The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-05 00:00:00

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

THE OPENING OF THE CHA.RING-CROSS.

Yesterday morning Capt. Tyler, R.E., the Government
inspector of railways, made his final inspection of this rail-
way. The examination commenced at the London-bridge
extremity of the line, where Captain Tyler minutely in-
spected the working of the signals and points. After some
time had been spent in these operations, the Government
inspector and the officials entered an experimental train, and
made a short run to the Cannon-street West signal-box,
close to the junction of the main with the short line or
arm which is to connect the former with the future Can-
non-street or City Terminus. Here the inspector entered
the box, and rigidly examined the working of every pair
of points, as well as Mr. Walker's admirable system of
train-signalling, which appeared satisfactory in every re-
spect ; after which the officials re-entered the train,
which then proceeded on its way at the rate of about five
miles an hour to the Blackfriars station, where the same
experiments were gone through. The whole party then
walked along the permanent way to the Charing-cross ter-
minus, inspecting the signals and points at the Waterloo
junction on their way, the train following, and finally com-
ing to a standstill on the immense bridge which spans the
Thames and carries the iron road from the south to the
north bank, or Middlesex shore of the river. On arriving at
Charing-cross Captain Tyler examined most critically the
state of this immense building, and the arrangements for the
safe working of the line.
It should here be mentioned that the Cannon-street traffic
to and from Charing-cross will be worked on a single line
of rails for a short distance between the termini not neces-
sitating a double line; while from the Charing-cross ter-
minus along the whole length of the Thames-bridge as far
as the Belvedere-road, Lambeth, where an immense water
tank has been erected, there is an engine siding. The
massive iron work of the bridge and that of the roof of the
termini is being painted of a chocolate colour, the large
nuts and other portions being gilt in order to relieve the
monotony of a single colour. The booking and station-
' masters' offices are complete, and everything is ready for the
opening day.
This, it was settled, at the close of the inspection, which
lasted from about ten o'clock till two in the afternoon,
should be next Monday, and the Charing-cross Railway
will, therefore, on that day be thrown open for public pas-
senger traffic.. lt was at first intended that trains should
be run through from the West-end terminus at Charing-
cross along the North and Mid Kent lines ; but it has
now been arranged, in order to got the railway into safe
and good working order, that at present through trains
shall only be run in connection with the Greenwich line
at first, so that passengers will, for the present, have
to re-book at London-bridge for stations on the main and
other branch lines of the South-Eastern Railway.

CHARING. CROSS-WESTERN AND NORTHERN
EXTENSIONS.

The Western Extension is intended to commence in the
parish of Lambeth by a junction with the existing line of
the Charing-cross Railway, and to terminate in Kecsington
by a junction with the West London Railway. There will
then be two branches—one entirely in the parish of Lam-
beth, and the other at Kensington. The Northern Exten-
sion is to commence in St. Martin-in-the-Fields by a junc-
tion with the main line, end terminate with the Great
Northern in the parish of St. Pancras. Two branches are
to be carried to junctions with the Midland Company's Ex-
tension into London, and fora St. George, Bloomsbury, to
the London and North-Western. The estimated cost of
construction is £4,000,000.