1878.] 
Continuous Railway Breaks. 
i7 
Besides the above, a most important series of experiments 
was undertaken for the Royal Commission, in order to as- 
certain the effective power of the several breaks in the event 
of an accidental severance of a train. This was done by 
slipping a portion of the train where the break couplings 
led past ; the point of severance being, in each case, fixed 
by the Commissioners at the time of making the experi- 
ment, so that it might not be known beforehand to the train 
attendants or patentees. In this way the severance could 
be taken to represent that which might occur through the 
accidental breaking of a coupling. The carriages were 
slipped from the train at full speed, and with full steam on 
the engine, on signal being given to the guard entrusted 
with the slip. The speed of the train at the time of the 
slip, the distance run in performing the stop by the severed 
portion, and the time occupied in the stop were carefully 
noted. Four trials were thus made ; but the accidental 
breaking away of a portion of the London and North- 
Western train in one of the earlier trials afforded a fifth 
example, of more value, perhaps, than the rest, inasmuch 
as the breaking away was entirely unpremeditated. The 
hydraulic break, not being specially adapted to meet the 
contingency of breaking away, it was not tried in this series. 
The series produced the following results in reference to the 
slipped portions of the trains : — 
Number 
Speed 
Distance 
Mean Retard- 
Train. 
Break 
of Train 
Bun 
ing Force, 
creak. Vehicles 
when 
in 
Percentage of 
Slipped. 
Slipped. 
Stopping. 
Gross Load. 
Miles per hr. 
Feet. 
Per cent. 
Midland 
Westinghouse . . 12 
5 if 
869 
10*13 
London and N.W. 
Clarke and Webb’s 6 
5o| 
928 
9 * 2 ? 
Great Northern . . 
. Smith’s Vacuum . . 12 
4°i 
2509 
2-i8 
In the case of the Midland train the breaks were put on 
automatically over both sections of the entire train, with 
the exception of the engine and tender breaks, which were 
disconnected. The time of coupling up after the severed 
portions were brought together was noted : it took five 
seconds to couple the chains, and two and a half seconds to 
couple the hose-pipe of the breaks. In the case of the 
London ^and North-Western train a rather violent jar was 
produced when the coupling snapped. The severed portion 
consisted of five carriages and the rear van. The breaks of 
the said five carriages being actuated from the van, no col- 
lision took place between the two portions of the train, but, 
on the contrary, a space of 169 feet intervened between them 
VOL. viii. (n.s.) c 
