The Sun.
London, England, 1846-06-10 00:00:00

REVIEWS Or THE WORE.

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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 mi:igating 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
beg to submit the following report, suggesting
theon which the
t should adopt, in determining gauge
men
construction, or hereafter to be fteheet cgotTee'which it appears to them advisable that suggesting
railway
con-
structed, the T gheenye raarle coofn
opi-
nionc lu
Commissioners have arrived with respect
shall ;en'.
sions at which the .
t of gauge for the
to the advantages of unitoorfinti y
poescvtiinvely. be formed.
convey-
ance of the internal traffic
My Lords fully and entirely
country.he
establish the
by which they are supported, incontestably
serious evil,"
' break of gauge is a very . .
conclusion, that a ' (.. • concur
i n
soundness of the opinion
and t thathev see the
no facts
reasonßeport, and the evidence
-
the Commissioners have expressed,
setfortht o
doubt in thetil
eso
that none of the mecha-
nical the evil, " are calculated to remedy, in any important
gauge.
de-
gree, the inconveniences attending a break of g . ,
contrivances, or other methods proposed for mitigating'
braeieliwi-
The practical question which
af
oyrsrn endowoninthaectbi;
tion of Parlituneut is, whether, under the circumstances in
which we findourselves placed, considerable portion of the
oa iri dfo muchur feet largereight apuoar tai on
halfh a
inchvin g n blue agnfoeraslinifyerj
a
utolisnte the narrow
adsrercroaasi-vi
broad or operation
seven infe
et the
gauge, kingdom,and
anotherhav i having
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 C '
.Xlll/11114"

tion of the respectivemerits of the broad and the narrow
gauge. •
They state that—
" After a full consiiiration of all the circumstances that
have come before us, ind of the deductions we have made
from the evidence, we ere led to conclude—
" lie
eithey gauge, but the on the broad gauge the motion
ns Ist. e To
of the
atth ase
praegs
saeies
etrhse, sanofedtye,ciadcecdo mptiraeofderaetni aisn dd
uceont.ts-,
generally more easy a; nigh velocities.
" 2dly. That in reseed of speed, we consider the advan-
tages are with the broad gauge, but we think the public
safety would be endanpred in employing the greater capa•
.
bilities of the broad gatge much beyond their present use,
except on roads more consolidated and more substantially
and perfectly formed, then those of the existing lines.
"idly. That in the commercial case of the transport of
goods, we believe the narrow gauge to possess the greater
convenience, and to be he more suited to the general traffic
of the country.
"4thly. That the broad gauge involves the greater outlay,
and that we have not keen able to discover, either in the
maintenance of way, inthe cost of locomotive power, or in
the other annual expentes, any adequate reduction to com-
pensate for the additional first cost.
" Therefore, esteeming the importance of the highest speed
on 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
v 1 ienni lei
fs,o
fa neciduttilhaltentghteh,alwt eorualtdi obne
tohf
et hl
ees s forco ms t
leyr
tleossthtehalanttler9,o
as well as the less difficult operation."
And, after adverting tothe difficulties which present them-
selves to the adjustment of the difference of gauge, the Com-
missioners submit to Parliament the following recommenda-
tions:—
" lst.lleq,t, the caw fote.g4et eight Inches and & half
all public railways now under constiifetir-ne'realte tl
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 general chain 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. That 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 be obtained by reducing the gauge of the pre-
sent broad gauge lines to the narrow gauge, of four feet. eight
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. __ _

they have
Adverting to the vast expense which must be involved in
an entire alteration of the broad gauge, and having regard
this
tshgeacircumstances
established, under wahnidch tothe
the c companies employing
interests
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
of Parliament), nor even the more limited expense of laying
down intermediate rails for narrow gauge traffic.
Still less can they feel themselves justified in proposing that
the expense of such alteration should be defrayed by a contri-
bution levied, as has sometimes been suggested, on the rest of
the railway companies in Great Britain; and they are unable
to suggest any other equitable or practicable means by which
the desired uniformity of gauge could be obtained.
The conclusion to which my Lords have come respecting
the reduction of the broad gauge on existing lines neces-
sarily affects their opinion with regard to the future gauge of
lines now in course of construction.

