The Express.
London, England, 1864-12-02 00:00:00

BEAR ASD TEAR OP RAILWAY WORKING.

At the meeting on Wednesday night of the Society
of Arta, W. Brydgei Adams read a paper ea the " Mecha-
nical Condition of Railway Working to prevent destruc-
tive West and Risk." Captain GattOx, R.E., occupied
the chair. Going first into the elementary machasical con-
dition of vehicular transport, Mr. Adams came to the com-
mencement of the railway system, and condemned at the
outset what is still the commie practice with regard to
rolling stock—vi:.., ignoring wheels rooming independently
on their axiom and adopting tie Old classic car system
of toilets tied on a that or axle, which revolves with
them is hole pine, or what are sow termed horn plates.
Pointiag out the difference between tramways and railways,
he showed that vehicles with lined wheals and parallel &LW
were only adapted to move in straight lines. Adverting
text to the nmdisicatioos of rail+ wad wheels to meet the
:.eves at.el gradients cf cur iron•theds. be showed how much
frietiomal and perausional destruction still west on. This
rapil wear of tires and rails had led to greatly increased
weight ei rails, and now to harder and beerier, and finally
to Bessemer toe tal and Kzupp's solid steel. Be Bart showed
the ill effect of extreme rigidity in railway wheels and sales
in calash) wear and tear, and explained an invention of his
own by which spriors were placed beneath the siren of
wheels. Taa result of this method was that some Stafford-
shire tires tea Ral,tAa.t miles on the North Loudon Railway
without tansiog up, while some Low Moor rigid tires
fixed on a similar principle only ran 50,000 miles
before they bed to he taken off and turned up to
restore their Berries. Exolaininit how the same
emetic principle had been applied to rails with
the most s itisfactory result—for atter three years' wear
they had not disintegra;e4 at all, except where thudded
rigit:ly to the ordinary line, and there the ends of the
tails wore split—he explained the best means of applying
this elute principle by improved systems of sleepers
and halms. He text pointed out the importance of true
mechanical action in the movement of wheels and axles,
and the advantage of radial movement in the axles. Ex.
plaiolog the first athoopts to secure these advantages by
the " bogy," the lecturer explained, bow he bed den-
dosed the beget. form altogether, and adopted sale-boxes
to slide in carved lines laterally through the horn plates
of a ri,.'d engine frame beneath the spring hearings. This
pin is practice had beep found to give good resells.
As ;. mesas of securing greater adhesion between wheels and
rail., he s.igviteei c tivertiqg the ronoded Hauges of the
wheel tires :Os) two fiats, at an angle of 45 dogs., and en-
larging tient to vibe a corresponding groove formed in the
entrant of the rail. The improvements, therefore. may be
summed up by spring tires, angle flanges, sod elastic
permanent way,—li the discaseion which foUolied, a
forstm engineer suggested that elasticity might be
gives to rails by making them of peddled steel,
sod of !hi-bottom form, soil of rails with peddled steel
Sops am! iron base. Another speaker explained an
improved mode of fixing reds. the invention of the recently
deceued Mr. Joliet, by which they are set in a groove
in the sleeper and Partly supported in a plate running
through the rail. Mr. Zersh Colborne eodorsed the sound-
ness of Hr. Adams' principles, nod explained the form of
rails mod rolling stock in America, which bad been adopted
to secure those advantages. The Chairman said that the
important subject which Mr. Adams had introduced was
nothing less than a radkid change is the coostruetion of our
railways, both as to road and rolling stock. As experience
had shown the correctness of Mr. Adana' principles he
th...ight no one would ohiect to giving then: a trial, without
which it was impossible to express a decided opine. on a
new preptwal in regard to railways. A vote of thanks to
Mr. Adams concluded the proceedings.

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