The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-05 00:00:00

THE VICTORIA STATION

is approached from Hunt's Bank, by an inclined
plane, like those of the Manchester and Birmingham
and Liverpool and Manchester stations, in Man-
chester. This road commences at the Irk, just above
its confluence with the Irwell, and below the court-
yard wall of the Cheetham College. To give it greater
width, the bridge oval. the Irk has been considerably
widened ; and the road, which rises 1 in 20, is 50
feet in width, the carriage-way being 34 feet, and the
flagged footpaths each eight feet wide. The ascent
has been much facilitated by the late Manchester
Police Commissioners having raised Great Dueie-
street and Hunt's Bank, to the extent of four
feet above their former level. On arriving at the
level of the railway, which is about the centre
of the edifice now being erected for the booking-
offices, refreshment and waiting-rooms, &c., the
passengers for the Leeds line proceed forward
in an easterly direction on the level (towards
York-street, Cheetham Hill Road), to the easterly
or higher and further wing of the building, to the
booking office, and thence to the departure plat-
form of that line. The platforms, and of course the
offices, assigned to each Company, are those nearest
the direction of their respective lines—the Liverpool
being to the W., and the Leeds to the E., of the
centre of the station-house. The line of demarcation
between the stations of the two Companies is very
distinctly marked on the rails, by double lines of
turn-tables, nearly adjoining; the one being the
limit of the Leeds, and the other that of the Liver-
pool, Company's station, and each set of the tables
being for the respective Companies to pass off their
spare carriages to the sidings, outside the north
boundpry wall.
We may just notice here, that the engines of the
Liverpool trains will not come forward to the station,
but will cast off upon nearing the bridges over the
Irwell and Ducie-street, and then, from the rear,
push the train forward over the bridge with sufficient
impetus to send it to its destination, while the engine
returns. There are to be four lines of rails over the
Ducie-street Bridge.
The station, by which we mean the lines with their

sidings, turn-tables, and arrivaland departure plat- •.9
forms for both Companies, is, vike believe, the largest
in Eoggandi surpassing even that at Derby in point of
extent. It cowers a distance from. Hunt's Bank to the
Ducie Bridge of 852 feet, with an average width of
130 feet; having five main lines of ;rails tom end to
end, three of which are appropriated for the Maki
iineSi Mid two are sidings. In addition to this there
are other si(iingta, which may hereafter be used for
goods; and the departure lines for the No railways
are also sidings, on the south side of the other rats.
To the length of 700 et from Great Ducie-street, the
station is covered in with an ircm roofing, erected in
three compartments, the centre one being .59 feet 6
inches span ; that on the north side, 28 feet; and that
on the south side, 26 feet 3 inches. This roofing, with
a length of 700 feet, and an entire width of about 114
feet, forms the largest extent of railway roofing
in the kingdom, being little short of 80,690 square
feet of iron roofing. This immense roof is siipnorted
by the north boundary wall of the station, and by $
number of iron columns : and the south side is pro-
tected by a similar wall, forming also a retaining watt
for the approach road from Hunt's Bank. The vvtilis
bounding this approach road are surmounted by orna-
mental cast-iron railing, instead of stone parapets.
The coup d'ccil of this splendid' avenue, viewed from
either end, is very striking. The interior of the roof
is not left bare, as in some railway stations; but be-
neath the slates the whole has been neatly boarded,
and the joints of the boards covered with laths, so that
in no case can wet penetrate into the station, while
its appearance is much improved by this wooden
ceiling. During the (ley, the station is well
lighted by skylights in the roof; and during
the night, by a series of gas lamps, fitted
with burners fur the new light, formed by if
radiating combination of the flat flame. burners,
invented by Messrs. of King-street. The
skylights are glazed with Chance's patent glass,
which is a strong, thick, and cheap glass, in panes of
about four feet in length by one in width, two of
which in length include the extent of the skylights
from the ridge downwards. We understand.that Mr.
Hall's gas-lights were adopted after various experi-
ments with different arrangements of burners, it
being believed that they possessed the greatestillu-
minating power from the same quantity, of gas.
They consist of a number of radiating tubes; like the
spokes of a carriage-wheel, perforated with orifices
for the flat flame burners. Of these lights there are
fifteen within the covered station, a large one opposite
each booking-office, and several others round the
boundary wall down to Hunt's Bank. Connected
with them is an arrangement of the utmost impor-
tance for such establishments as railways. One central
tap at the station regulates and adjusts all the lights
there, both along the railway and approaches, and
also within the several booking-offices, waiting and
refreshment rooms. When a train is arriving or de-
parting, the fullest illuminating power is required and
used ; but, in the intervals between that and the next
departure or arrival, the smallest modicum of light is
sufficient, and a single turn of the tap will reduce all
the lights to any required degree. This will of course
be the means of considerable saving in the consump-
tion of gas.
Al! the arrival and departure platforms are, as at
Derby, on the same side of the rails; viz. on the south
side, or that nearest the approach ; so that there is no
necessity to cross the line. The arrival platform for
the Liverpool line is between the station-house and
Ducie-street, and to this there is a covered way for
carriages; one-half of the southerly roof projecting
over the arrival platform, so as to 'protect the
passengers effectually from the weather in getting
in and out of the carriages. The platforms are
very large and convenient. That in front of the •
building is 24 feet wide (of whicil each Company
occupies half), and this is continued tcwards Liver-
pool, past the west end of the building, to the length
of 184 feet, by 12 wide ; being, in fact, A con-
tinuation of the Liverpool departure platform: To-
wards Leeds the platform is continued for 120 feat
by 12 feet wide ; being also a continuation of the,
Leeds departure platform. The length of each der
. parture platform is about 320 feet. The total length
of the several arrival and departure platforms exceeds
a thousand lineal feet. At each end of the station
(that for the Leeds line is a little beyond the Leeds
arrival platform) is a place where horses and carriages,
for conveyance by railway, going to or arriving from
the east or west, may be embarked or landed on the
level, with every facility; and near, are series of turn-
tables into the sidings, which are on the north Side
of the main lines. On that side of the station there ie
also to be a large covered shed, to and from which the
sidings will convey spare carriages. There will still
be some spare ground there for building warehouses, if
necessary. The arriving passengers who prefer walking
to their destination, instead of going along the approach
road, to Hunt's Bank, may descend a flight of steps
near the line, which saves the detour into Great Ducie-
street. Connected with the station, we must notice
a very ingenious and useful apparatus,—

