The Sun.
London, England, 1848-12-11 00:00:00

THE " LITTLE ENGLAND."

On Saturday we gave a description and the workings
of the passenger-engine built by Mr. Adams for the
Tiverton branch of the Bristol and Exeter Railway. We
now propose to give a description and the workings of a
little six-wheeled passenger-engine of the orinary
character, constructed by Mr. England, of Hatcham
Works, near the New-cross station, Deptford. The
engine, which is called the " Little England," has been
built as a model of a class of locomotives for carrying on
the traffic of branch lines, and its performances are so
good, and so pregnant with useful results, in relation to
the working of light and short traffic, that an extended
notice of them is, we think, desirable.
The important difference in the mode of working the
traffic by the two little engines mentioned is, that the
" Fairfield," with its tender and passenger-carriage, are
upon one frame, and that the " Little Englspid" and its
tender, both on one frame, work the ordinary stock of a
company.
The " Little England" and tender weigh together,
when roadworthy, 9 tons 5 cwt. The " Little England"
has a 7-inch cylinder, a 12-inch stroke, and
4 feet 6 in. driving wheels. The diameter
of the leading trailing wheels is 3 feet. The
distance between the extreme centres is 14 feet. The
boiler has 60 tubes, 11 ft. 2 in. in length, with a diameter
of 1 in. inside. The 6re-box has an area of 27 feet,
and the total heating surface is 282 feet. The tank
holds 268 gallons. The " Little England," therefore,
while the diameter of its driving wheel, and its length of
stroke, are those of Mr. Adams's " Fairfield," has an
inch less of cylinder, but 2 feet more of fire-box, and 47
feet more of heating surface, while her weight, includ-
ing tender, coke, and water, is about 4 tons heavier.
It will, however, be seen that the " Little England" is
in no way inferior in her performances to the " Fair-
field," but that in factshehas taken a grossload of 22 tons
up a gradient of 12 feet per mile at a greater velocity
than the," Fairfield" propelled a gross load of 18 tons up
a gradient of 4 feet per mile. But there is this differ-
ence between the two engines. The " Little England "
is a first-rate piece of workmanship; at the highest
pressure, although the engine is just out of the shop, not
a breath of steam escapes, except through the blast pipe
and safety valve, and she runs what the drivers call
perfectly " sweet"—that is, easy in all her parts. At
thirty miles per hour she glides along almost noiselessly,
and with all the steadiness of a well-balanced, properly-
coupled first-class carriage when running at one-third
of the speed. A more beautiful " model " of a
lo-
comotive we have never seen. On the other hand,
the " Fairfield" has had her boiler very badly
made ; the springs of her driving wheels are
much too rigid, and those of her trailing-
wheels far too flexible; so that throughout the down and
up trips between Padington and Swindon on Friday
last a considerable loss of power was sustained from the
boiler leaking into the fire-box, from the sharp blows
given by the rigid springs of the driving-wheels, and the
irregular motion, frequently of a very disagreeable cha-
racter, caused by the weakness of the trailing-wheel
springs. All these things will, we are quite sure, be
avoided in the passenger-engine now almost finished for
the Eastern Counties Railway, Mr. Adams has secured
steadiness by the extreme length, 28 feet, between his
driving-wheels and the trailing-wheels of the carriage s
Mr. England has obtained equal steadiness by placing
the axles of the leading wheels of the engine and the
trailing-wheels of the tender exactly one-half the dis-
tance—viz., 14 feet.

The " Little England" started from the New-comes
station of the Brighton Railway, with three first-class
carriages containing 31 persons, among whom we ob-
served Mr. Ransome, the deputy chairman of the Eastern
Union and Hadley drench Railway; Mr. C. H. Gsegory,
the engineer of the Bristol and Exeter Railway • Mr.
Peter Bruff, the engineer of the Eastern Union Railway;
Mr. A. Weightman, the manager of the Blackwell
Railway ; Mr. J. Cubitt, C.E., Mr. Statham and several
other gentlemen connected with railway engineering.
The gross load was, as we have statevl, about 22 tons.
The weather was fine, but a very strong head wind was
blowing the whole of the down and up journeys.
At starting the engine had very little pressure in
the boiler, and the New-cross incline-2f miles of
1 in 100—was not worked over in less than 10 min.
34 sec. Includigg the time lost by the engine thus start-
ing at a low prelsure, and including also a stoppage of
8 min. 47 see. at the Three Bridges station, the 47i miles
—viz., from New Cross to Brighton, were performed in
1 hour 48 min. 45 sec. Deducting the stoppage at the
Three Bridges station, the average speed was 28 miles
per hour.

