510 



the central portions of the shafting under the carriages, to 

 and from which communications are intended to be made; 

 the pulleys being geared by elastic bands, with corresponding 

 pulleys in the carriages, suitably placed for being turned by 

 the guard or engine-driver, and also observed by him if 

 motion be communicated from any other part of the train ; 

 thus affording the means of communicating a limited number 

 of useful signals. 



Such systems of torsion-rods might be attached to various 

 parts of railway carriages, but for uniformity, and in a great 

 measure to avoid injurious lateral motion, I prefer that such 

 rods be placed centrically, and immediately above the axles 

 of the wheels. The bearings or bushes of the rods may be 

 attached to the carriages themselves, but as many railway 

 carriages are constructed with framework connected with the 

 bearings of the axles, I prefer attaching the bearings of the 

 torsion-rods to such framework. 



Whatever method of communicating signals on railway 

 trains be adopted, little will be effected towards the pre- 

 vention of accidents unless some efficient mode of quickly 

 stopping the trains be also adopted. 



When railway trains were seldom composed of more than 

 five or six carriages, and the maximum speed was about 

 twenty-five miles per hour, it was found that shutting off the 

 steam and applying breaks to the tender was sufficient ; but 

 now, as railway trains consist of from ten to fifteen carriages, 

 travelling at fifty miles per hour, the breaks on the tender 

 and on the one carriage occupied by the guard are evidently 

 insuflicient. 



Breaks, as applied to a single carriage, cannot probably 

 be made to act much more efficiently than those at present 

 used, and which are already capable of arresting the revolu- 

 tion of the wheels of the carriage, and making them act as a 

 sledge on the rails. In fact, considerable care is required on 



