Gar nk irk and Glasgow Railway. 51 



ground, that when a few feet in depth had been cut out, the 

 ground on each side frequently slipped in, while the operations 

 were going on, and thus this cut may be said to have been three 

 or four times excavated. The ground on each side of the line 

 is not now more than 5 or 6 feet above the surface of the rails. 

 The whole body of the moss, to the extent of about 400 feet on 

 each side the railway, has sunk more than 20 feet, chiefly from 

 the water having been drawn off by the operations in the for- 

 mation of the railway at this point. Plate II. fig. 2. represents 

 a section of the railway, and of the original surface of the 

 ground at this point. The dotted line GG, the original sur- 

 face of the ground ; AAA its present surface. Figs. 2, 3, 

 point out the manner adopted in forming the railway, and in 

 laying the rails through this and some other mosses on the line, 

 which is different, I believe, from any other yet tried in such 

 situations. AAA surface of ground when brought to the 

 requisite level; BB hurdles of brushwood and whins; CCCC 

 ballasting and boxing laid over the whins ; on the ballasting, 

 the rou^h longitudinal beams of timber DD are laid, varying 

 in length from 20 to 40 feet ; breadth 9 inches ; in thickness 4. 

 EE cross beams or sleepers, laid on the longitudinal beams 

 at the distance of, from a few inches to 3 feet apart, as required. 

 FF longitudinal planks 4± inches thick, 9 inches broad, and 

 40 feet long, laid on cross sleepers, and on which the chairs 

 HH are fixed. 



Fig. 1. is a section of the railway where it passes through other 

 cuttings AAAA> surface of ground at the requisite level ; 

 CC ballasting and boxing ; DDDD stone-blocks or pedestals 

 on which the chairs rest, and are 10 inches in depth, 2 feet 

 by 1 foot 6 inches at the base, and tapered to I foot 6 inches, 

 by 1 foot at the top, weighing about 3 cwt. In these stones 

 holes are bored Jths of an inch diameter, and 4 inches long ; 

 the chairs are secured to these stones by means of oak pins, 

 driven into these holes through holes in the chairs. The rails 

 are fixed to these chairs by means of iron keys, or wedges ; at 

 the extremities of the rails they are united by half-lap joints 

 EE stone-walls on each side of the railway ; B drain under 

 the railway, varying in size as the nature of the soil requires. 



i) 2 