- The maximum velocity of the " Little England" down
1 in 264 was nearly 61 miles per hour, and the maxi-
mum velocity up the same gradient was 33.6 miles per
hour.

The valve was screwed down to 1051 b., at which the
engine keeps steam very well. The consumption of coke
for the down and up journeys averaged 81b. per mile.
The consumption per mile for the journey was about
611 b. per mile.
We believe that the " Little England " will maintain
on a level an average speed of 45 miles per hour wit* a
gross load of 20 tons, or 16 miles per hour more than
the maximum velocity reached 19 years since with a
gross load of 17 tons with " the Rocket;" an engine
which was at that time very justly deemed a wonderful
specimen of mechanical skill and ingenuity.
Such a locomotive as the " Little England" would,
with wheels of 3 feet 9 inches diameter coupled,of
speedand a
9 or 10 inch cylinder, be able to work,at a
ten or twelve miles an hour, the goods traffic of nearly
li alle vtah
also
ssom
thatall er
wbi
trha branch s
ml i nael
ls
ciynl
athee r k
and
nn gd
d ot
hue. p eWr fee
c be-
ly
safe ability of working the boiler at 140 or 150 lbs , the
a
" Little England" would be able to work t •
of fire
or six passenger carriages at moderate speeds, over avec
very heavy gradients, and that she would do so at a
very
With
hw
enginesconsum opt:, on of coke.
the " Little England " or "Fa' tr-
field" class, the services of the half" permanent-way men"
employed upon branch lines might be dispensed with,
and the rails would last at least five times the period of
their present duration; and it is thought that the 12-
inch cylinder engine working at high pressure—and
such a pressure might be secured with an engine and
tender weighing together not more than 12 tons—the
passenger traffic of the majority of the railways of the
country might be managed at moderate speeds and at
a greatly-reduced cost, both in working expenses and
maintenance of way.—emerald.

THEATRE ROYAL DEURY-LAXE.---ar. JULLIEN'S
CONCERTS.—Among the distinguished visitors Who at--
tended the theatre during the past week were—The
Marquis of Tichfleld, the Earl and Countess of Harring-
ton, Viscount Mandeville, the Earl of Cadogan, Viscount
Clifden, Viscount Ossulston, the Countess Paulett, Lord
Templemore, Lord Rodney, Viscount Somerton, Lord
Ward, the Earl of Munster, Viscount Cantilupe, Lord
Adolphus Fitzelarenee, Lady Bellingham Graham, Lady
Augusta Baring, Lady Howard, Lady West, Lady
Rivers, Lady Williams, Lady Tyrwhitt, Lady Bateman,
Sir John Bailey, Burt., Sir George Armitage, Bart., Sir
George Wombwell, Bart, Sir Bellingham Graham, Bart,
Sir Ralph Howard, Bart., Mrs. Mountjoy Martin, Mr.
and Mrs. Beaumont, Miss Burdett Cows and party,
Mrs. Mansfield, Captain de Bathe, Captain Ryder
Burton, M. de Horsey, Mr. G. Cornwall, Mr. Montague
Gore, &c.

ROBBERY.—D. Letch, shopman to Mr. Bell, of
Baddow, Essex, charged with stealing property to a large
amount, was examined on Thursday at the Shire-hall;
and E. Letch, the father, who had been admitted to bail,
surrendered, charged with receiving part of the property,
knowing it to be stolen. Since the remand of the
prisoners, the most active search has been made by the
police in all directions, and considerable quantities of
property have been found. It is now believed Mr.
Bell's total loss amounts to about 5001. or 6001. Evi-
dence was given, and the prisoners were committed for

THE WEATHER.—SUN OFFICE, DECEMBER 10.
THERMOMETER, Lowest, 44; Highest, 57; Noon, 58

BA.RCMETER, 30.35.
WEND S.; fine sunshiny weather.

DECEMBER 11.

TifERNOMETZIS, Lowest, 40; Highest. 57; Noon, 54.

BAROMETER, 30.22.
WIND S.W.; fine clear mild weather.