The Sun.
London, England, 1846-06-09 00:00:00

GAUGE OF RAILWAYS.

COPY OF MINUTE OF THE LORDS OF THE COM-
MITTEE OF PRIVY COUNCIL FOR TRADE, ON
THE REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS FOR IN -
QUIRING INTO THE GAUGE OF RAILWAYS.
June 6, 1846.

" The Lords of the Committee of Privy Council for Trade
having had under their consideration the report referred to
them of the Commissioners appointed by writ under her Ma-
jesty's Privy Seal, bearing date the 11th of July, in the
ninth year of her Majesty's reign, to inquire whether in
future Private Acts of Parliament for the construction of
railways, provision ought to be made for securing an uniform
gauge; and whether it would be expedient and practicable
to take measures to bring the railways already constructed
or in progress of construction in Great Britain into uniformity
of gauge, and to inquire whether any other mode could be
adopted for obviating or mitigating the evil apprehended as
likely to arise from the break that will occur in railway com-
munications from the want of an uniform gauge ; and having
examined the printed evidence adduced before the Commission;
and having further had under their consideration documents
fficially transmitted to them by the Great Western Railway
Company, namely, " Observations on the Report of the Gauge
Commissioners," "Additional Observations" on the same,
and a letter, in which the Company suggest that certain dis-
tricts should be marked out, beyond the limits of which no
lines of railway should be constructed on the broad or seven
feet gauge; beg to submit the following report, suggesting
the course which it appears to them advisable that Parlia-
ment should adopt, in determining the gauge on which the
various railways now in construction, or hereafter to be con-
structed, shall respectively be formed.
My Lords fully and entirely concur in the general conclu-
sions at which the Commissioners have arrived with respect
to the advantages of uniformity of gauge for the convey-
ance of the internal traffic of the country. They are of opi-
nion that the facia set forth in the Report, and the evidence
by which they are supported, incontestably establish the
conclusion, that a " break of gauge is a very serious evil,"
and they see no reason to doubt the soundness of the opinion
the Commissioners have expressed, that none of the mecha-
nical contrivances, or other methods proposed for mitigating
the evil, " are calculated to remedy, in any important de-
gree, the inconveniences attending a break of gauge."
The practical question which now arises for the considera-
tion of Parliament is, whether, under the circumstances in
which we find ourselves placed, a considerable portion of the
railways now in active operation in the kingdom, having
been formed on the broad or seven feet gauge, and another
and much larger portion having been formed on the narrow
or four feet eight and a half inch gauge, any just means can
be found of producing entire uniformity of gauge through-
out the country.
The Commissioners, in the report presented to Parliament,
have enterad minutely and at great length into an examina-
tion of the respective merits of the broad and the narrow
gauge.
They state that— Flr74
" After a full consideration of all the circumstances that
have come before us, and of the deductions we have made
from the evidence, we are led to conclude—
" Ist. That as regards the safety, accommodation, and con-
venience of the passengers, no decided preference is due to
eithey gauge, but that on the broad gauge the motion is
generally more easy at high velocities.
" 2dly. That in respect of speed, we consider the advan-
tages are with the broad gouge, but we think the public
safety would be endangered in employing the greater capa-
bilities of the broad gauge much beyond their present use,
except on roads more consolidated and more substantially
and perfectly formed, than those of the existing lines.
"3dly. That in the commercial case of the transport of
goods, we believe the narrow gauge to possess the greater
convenience, and to be the more suited to the general trail;
of the country.
" 4thly. That the broad gauge involves the greater outlay,
and that we have not been able to discover, either in the
maintenance of way, in the cost of locomotive power, or in
the other annual expenses, any adequate reduction to com-
pensate for the additional first cost.
" Therefore, esteeming the importance of the highest speed
OH express trains for the accommodation of a comparatively
small number of persons, however desirable that may be to
them, as of, far less moment than affording increased con-
venience to the general commercial traffic of the country,
we are inclined to consider the narrow gauge as that which
should be preferred for general convenience; and, therefore,
if it were imperative to produce uniformity, we should re-
commend that uniformity to be produced by an alteration of
the broad to the narrow gauge, more especially when we
take into consideration that the extent of the former at pre-
sent in work is only 274 miles, while that of the latter is not
less than 1,901 miles, and that the alteration of the former
to the latter, even if of equal length, would be the less costly
as well as the less difficult operation."
And, after adverting to the difficulties which present them-
selves to the adjustment of the difference of gauge, the Com-
missioners submit to Parliament the following recommenda-
tions:—
" Ist. That the gauge of four feet eight inches and a half
be declared by the Legislature to be the gauge to be used in
all public railways now under construction, or hereafter to
be constructed, in Great Britain.
" 2d. That, unless by the consent of the Legislature, it
should not be permitted to the directors of any Railway Com-
pany to alter the gauge of such railway.
"3d. That, in order to complete the generalchain of narrow
gauge communication from the north of England to the
southern coast, any suitable measure should be promoted to
form a narrow gauge link from Oxford to Reading, and
thence to Basingstoke, or by any shorter route connecting
the proposed Rugby and Oxford line with the South-Western
Railway.
" 4th. 'nat as any junction to be formed with a broad
gauge line would involve a break of gauge, provided our
first recommendation be adopted, great commercial conve-
nience would he obtained by reducing the gauge of the pre-
sent broad gauge lines to the narrow gauge, of' four feet eigt
inches and a half; and we, therefore, think it desirable that
some equitable means should be found of producing such en-
tire uniformity of gauge, or of adopting such other course
as would admit of the narrow gauge carriages passing, with-
out interruption or danger, along the broad gauge lines."
My Lords have proceeded to the consideration of this sub-
ject with a deep sense of the importance of the question re-
ferred to them, and of the responsibility under which they
are placed in advising the course hereafter to be followed .
It has been seen that the Commissioners recommended--
Ist. That equitable means should be found of producing
entire uniformity of gauge by reducing the broad gauge lines
to the narrow gauge.
2d. That all public railways now under construction, or
hereafter to be constructed, in Great Britain, shall be formed
on the narrow gauge.
After long and anxious deliberation, my Lords are unable
altogether to concur with the Commissioners in the full ex-
tent of these recommendations.
Adverting to the vast expense which must be involved in
an entire alteration of the broad gauge, and having regard
to the circumstances under which the companies employing
this gauge were established, and to the interests they have
acquired, my Lords cannot feel themselves justified in recom-
mending that it should be proposed to Parliament to compel
the entire reduction of the seven feet gauge. They feel, with
the Commissioners, that " they cannot recommend the Legis-
lature to sanction 'such an expense from the public moneys,
nor do they think that the companies to which the broad gauge
railways belong can be called upon to incur such an expense
themselves (having made all their works with the authority