The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-02 00:00:00

MANCHESTER AND LEEDS RAIL-

WAY.
A Special General Meeting of the Proprietors of the
Manchester and Leeds Railway was convened at the
Company's Offices, Oldham•road, Manchester, on Thurs-
day last, for the purpose of taking into consideration,
and deciding upon, a proposed arrangement between the
Manchester and Leeds Railway Company and the Hull
and Selby Railway Company, for uniting and consoli-
dating into one concern the traffic and business of the
said Companies, and for working the said two railways
under one management, also for the purpose of taking
into consideration, and deciding upon the making of pro-
visional arrangements with the Hull and Selby Railway
Company, for the management of the traffic, and other
business of the said two railway companies, in connec-
tion with each other, until the sanction of Parliament
can be obtained ; and also for the purpose of taking into
consideration, and of deciding upon the propriety of
making an arrangement between the Manchester and
Leeds Railway Company and the York and North Mid-
land Company, in reference to the traffic passing along
the last-mentioned railway to or from the Hull and
Selby Railway, and for giving to the Directors all such
powers and authorities as may be necessary for enabling
them to carry any such arrangement into full effect. The
Directors also applied to the meeting for power to obtain
an Act of Parliament for carrying out the above object,
and others connected with them.
A considerable number of Proprietors were present.
The Chair was taken by H. Houldsworth, Esq.
The CHAIRMAN having explained the objects for
which the meeting was called together, as above, stated
that the business of the present meeting was not to de-
cide finally upon the various measures, but to sanction
the Proprietors in making application to Parliament.
The opinion of the meeting on the proposed plans was
taken seriatim, and the resolution authorising the Court
to apply to Parliament for an Act to alter and amend
the Act relating to the Manchester and Leeds Railway,
was carried unanimously.

PROPOSE]; NEW BRANCNES.

The CHAIRMAN said the next resolution would refer
co the new branches of the line which it was proposed to
construct. In the Report of the Directors to the Pro-
prietors in September last, they stated that surveys were
then in progress for branches to Ashton, Bury, Bradford,
and Huddersfield; and since then they have given the
preliminary notice which will enable this Company to
apply for powers to make branches to Huddersfield,
Bradford, and Bury, and which will enable an indepen-
dent Company to make a branch from this Company's
line to Ashton and Stalybridge. Having, stated the
general advantages that would arise from the formation
of these two branches, he went into some of the details
respecting them. The Huddersfield branch is 31 miles
long, and the section exceedingly favourable. The gra-
dients and the curves are good. The expenses of the
works and the station are estimated at 36,0001. to 38,000/.,
and the land and general expenditure at 22,0001.
to 24,0001., making the probable cost of that line
60,000/., or somewhere thereabouts. These sections
will be laid ou the table for inspection by the Proprie-
tors, or, if the meeting desire it, they will be more
fully explained by Mr. Gouch. The Bradford line will
be 10i miles long from the main line. With the excep-
tion of an incline in going over a hill which lies between
our line and Bradford, that branch will be also favour-
able as regards gradients. The incline will be about a
mile and a quarter long on each side of the hill, and the
gradients varying from lin24 to 1 in 33. It will be
worked by a stationary engine, and these gradients are
not now unusual, and there is no mechanical or prac-
tical difficulty in making a line or working it with such
gradients. The Bradford branch, as I have stated, is
101 miles long. The works and station and fixed engine
are estimated at 113,0001. The land and station and ge-
neral expenses, including a very central station at Brad-
ford, where the land is high, the laud will be 60,0001. ;
making a total of 173,0001. or 174,000/. the estimated
cost of the Bradford Branch. The estimated cost of the
two branches will be from 230,000/. to 240,0001., being
about 16,0001. a mile.
The resolution, authorising the construction of the
Huddersfield and Bradford Branch, was then put by the
Chairman, seconded by Mr. Pease, and carried unani-
mously.