The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-30 00:00:00

RAILWAY COMMITTEES.

(YESTERDAY.)

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
GROUP IV.

The Select Committee appointed to consider the merits of the Bills
included in the group reassembled at the usaal hour this morning,
31r. B. Hope in the chair.
THE GREAT NORTH Or SCOTLAND.

Mr. Arc:mews opened the case for the promoters of this scheme.
The line was to run from Aberdeen to the south of Inverness, and was
the last link of the chain of railway communication between Landon
and Inverness. The effect cf the formation of the line, therefore,
would be to give a communication between the whole of the south of
England and north of Scotland. It would pass through five
counties, namely, Aberdeen, Banff, Moray, Inverness, and Nairn,
which included 1,734 square yards of arable land, and a population of
318,000. The Southern terminus commenced at the Aberdeen ter-
minus of the Aberdeen Railway, and was connected with the docks
of Aberdeen, the population of which town alone was 70,000, and
ran on to Inverness, a distance of about 107 miles. Independently
of this main line, there were four branches--one to Banff, another to
Portsoy, another to Garmonth, and another to Burghead ; and the
length of the main line and branches together was 137 miles. There
were two other lines connected with this scheme—namely, the Eastern
Extension of the Great North of Scotland and the Alford Valley Rail-
way, but these would come before the Committee at a subsequent
stage of their proceedings. Out of the 137 miles they had 109 miles
of assenting owners, and this fact alone was suffielent to convince
the Committee of the high estimation in which this scheme was held
by the inhabitants of the different counties through which the line
passed. Now, with regard to the merits of the line, there was no
doubt the promoters were in the field first, and their engineer h
d
ample opportunities for selecting the best line. The engineer
of reported,
four
after a very careful survey, that the districts admitted
practical lines, but that upon the whole he recomnrendgecolotuheemlianne nwoovell
before the Committee. That engineer was Mr. ilibb' a
acquainted with Scotland, and particularly
ht
the districts through
which this line passed, but the promoters thong it advisable to have
the four lines looked over by a gentlemanimmediately
connected
after care-
connected with or acquainted with the district, wasa
n d they,no im
secured the services of Mr. Ctubtihtte.
four
raunt gentleman, tcleammaenio the same
fully examining
Mr. Gibb. The estimated cost
he recommended to the promoters
conclusion as alrTeGiwbbh,oalend°
the adoption of the line recommended
hileitai
ebaly culrated the working expenses
Of thelinewasl,soo,oool..
would be
riotpe cer._onwthat amount, leaving an ample balance to
dividend Now this line was opposed by the
I;:ontapopterotpsofthdrtooo
schemes. The first of them was the Aberdeen,
pursuing the
Banff, and Elgin Railway, which competed with the first section of
the Great North of Scotland from Aberdeen to Elgin,
routes of Tarriff to Banff, and thence following the line of coast by
pommy and Cullen to Elgin. The second was the Inverness and
in Junction Railway, or a line from Elgin to Nairn,
which ran parallel to the corresponding portion of the Great
North of Scotland. The third was the Perth and Inverness,c
a line which commenced near to Perth, and passing the line of the
Highland road across the ;mountains, proposed to strike the coast
at Nairn, from which point to Inverness it ran parallel to, and com-
peted with, the Inverness end of the Great North of Scotland Rail-
way. Now all these railways would be under separate manage-
ments, and would involve breakages of line and stoppages between
the extreme terminus and the metropolis, while the Great North of
Scotland Railway wonid be under one management,
and would- in-
volve no breakage or change of carriage between London and In-
verness. The ruling gradient on the Great North of Scotlaud
W 43 1 in 242, but on the competing line some
of the gradients were of so objectionable a character
that the line at
MIMI parts could not be worked with the locomotive, while at some
points there was only a single line of way. It avoided, moreover,
the population of the district, and he might say it would only
accommodate the grouse, while in the winter it would be liable to
interruptions from snow drifts, none of which objections could be
urged against the Great North of Scotland. On the whole, then, he
considered that the Great North of Scotland would give better local
accensmodation, better stations, better termini, and better gradients,
and in the end he confidently anticipated its competitor would be
condemned to the tomb of all the Capulets.
Sir Andrew Leith Hay, 11. P., was the first witness called. lie
said he was decidedly of opinion that the Great North of Scotland
Railway was the best that could be devised for accommodating the
trade and traffic of the districts through which it passed. It was
the shortest and most direct line between Aberdeea and Inverness.
On cross-examination, the lion. Baronet said he thought the rival
line was more liable to be interrupted In the winter season by snow
drifts than the Great North of Scotland line.
The CLIAIIMAN said it appeared to the Committee that there were
two lines before them for connecting Aberdeen and Inver-
ness which ran along the coast, namely, the Great
North of Scotland and Aberdeen, Banff and Elgin, and
Elgin and Inverness, and a direct through line known
as the Perth and Inverness, joining the second coast line at Nairn.
Now, the Committee thought the best course to be adopted was for
the Great North of Seethed to endeavour to show that the treat of
the districts would not justify the construction of two lines—namely,
a through and a coast line, and that in tnis state of things their line
was the best ; while, on the other hand, it was far the Perth and
Inverness, and the Aberdeen, Banff, and e !gin. and Elgin and Inver-
ness Companies, to produce evidence tending to show that the trallic
was quite sufficient to justify all these lines.
alr. Sergeant BELLASIS said he should be prepared to show that
there was sufficient traffic between Elgin and Aberdeen to justify
the construction of a railway without having reference to a line
running from Elgin to Aberdeen, and of course it would be open to
him to prove that the Great North of Scotland did not give so match
accommodation to those places as the Aberdeen, Banff, and Elgin.
Mr. Sergeant Weatienear said he appeared for the through I:ne
from Nairn to Perth, which, as te.tween Inverness and Perth, wa, 66
nflei shorter than the Great North of Scotland ; but the nrorno't
centended that the through line would n t remunerate thenwith'enrs t
they had the traffic between Inverness and Elgin in their own heeds.
Mr. ANDREWS said he had intended to follow outcai 11114 =3:f:i,tittoe
Committee, as intimated by the Chairman, by
prove that the traffic of the district would only admit of one Lute,
anal that under these circumstances the Great North of Scodand wns'
the most favourable scheme.
Lord Lovell gave evidence in favour of the Great North of Scotland
• line. His Lordship, however, admitted that the Perth and Inver-
ness was the best for the through traffic.
The Committee adjeurned shortly atter four o'clock.