEAR-BOOK OF FACTS. 



flanges of sufficient area to bear on the ballast without the aid of sleepers, being 

 an improvement on a previous patent of the present patentee, where similar rails 

 bear on sleepers. 



These foregoing two abridged specifications are from the Mechanics' 

 Magazine. 



At Wormwood Serubbs, on the Great Western line, has been laid 

 Seaton's Patent Safety Saddle Hail, which has been under trial for 

 upwards of two years and a half. The alleged superiority of the 

 patent safety vail and the sleepers consists in the fact, that the latter 

 is cut diagonally instead of rectangularly from a square balk of wood. 

 The two triangular sleepers which are thus produced from the balk 

 are laid longitudinally with the base downwards, the apex being 

 crowned by a saddle rail, of which the flanges cover a portion of the 

 sides of the triangle. Chairs, fish-plates, and trenails are all done 

 away with by the new system. The first cost per double mile on the 

 London and North-Western Railway, exclusive of wages, is 4146Z., 

 while under Seaton's patent the prime cost, it is said, would not be 

 more thau 3300Z. The cost per annum for maintenance on the 

 North-Western Railway is stated to be 2>\ll. per mile, whilst the 

 maintenance under the new system is computed at 1SSL Ey a 

 scientific inspection of the patent way on the Great Western, the 

 new line was found, it is said, to present a perfect even and level 

 surface ; the rails undisturbed, although from fifty to sixty trains pass 

 over them, and the fastenings, both longitudinally and to the " ties," 

 perfectly tight and undisturbed ; the line being in exactly the same 

 state as when laid down upwards of two years and a half since. — 

 Builder. 



ENLARGEMENT OF A RAILWAY TUNNEL. 



Tins very novel engineering operation has been described to the 

 Institution of Civil Engineers, by Mr. F. C. Stileman. This was 

 the Enlargement of the Lindal Tunnel, on the Furness Railway, 

 which, as a single line, was completed and opened in June, 1S51. 

 The facilities afforded by this railway having led to a great develop- 

 ment of the mineral traffic of the district, an Act of Parliament was 

 obtained for the formation of the Ulvnrston and Lancaster Railway, 

 thus completing the chain of coast railways between Lancaster and 

 Whitehaven, and so onwards to Carlisle. It then became evident 

 that a single line would be insufficient to accommodate the traffic. 

 Consequently, in August, 185-1, it was decided to widen the line, 

 and to eidarge the Lindal tunnel. The tunnel was increased in 

 Width equally on each side of the existing Bingle-line tunnel, the 

 level of the rails remaining the same. Before the works of enlarge- 

 ment were commenced, the contractor, .Mr. Tredwell, Bugg I d 

 thai another Bingle, or twin, tunnel, parallel with the existing one, 

 could be c on s tr ucted with lees risk ; and he offered to complete it 

 for the same sum, notwithstanding the additional excavation neces- 

 sary in the approaches. This proposition had not been favourably 

 entertained, because there was do precedent for such a work, and 



because it was known that there were many and grave disadvantages 

 in working a single-line tunnel. From its limited area, the atmo- 



