R O A 
imbedded into it at short distances, to sustain and hold fast the 
rails, or slips of wood, on which the waggon-wheels were 
intended to run. These rails were made ol beech, and were 
laid end to end, so as to form two continued lines of rails or 
wooden ridges, running parallel to each other, along; each 
side of the road, crossing the large logs at each of their 
extremities, on which they rested as on so many foundations; 
and were also nailed, or otherwise secured, to keep each 
piece in its proper place. The waggons were of the usual 
construction, but of a large size, so as to contain several 
tons of coals, and set upon low wheels; the smoothness of 
the way rendering wheels of the ordinary size unnecessary. 
On these rails a single horse could readily draw three tons 
of coals from the pits to the river. Where any steep declivity 
occurred on the road, this was termed a run, or an inclined 
plane; and on it the descent of the waggons was retarded, and 
regulated by a species of brake, or crooked lever, termed a 
convoy, attached to the waggon and managed by the driver. 
In this construction of the original railways, we evident¬ 
ly perceive all the parts and members of the railway as 
it is formed at the present day; viz. the regular formed road, 
the rails; the sleepers, the low waggons and the inclined 
plane. Their only defect consisted in the soft and decaying 
nature of the wood, the wear and tear which caused such 
expense for repairs, as greatly limited their application; so 
that it was only the shortness of the distance, and the great 
extent of the traffic, which rendered their application at all 
beneficial. It was only about the year 1738 that they were 
attempted in the collieries of Whitehaven; and it does not 
appear that they were adopted in any other part of the king¬ 
dom. The use of iron, therefore, in place of wood, was an 
essential improvement in the construction of railways, and 
caused, indeed, a complete change in this, as it has done in every 
other branch of practical mechanics into which it has been 
introduced. Flat bars of iron were at first fastened on the 
top of the wooden rails: but after various unsuccessful 
attempts, the rails themselves were at last wholly composed 
of iron, cast in short bars, united at their extremities, and 
resting on sleepers, or square blocks of stone, disposed at 
short distances along each side of the road; and this con¬ 
struction having been once fairly reduced to practice, was not 
only adopted universally in place of wood, but soon led 
to the new and more extensive applications. 
The railways in Britain are so numerous, that it would 
exceed our limits to specify the particular lines. In the 
Newcastle coal district, on the river Wear, in the coal and 
mining districts of Yorkshire and Lancashire, as well as of 
Derbyshire and Staffordshire, there are numerous railways 
branching off from the navigable rivers and canals to the 
different mines. In Shropshire also, and in the great mining 
districts along the vale of the Severn, the use of railways is 
very general, and it was here that the inclined plane was 
first brought in aid of iuland navigation. In Surrey there 
is a railway of aconsiderable extent, termed the Surrey railway, 
and this presents one of the few attempts that have been 
made to form public railways for general use. In the 
great mining districts on the west of the Severn, including 
South Wales, the rail or tram-roads are very numerous; and 
here, owing to the steepness and impracticable nature of the 
ground, they have been of essential utility in supplying the 
place of canals. In the year 1791, there was scarcely a 
single railway in all South Wales, and in 1811, the com¬ 
pleted rail-roads connected with canals, collieries, iron, and 
copper-works in the counties of Monmouth, Glamorgan, and 
Caermarthen, amounted to nearly 150 miles in length, 
exclusive of a great extent within the mines themselves; of 
which one company in Merthyr-Tydvil possessed 30 miles 
under ground. In Monmouthshire, the Sirhoway railway 
forms one.of the first in point of magnitude which has hitherto 
been constructed. It extends from Pilgwilly, near Newport, 
to the Sirhoway and Tredagar iron works, distant 23 miles, 
whence it is continued five miles farther to the Trevil 
lime works, in Brecknockshire, along with a branch to the 
west, to the Rumney and union iron-works. This railway 
was made by the Monmouthshire Canal Company, under 
Vol, XXII. No. 1489. 
