x6 
Continuous Railway Breaks 
[January, 
Mean Retarding 
Train. Break. Force, Percentage of 
Gross Load. 
Midland.. .. .. .. .. Westinghouse Air .. 10*64 per cent. 
London and North-Western Clarke and Webb’s .. 779 „ 
Midland.. .. .. .. . . Barker’s Hydraulic .. 7*64 5S 
Great Northern .. . . . . Smith’s Vacuum . . 7*47 ,, 
In the last three cases the total retarding forces were very 
nearly alike, ranging from 779 per cent to 7*47 per cent of 
the weights of the trains, or within o‘i6 per cent either 
way of the mean result. On the other hand, the force 
adting on the Midland train with the Westinghouse air break 
ranged as high as io‘ 64 per cent, being 3-01 per cent above 
the mean result obtained by the other breaks. Without the 
use of sand the results were as follows ~ 
Mean Retarding 
Train. Break. Force, Percentage of 
Gross Load. 
Midland.. .. Westinghouse .. .. 10*04 per cent. 
„ . . . . Barker’s Hydraulic . . 6*47 „ ,, 
London and North Western Clarke and Webb’s .. 6*21 ,, 
Great Northern . . . . . . Smith’s Vacuum .. 5*72 ,, 
It is only necessary to remark here that the Westinghouse 
air break showed a percentage of retarding force 3*95 per 
cent above the mean of the results given by the other three 
breaks. 
We have next to consider within what distance a train 
can be brought to a stand with the several kinds of break 
above referred to, and it will not unreasonably be concluded 
that the break which can be applied most expeditiously, and 
at the same time exercises the highest retarding force, will 
be found at the head of the list in this case also. The fol- 
lowing table gives the distances (approximately) in which 
the stops would have been effedled in each case under the 
influence of the same retarding forces referred to above, 
upon the application of break-power to trains running at 
the speeds of 30, 45, and 60 miles per hour : — ■ 
With Sand. 
Without Sand. 
Miles per 
Hour. 
Miles per Hour. 
Train. 
Break. 
f 
_ 
** 
f 
\ 
30 
45 
60 
30 
45 
60 
Feet. 
Feet. 
Feet. 
Feet. 
Feet. 
Feet. 
Midland 
Westinghouse 
282 
634 
1128 
300 
675 
1200 
London and N,W. 
Clarke and Webb’s 
335 
866 
1540 
0 
00 
W 
O 
CO 
0 
1920 
Midland 
Barker’s Hydraulic 
393 
884 
1572 
465 
1046 
i860 
Great Northern . . 
Smith’s Vacuum . . 
4°3 
907 
l6l2 
525 
1181 
2100 
