The Sun.
London, England, 1845-06-27 00:00:00

LEEDS AND WEST RIDING JUNCTION

EA3LWAY.

The Select Committee to whom this line has been referred re.
assembled at the usual hour this morning, and proceeded with the
opposition to the scheme.
Mr. Vienolles, one of the engineers of the London and Bir.
Minghem line, proved that the gri.dient, curves, and stations were
most Ebjectiobals e. They might be rendered more favourable
without any difficulty, and at a trifling expense. The
Station at Bradford would stand upon an unnecessary
high elevation, and would, in his opinion, render a junction
with the Leeds and Bradford Valley line, and other lines running
to the north and south of Bradford, almost impossible.
On cross-examination he admitted that an improved line would
have a good deal of tunnelling and cuttings, and the works, from
the nature of the country, must necessarily be of a costly descrip.
bon. H. thought, however, the additional expense was fully
justified, and would be well Laid out.
Mr. 6. Parker Bidder, the eminent civil engineer, had era.
mined the country through which the pr.:posed West Riding lines
were to run, and had been personally over them. Lowmoor was a
Point where all the traffic would have to centre and diverge, and of
course the station and gradients there ought to be made as favour-
able and corivement as possible. The exiseng traffic between Low_
moor and Bradford was 185,000 tons per annum, and
the traffic from Bradford to Lowmoor was 75,000 tons
per annum. The traffic likely to come upon the pro-
-posed railway was 500 000 tons per annum from Lowmour
to Bradford, and 117,000 tons from Bradford to Lowmoor.
He therefore thought a gradient of 1 in 70 between those two
places ought riot to be tolerated. The cost of the Vv'est Riding
would he very much increased by its terminus being upon a
high level, and the cost of their junction with the Leeds and
Bradford line would also be increased by that circumstance. Taking
ail these 'acts into consideration, he uid not think
the inc: cased cost of an improved line over the
West Riding would be mere than 50.0001. The station
at Bradford, he agreed with the former wrtnrss, was highly ob_
jection..bie, arid he had no doubt, as io the case of one of the Lon-
don.bridee stations, it would eventually have to be lowered, if
Parliament a.lowed it to be made. The Kralient on the improved
line would be: 1 in 132, but on the West Riding Junction it
would be I in 70. lie esrirnated,theretore, that the cost of loco.
motive power for working the exp, cted traffic would be from
6,0001. to 7,0001. per annum more en the latter than. the former
line. The station at Halifax was very much lower than it ought
to be, hecause the popu•ation of that town was centered upon a
high 1, vet. The West Riding promo ers had adopted the
worst gradients where there w.is a heavy traffic, and
the eade i slier,• the traffic was light. The had adopted curves
too which might easily have been avoided, :AA he was quite con.
vinccd the line could neither be worked with punctuality nor
economy.

Uu erns,cxamination he said he thought only that part of the
line which ran north of Lowm,,or ought to be in the hands of the
Leeds ann Branford Valk), Company. "The remaitirter of the line
running •outii of th..t place he was content to surrender to the
L ,cd. an Nhnchester Company.
Mr. Rich. Ncholson, civil engineer of the Newcastle and North
Shielus Railway, confirm, d the eviiience of Mr. Bidder, and sv:ded
that in the whole of ins experience he had never seen or heard of
a line, ith the same event of mileage, which had so many dcfects
as Inc Wcst Ria•lig Junction. .

Mr. Thomas Stor.y, agineer and colliery •viewer of the county
of Dinh .01, lad examined the eroposed lines of the Leeds and
West Alway. ;did in his judgment, considering the tr.. 5.,
the be,t p s,wle ur the best practicabi line had not been adopted.
He t.ad het, eng ged in altering the gradients on the Stockton
a..d 1).,r1 gt nRa and could confirm the evident of Mr.
Biddet re.ative to the enense of imposing the gradients on this
nulway.

Mr. 11”hert Da'gleibh, locomotive contractor to the St. Helen's
aid Runcorn Railway, proved that the trOtS - on the proposed in].
proved line could be worked for It. 6d. per ton per mile.
Mr. Nteho . Wood, a civil engineer, and one of the managing
Directorb of the Ne,Acabtle and Carlisle Railway, gave corrobora-
tive te.tdo ny to the former engineering witnesse4, and added that
agoed deal of money had been expenutd in reducing curves on the
line with which he Ws. connected.

Tme closed the case tor the opposition.
Mr. Coltham, the accountant to the Leeds and Manchester
Company, was recalled to prove that he estimated the existing
traffic between Lowmoor and Bradt. rd at 135,946 tons per
annum, and from Bradford to Lowmoor at 702,814 tons.
Mr. Carr, the accou t nt on the other bide, was re called to prove
that he estimated the existing ttaffic between Lowmoor and
Biadlord at 245,643 tons per annum, and fiom Bradford to Low.
mocr at 79.671 tons.
Mr ALEXANDER then addre.ised the Committee on behalf of