R 0 A 133 
the authority of an act of Parliament. From Sirhoway, 
a branch proceeds eastwards to the Ebbwy works, and 
from thence down the course of the Ebbwy to Cruinlin 
Bridge, whence it joins the canal from Newport; and from 
Sirhoway again, the Brinare railway is continued overthe Black 
Mountain to the vale of the Uske at Brecon, and from 
thence to Hay on the river Wye. In Glamorganshire, the 
principal railways are the Cardiff and Merthyr-Tydvil, the 
Aberdare, and the Swansea railways. In Caermarthenshire 
the principal railway is that which extends from Caermar- 
then to the lime-works nearLlandebie, adistance of 15 miles. 
In Scotland there are various railways proceeding from the 
different mines throughout the kingdom. The principal one 
in point of magnitude is the duke of Portland’s railway, ex¬ 
tending from thetown of Kilmarnock to the harbour of Troon, 
a distance of nearly ten miles. Its chief object is the export 
of coal and lime, in which articles a great trade is carried on 
by means of the railway. In the coal and mining districts 
round Glasgow, there are numerous smaller railways, 
and also in the coal fields of Mid Lothian and Fife. Plans 
have been proposed for a public railway from Edinburgh to 
the different coal-works in the neighbourhood. An exten¬ 
sive railway was also at one time projected from Glasgow to 
Berwick-upon-Tweed; but none of these seem to offer such 
brilliant advantages as that projected to be carried from 
Liverpool to Manchester. We copy from the Quarterly 
Review (No. 62.) a short account of its plan, with some 
appropriate observations on its utility. 
“ The distance between Liverpool and Manchester, by 
the Mersey and Irwell canals, exceeds 50 miles; which can¬ 
not be performed in one day, and, as we have seen, requires 
sometimes many days. By a rail-road the d.stance is re¬ 
duced to 33 miles, which would always be performed, 
whether by horses or engines, within the day ; by the 
latter, the same engine would go and return with ease the 
same day, and be subject neither to delay nor risk of da¬ 
mage, nor total loss by adverse winds and storms, 
which on the passage of 18 miles in the tide-way of the 
Mersey, frequently occur; nor would frost or drought in¬ 
terrupt the conveyance. Instead of 155. per ton, the con¬ 
veyance on the rail-road will only cost 105. and probably 
less. By the establishment of a railway the inhabitants of 
Liverpool, and those parts adjacent to the line of the road, 
will be enabled to buy their coals several shillings per ton 
below the price which they now pay. By opening the 
collieries to the sea, Liverpool will become one of the great¬ 
est shipping ports for coal in the kingdom. A rail-road 
will facilitate the conveyance of this indispensable article, 
together with the agricultural produce, the iron, lime-stone, 
&c. throughout the whole manufacturing districts of Lan¬ 
cashire, a concentrated bee-hive containing a condensed po¬ 
pulation of at least 500,000 souls, of which Manchester 
may be considered the centre. Nor are the advantages of a 
railway merely of a local nature. By means of it and 
steam-boats, the passage from Manchester to Dublin will 
be reduced to 18 or 20 hours; the transit of goods between 
the two places is considerable, and rapidly increasing; 
and by this rail-road the rate at which the corn, the flax, 
the linen, and the butter of Ireland can be distributed in 
Lancashire and Yorkshire, will be considerably reduced. 
Among the plans for bettering the condition of Ireland, the 
Liverpool rail-road must be considered to take a prominent 
station, and the people of Ireland feel that it will do so. 
They feel that, whatever shortens the time of conveyance 
practically diminishes the distance , and whatever is saved 
in the cost of carriage is a gain to Ireland,” 
ROADE, a parish of England, in Northamptonshire; 
5| miles south of Northampton. 
ROADE, a township of England, in Somersetshire; 4 
miles north-east-by-east of Frame. Population 957 . 
ROADGATE, a village of England, West Riding of 
Yorkshire, near Helensford, 
ROA'DSTEAD, s, A place fit for ships to anchor in.— 
Three large ships of war and a lugger had anchored in a 
small roadstead upon the coast. London Gaz. 
2 M ROADSTER, 
