The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-18 00:00:00

THE GAUGE QUESTION.

The Earl of DALHOUSIE, in brie ging this subject before
their Lordships, felt it necessary to explain %%In', after it had been
alineunced, it had been so long delayed. lie had been quite
ready to bring it before the House at the time appointed, but
their Lin:ships, oweig to the change el Ministry, and the
important ciaeuisiona in which they had been engaged, were
too much trecuired to entertain it. But with the consent of
her Msj soy's Government he was now quite ready to bring it
before their Lordships. From the present state of the House
he obsei ved that there was not much anxiety respecting
the subject which he bad to introduce, and he
would, if they thought proper, most readily postpone
it, although he would rather, if he now consulted his
own inclination, refrain from doing so. The chief
part co the matter bad been so fully stated in the report
of the Commissioners, that he had little left to do than to re-
mind their Lordships of what had there been most amply and
perspicuously stated. The resolutions which he had to propose
simply proffered the result of that report, which was chiefly
filed by a consideration of the railway system. The object,
therefore, ot these resolutions was in tl.e first place to regulate
the gauge of railways already in existence, and further to
establish an insaorna gauge for all ra I ways that may hereafter
be farmed. It would be cecessary for him to revert a little in
order to put the Horne in possession of the circumstances
which hail induced the inquity of these Commissioners, and
originated :bc resrautious wntch he was about to propose. .It
would be recollected-that all the railways which hid been first
formed acre constructed on what was called ten. narrow gauge ;
but, contrery to the general belief, the e did not appear to be
any particular reason why they should be formed of that par-
tit:sear width. On the contrary it would rather seem that it
was done without any definite cause, and arose more than any
thing else out cf the circumstance that the earlier railways were
mods to form communications with the tram ways for the carriage
of goods and iris when they were drawn by horse power. The
usual width of the carriagei &awn— by :these h-orties was
4 fret ea; inches, and that consequently becimeattia 'COMITI',II •
gauge ot the noire important railways that • were at first
foamed. After some yeas a Bill passed throueh Parliament
for the formation of a railway from London to Bristol. In that
Bel there was tin regulation respecting the gauge, and, as by an
aerei went with Mr. Brunel, the directors had decided upon
taking the broad gauge, that lire was to:med with a width of
seven feet between the rails. There was no doubt but that
with the broad gauge there was the oppertunlty of getting
greater power and more speed, bat the majority of the lines in
the country were constructed on the 4 feet el inch gauge.
But even that was not uniform, for while these two gauges
were used in some places, the Northern Railway was con-
structed on a gauge of live teet, and the Dundee and Abroath,
and the Abroali and Forfar Railways were constructed on the
five feet six-inch gauge. This was the case until the com-
mencement of 1545, when an immense mass of railways were
breught into Parliament, and the question of the break of
gauge forced itself on the attention of the Legislature. At
that time upwards of 1,9:10 miles of railway had been formed
on the narrow gauge, and about 30J miles on the broad
gauge, but then the several railways were not at that
time in connexion with each tither. The Great Western line
was formed on the broad gauge, and the Eastern Counties,
and those running to the north, were made on the narrow
gauge, and as they did not join each other no inconvenience
bad been suffered. But in 1815, Bills were brought into Par-
liament which compelled the attention of the Legislature. lii
that session upwards irt lao Bills were brought under considera-
tion, and among teem two on which the question of the
gauge was seriously involved. They were respectively for the
formation of lines front Oxford to Rugby, and the other from
Rugby, by Oxford, to Wolverhampton. The termini of these
lines would respectively meet with broad and narrow gauge
lima. There was a department of the Government whose
duty it was to consider the merits of the several lines about to
be submi• ted to the legislature, and after much discussion the
MemLers of that department had come to the decision that
these two lines involve an undoubted and serious evil—
namely, the break of gauge; and they recommended that in the
construction of all suture railways, an uniform gauge should be
adopted. But its the meantime, a question had arisen in con-
sequence of the presentenon of a petition in the other
House of Parliament, and a Commission was appointed
to inquire into the merits of the different gauges, the
Mena. ers of which sat for sev, ral months employed in
the arduous and anxious investigation. U,srn the merits
of the several members of that Commission he was not dis-
posed to say anything. lie was aware that they had, in con-
sequence of interested and garbled statements, been subjected
to gross misrepresentations and attacks, but be must take
leave to express an opinion that no men could have discharged
their duties more efficiently. Their report was now laid aspen
their Lordships' table, and he should be saving their Lord-
ships' time by stating the conclusions at which they had ar-
rived. In their report they say that, alter much examination,
they are induced to state that the break of gauge is a
great and serious evil; that many mechanical means, such as
expanding axles, the moving of bodies. and other contrivances,
had been submitted to them, but that none of them were effec-
tual for the purpose for which they were intended. They
fully acknowledged that the difference of gauge was a serious
evil, and that it was exceedingly desirable that a uniformity of
gauge should be established. It would appear from that
retort that the narrow gauge was for the conveyance of pas-
sengers, tho more compact for the transit of exprass
trains, ..nd for the conveyance of passengers,and-ljght.goods.
On this gauge there were upwards of 1,905) miles constructed..
while there were only 274 miles made upon the broad gauge.