If the line now extending from London to Exeter be pre-
served on the bread gauge, and yet all the railways in con-
nexion with it from the south, for which Acts have been ob-
tained, are to be formed on the narrow gauge, then it is ob-
vious that the inconvenience of the break of gauge will not
only be continued, but will be increased in amount.
Assuming that an absolute uniformity of gauge cannot
be piii"suecfis ealeTtfallt tatt eatlY.nrantical c0,v1.4..ta
guages to be used on the several railways already sanctioned,
and to lay down such general regulations for the future, as
an evil
they cannot extension
theof
inconve-
nience inflicted on the passenger and goods traffic of the
will preventatlhtoegie•
increase
reemaneddy,fuarntdher wille
country within the narrowest attainable limits.
They would, therefore, recommend that the lines for which
Acts have been obtained, but which have not yet been com-
pleted to the south of the line from London to Bristol, should
be permitted to be constructed on the broad gauge, as ori-
ginally intended. They have had some difficulty in coming to
a conclusive opinion ou the case of the South Wales line. They
are aware that strong arguments maybe adduced in favour of
requiring this line to be constructed on the narrow gauge but,
adverting to the great public importance of a continuous
line of communication with the south of Ireland, and of a
second line of railway communication from London to Ireland
generally; and having regard to the value of a continuous
line to Milford Haven, &c., for the furtherance of the public
service; they are of opinion that, on the whole, it would be
advisable that the South Wales line, together with its branch
to Monmouth and Hereford, should, as originally sanctioned,
be formed on the broad gauge.
In the last session of Parliament an Act was obtained for
forming a line of Railway from Rugby to Oxford. The Act
contained the following clause :
Cap. 188, sec. 3.—" That as a Commission has been ap-
pointed for inquiring whether provision ought to be made
for securing an uniform guage in the construction of railways,
and for other purposes in reference to the mode of obviating
impediments to the internal traffic of the country) if, in con-
formity with the report of the said Commission, it shall
appear to the Board of Trade expedient that rails of the
same gauge as the rails of the London and Birmingham
Railway should be laid down on the line hereby authorised
between Oxford and Rugby, it shall be lawful for the said
Board to order and require that such railway upon the said
gauge shall be laid down and maintained, and that the Com-
pany hereby incorporated shall thereupon proceed with rea-
sonable dispatch to execute the same to the satisfaction of
the Inspector-General of Railways for the time being: pro-
vided always, that nothing herein contained shall prevent
the said Company from laying down and maintaining, on the
whole or any portion of the said line, rails of the same gauge
as those now laid on the line of the Great Western Railway."
It is their Lordships' intention,lause, to require that the
- in the exercise of the
powers granted to them by
this c
narrow gauge rails shall be laid down from Rugby to Oxford
forthwith. _

interfere with the construction of the line on the broad
submit that it is not necessary to
gauge,Theyaws oauultdh,
otrhi
seer
de fobrye ,
the
Act.
In order to complete the general chain of narrow
guage communication from the north of England to the
southern coast, they beg to repeat, with a slight
variation, the suggestion of the Commissioners, that " any
suitable measure should be promoted to form a narrow gauge
link from Oxford to Basingstoke," or by any shorter route
connecting the proposed Oxford and Rugby line with the
South-Western Railway.
With the same view they beg to suggest, that any suitable
measure should be promoted for forming a narrow gauge link
from Gloucester to Bristol, and so completing the general
chain of narrow gauge communication between the manu-
facturing districts, the centre and north of England, and the
port of :Bristol.

The only line remaining for consideration is the Oxford,
Worcester, and Wolverhampton.
In the Act by which the Company was incorporated in last
session the following clause ryas inserted :
"That the said company hereby incorporated shall and
they are hereby required to lay down and maintain upon the
whole extent of the railway hereby authorised, between the
point of junction thereof with the said Birmingham and
Gloucester Railway at Abbotswood, and the point of junction
thereof with the said Grand Junction Railway near Wolver-
hampton, as well as on the said branch railways by this Act
authorised to Bingswinford and Stoke Prior aforesaid, such
additional rails, adapted to the gauge of the said Birmingham
and Gloucester and Grand Junction Railways respectively,
as may be requisite for allowing the free and uninterrupted
passage, as aforesaid ofcarriages, waggons, and trucks passing
to or from the said Birmingham and Gloucester and the said
Grand Junction Railways respectively, or from the last-
mentioned railway to the said Birmingham and Gloucester
Railway, or passing from one portion of the said Birmingham
and Gloucester Railway to another portion thereof, or to or
from any intermediate place between the two said railways
to the one or the other of them ; and such additional rails
shall be laid down, and maintained and used to the
satisfaction and approval of the Board of Trade, and
all necessary facilities and accommodations shall
be afforded by the company hereby incorporated,
or their lessees, for the convenient use thereof ;
and it shall be lawful for the said board at any time, on
complaint being made by any company or person interested
in the qucstion, that such additional rails have not been laid,
or that such facilities or accommodations are not afforded, to
order and direct the said company hereby incorporated, or
their lessees as aforesaid, to adopt such regulations as they
may see fit to require with reference to the laying down of
such additional rails, or to the use of the said additional rails
and other conveniences as aforesaid, and for the purpose of
securing such free and uninterrupted passage thereon as
aforesaid."

It is their Lordships' intention to exercise the power given
to them in this instance, as in the case of the Oxford and
Rugby line; and on the same grounds they would submit
that it is not necessary to interfere with the construction of
this portion of the line on the broad gauge in the manner
authorised by the Act.

Ano, since they regard the break of gauge as a most
serious evil, more especially in the conveyance of goods, they
conceive that a continuous and a second line of communica-
tion between London and the district of Staffordshire, &c.,
must be regarded as of great value and importance. TheN,
accordingly submit that the line from Worcester to Oxford
should be made, as proposed, on the broad gauge. They
regret that a provision for the formation of a second line of
rails was not inserted in the Act affecting a portion of the
line between Oxford and Worcester, in the terms of the
clause regulating the portion lying between the Birmingham
and Gloucester line and Wolverhampton ; and they would
recommend that if it should hereafter appear that there is a
traffic requiring accouncdatien on the narrow gauge between