THE TELEGRAPH.
The Directors of the Leeds line have caused to be
put up Messrs. Cooke and Wheatstone's patent elec-
tric telegraph, extending from the Victoria station to
the top of the extension, at its junction with the Alain
line at Collyhurst. A set of limn- iron wires (cok ted
with zinc, to preserve them from rust) extend from
beneath the York-street Bridge (Ducie Bridge) to the
Collyhurst station, and connected with them' are four
copper wires, extending under ground from the York--
street Bridge to the offices of the Victoria station.
There are three telegraph stations, viz., at the Vic-
toria station, beneath the York-street Bridge, and at
the stationary engines, near the top of the extension
line, Collyhurst, at each of which is an apparatus,
consisting of a dial with all the letters of the alpha-
bet, a pointer, and a handle for moving it, so as to
point to any letter. The uses of the telegraph, as at
present in contemplation, will be threefold-Ist. To
give the signal, from York-street, when the train
is attached to the endless rope, to the fixed
engine to commence drawing the train up
the incline ; and also to communicate from
the junction to the York-street Bridge, when a train
is arriving. 2d. To communicate from the Victoria
station to the locomotive engine-house, so as to
specify whether any and what engines are wanted,
&c.-3d. Generally to communicate intelligence and
directions between the Victoria station and the
junction with the main line. The zinc-coated iron
wires are carried along the parapet-wall of the rail-
way above ground, all the way from York-street
Bridge to the summit of the extension line. One wire
only is required for the signals to the stationary en-
gines, and the other three are for general communi-
cations. These wires, at each point of support, rest
upon earthenware uprights, which are non-con-
ductors. They pass round pivots, so that they can he
tightened, if they become too slack. It will, doubt-
less, be necessary to have a code of signals prepared,
expressly , for railway purposes, as the ordinary
method of communicating—spelling the words, by
making the pointer touch each letter in succession—
would obviously be too tedious a mode for the short
distance of 2,300 yards. If each letter singly repre-
sents a certain signal or direction, those most con-
stantly in use, then combinations of two letters would
supply all the less frequent signals that could possibly
be required, were they many thousands in number.—
We must HOW notice

THE STATION-HOUSE,
which is placed on the centre of the south side of the
station, and has two fronts ; the north to the railway
and the south to the carriage way on the approach, and
facing also the back ofCheetham College. This hand-
some building, designed in what is termed the Roman
Doric style, is only one story in height above the
ground, and is about 266 feet long by 36 feet in width.
The material used in its erection is a description of
wall stone, much used in the West Riding of York-
shire, though we believe this is the first instance of ito
use for building in this town or neighbourhood. It is
procured at Brighouse, and is usually called " parr-
point" (pierre-point) ; it is, in fact, a flagstone, broken
into small blocks, which are of uniform and good co-
lour. '['he westerly half of this building, and indeed of
the whole station, will be occupied by the Liverpool
and Manchester Railway Company ; the other half, to
the east, is now in use by the Manchester and Leeds
Railway Company. Approaching the south front of
the station by the inclined plane, the visitor finds him-
self opposite its centre, which prqjects a little from the
line of the building, and in which is the refreshment
saloon fur the first and second class passengers, with
ladies' waiting rooms, &c. This centre presents a
frontage of about 60 feet ; the refreshment saloon is
lighted by handsome circular headed windows, with
stone pilasters and dressings, and surmounted by an
elexant cornice, about the centre of which is to be
placed a large clock. To the right and left respect-
ively arc the booking-offices of the two Companies,
having entrances under a covered way, supported by
brackets nine feet six inches long. The substitution
of these four pillars is an improvement in convenience
as pillars are often in the way of the doors of cabs or
coaches drawing up, while these brackets leave the
whole of the covered way clear. At the east and
west ends of the building are the offices and the resi-
dences of the station masters, which project to the
same face as the central portion of the building, with
handsome doorways and cornices to correspond. A
parapet surmounts the whole length of the building.
At the extreme east end of the building is the private
residence of Mr. Hall, the station master of the Leeds
Company ; it being thought desirable on every ac-
count to have some officer of trust resident on the
station. his business office a,ljoins, having a window
commanding a view of the line to the York-street
bridge, so that he may see arriving and departing trains.
Internally, the large central refreshment room is
of the dimensions of 40ft. Sin. by 22ft. 2in. It con-
tains also a space for a bar, &c., 40ft. Sin. by lift.
Sin. This room will have two entrance-doors, both
from the railway platform ; one for the Liverpool, and
the other for the Leeds passengers. This saloon is
for the first and second-class passengers only. A
door at each end opens into the hulie waitiPs•-xvozTts,