for Carnages on Rail Roads. 133 



of the plugs, K the projection behind the flanch to make 

 the plate lie firm on the blocks. 



General Observations. 

 The advantage of laying plates on the above principle is 

 obvious; the blocks being put in their places never sink be- 

 low their intended level, the act of driving either nail or 

 plug (which requires a considerable degree of force, and 

 too frequently destroys the level of the road,) being here un- 

 necessary. In the common mode of making rail-roads, 

 from the irregularity of nails, particularly in forming their 

 heads, few can be driven exactly even with the plate, arn$' 

 are perpetually obstructing the passage of the waggon ; the 

 workmen frequently not proportioning their holes and plugs 

 to the hole in the block, also occasions considerable break- 

 age ; the exertion necessary to fix a rail or plate completely, 

 is great ; and numbers of plates, particularly when the iron 

 is short or brittle, are broken near the mortises by missing 

 the stroke of the hammer, which must be used with great 

 force. 



Advantage gained in laying my Tram-Plates in Comparison 

 with other Modes, 



j£. s. d. 

 Nails used in a mile, 3520 of 3 in the pound, „at 



Ad. per lb. - - - - - .19.11 



Nails lost or defective, computed at per mile l 



Plugs with their loss - - - - 6 5 



By breakage of rails, average from experience 7 10 

 Lessened by labour in block laying, calculated at 



only two-pence per yard - - - 14 13 4 



By breakage of blocks - - »■ - 1 o ,0 



£. 49 19 4 



This calculation does not take in annual loss pf nails, and 

 breakage of blocks, which is considerable. 



I 3 XXIII. On 