They recommended that future lines should be constructed on
the gauge of 4 feet Si miles. They recommended; secondly,
that the companies whose lines are made upon the broad gauge
should not alter them without the express permission of Go
vernment; thirdly, that some means should be devised for
equa!isine the gauges, though they could not come to any
conclusion as to the means which were to be used
for meeting the expense ; and, fourthly, they ex-
pret:sed their ceinion a the great commercial advantage of
retaining the narrow gauge, and of instituting it where it did
not already exist. It was certainly very desirable that some
means should be adopted equitable to all parties, for effecting
the change, and establishing an uniform gauge. For future
railways there would be no dußculty, if the recommendation of
the Commission were to he adopted, and the narrow gauge were
to be used ; but the difficulty chiefly arose from the change
from one gauge to another. From the estimates which Lad
been laid before the Commissioners, it appeared that the ex-
pense of the alteration would be about 1,500,0001., including
the alteration of the line, locomotives, and other things. It
was not right to appeal to the Exchequer for this great outlay,
for the country at large had little to du with the traffic on these
particular lines. Then again it was not right to call on the
Great Western Company to make the change at their own ex-
pense, for they bad made their works under the sanction and by
the authority of Parliament, and it would therefore be a gross
breach of principle to ask that great company to be at the
expense of a million and a half after they had provided the
best accommodation for railway transit in the country—after
they had not only introduced nunaerties and valuable improve-
ments, but hid stimulated by their example all the other com-
panies to increased display of energy. and increased exertion.
If it were not right a r come upon the Exchequer, still less was
it right to lay a tax on the other lines; for what reason was
there to impose a tax on the South-Western Company, who
were in many cases the opponents of the Great Western Corn-
pansy? The Commission did riot recommend. any precise plan,
that they left to Parliament ; but with respect to the railways
about to be consti ucted, the resolutions which he had
to propose would in some degree prevent the evil.
( Hear, hear.) If the group of railways to the
south of the Great Western line was joined, then they would
get rid of the break of gauge which was at present com-
plained of. The greeeest inconvenience would arise if
the break of gauge was continued at Rugby and
Gloucester, while. the evils would be got. rid of
by the break made at Oxford and Gloucester. It was also
• proposed that with respect to the south-we-tern district, the
break should be at.Barnstaple, instead of at Reading. Aceord-
ing to the arrangement proposed, all railways south of the Lon-
don and Bristol line would be Ott the breed gauge, with the
exception of that portion of narrow gauge railway which went
from Leaden to Southampton. with its oranches; t his was
proposed, not as a compromise, but for this convenience of the
public.— ( Hear. hear.) There was no compact at all in regu-
lating the matter Whatever decision had been come to, was
in 'rder to provide for the public accommodation in the best
possible manner. The tallways south of the Great Western
Railway were to be permitted to be laid down on the broad
gauge, but then not without shwving special grounds before a
Coarmi.tee, as to such lines being required for the
public. There had been three great lines sanc-
twned last session of Parliament. One was through
Wales by way of Gloucester. It would, perhaps, for local
purposes, have been better had that line been said darn on the
narrow gauge. hut looking on it as a thoroughfare to Ireland,
he thought it would be better for that purl ose that it should
remain on the broad gauge, for which the Bill had been passed.
The other two tines were the Oxford and Rugby, and the Ox-
ford, Worcester, and Wuiverhanadton lines. He regretted that
these lines had been passed on the bread gauge principle, and
it would have been veil had the report of the Commission
been known before these Bills had parked into a law; still, it
having been so, there were clauses inserted in both Bills, by
which the Board of Trade could enforce the laying down
double lines of rails to a certain extent, so as to form an
efficient connexion with the various lines on the
two gauges north and south. The extent to which
the Board of Trade thought it expedient to carry out the
powers given them by those clauses appeared in the resolutions
he was about to submit to the House. The result of the whole
recommendations of the Board ot Trade would be that the
south and south. west of England would be connected by means
of the broad gauge, while the south-east would be connected
by a narrow gauge tine. To the north and the north-east, the
whole of England, including tt e manufacturing districts, would
be accommodated by the narrow gauge, and the latter would
also be connected with Brrstol and the west of England by a
on Ralson
ti afar gauge. If the Maechester and Southampton line, which
"40ip,:ssed the House of Commons, passed their Lordshipe
then their would be Ca
continuous line of railway also
were cariersed
row
use pro gauge from Manchester to Southampton.
that when once tboso arrangements
should bear perrittoeut, that no dirsciors of railways
whole It
veured to gtv •an dto alter the gouge. He had now endea
uut by the imperfectresuluii idea of what he proposed to carry
have prepused the might be said that he ought to
lite as recommended by the Corn-
mis:iiiners' Itepsrt ; but, sn',e
careful_ra. eonsieeration, he thought
the present course the most
went,' not say any more at pi:e se"n"te al and advisable one. Hr
that
tre as follow:
y the task :mth,ough he felt he had but
four feetnf l
the!nieg ht of
rail-
way on him, and would
sinittleoge'Vbeyl movingsibs resolutions, ni oasient
is H„rise
excepting litres to the south
1 ~hTahilathietreisalttheer opinion
formed totherh
to Bristol, and excepting small
lineh a I f
frominch e
London a u e
branches
sinogf
four miles in length in immediate connexion with the Great
Western and South Vales R always, but that no such line as
aheve excepted sarruhl be sarictiened by Parliament, unless a
special report shall have been made ny the Committee on the
Bill, setting forth the reasens which have led the Committee
to advise that such a line should be firmed on any other than
the four feet eight and a half inches gauge.
2. That it is the opinion t f his (louse that provision should,
be made b.: law to prevent toe tl,ret,ors of any Railway
pany !root al, et ing the gouge ot euen railsvays•
3. That, is order to complete the gene: al chain of narrow
gauge communication from the North of t ngland to the
southern eetteti and to the port of Bristol, any pultzble met