Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1850-03-19
RAILWAY PROGRESS.

RAILWAY PROGRESS.
Tho hove ia the title of an article in the last Westmn-
ter Review ably written and differing 30 widely from the
opniops generally entertained thet as JOURNALISTS we iee
our duty TO call the attention oil our feaaefS 10 he view"
hrein set FORTH They are specuations founded on
theory but observations drawn from the actual working OIL
the Railway system BY practical engineers.
t1e o ore IMPRESSED with the idea that road must pay
rd become protab if we can only lay down heavy rails
While in England experience .hews that under the present
weight of the locomotives and tho heaviest rails are
rapidly destroyed and many of them in the course OF few
months This has led TO the inquiry ~hat 10 10 DC zone u
save the share holders from absolute runI
The Reviewer says:
here are two mechanical modes Of meeting the Difficult
IT, One is the strength and weight Oh the ais
and railways the other diminish the weight OF the rohng
stock. M IL, . H.,
The present rails of the heaviest make are % lbs TO the
ward and practical instances exist of their being actually
trodden ont in nine months BY existing raflc therefore,
to get durable rail- the weight would require 20 os at eas
doubled and the surface afhca ,hs The contae,
of the wheel with the rail Is point or al mosl e
the rail- The width Of the present rails s TWO ncnes aho
half TO get sufficient surface TO prevent crushing would
rnoure nrobably five inches BREADTH and produce this
would require iron of at least 800 lbs per yard.
This would be costly in capital but supposng the traffc
in proportion warrantng the ncessan use OF monster en-
gnesa stream passengers and goods not otherwise TO
be GARFIELD, might be advisable investment Inc use
OF the engines rrhout The giants road can clearly
only be ruinous.
"But it. on examination appears that the amount OF
traffic could be carried the rails BY merely dup-
eating TRIPPING the number of the trains anu mus reouc
ing the weight ii would be commercially the pest arrange,
ncu And supposing the traffic still 10 increase wouiu
be better duplicate the number OF the rails than 10 oup
cate their strength.
placed on single wheel the power oil iron
crushing. From mechanical experiments appears
that good wrought iron begins crush under steady weight
of eleven tons 10 the square inch Now the driving wheels
of many locomotive engines have ten 10 eleven IONS on
Of points II is evident therefore that desruc
tive must Engines OF eleven ions weight on
two points miles per hour unsteady rails, may
very well the appeation Of ai-dridenders IT,
therefore the weight on pair OF driving wheels can DC reo
ced the resisting upon the rails may De IN
excess the crushing power of the Load and the way be
rendered really permanent permanent IN durabilty
ana in expense of maintenance 1t Is obvious ha
this mechanically the most economical arrangement,
the mechanical power be competent To the commercial ue
inand. Upon examination, shall hnd that in ordinary
traffic large portion Of the engine power al present alb
sorbed in carrying dead weight An engine tender break
van one first class and three second class carriages make up
gross weight of So 80 wheels and afford accommo
daton Is first class and 90 secondcass passengers'o
ta Ia
Ne, weight of passengers, say tons
than tons dead weight 10 one ton opayhg ioau
Again, the Reviewer Gays:
Surprising train consist Of three rstcass carriages,
with "a passengers and nine secondcass with 55-toa
32 and that entirely full the proportion OF dead load
TO living would be 81 % But nothing like this Is The
fact for on one of the largest metropolitan lines during the
Si tho proportion Of dead load to living was 20 10 l.
In this disproportion of weight says the Reviewer lies
the great committed BY Railway companies.
They assume the largest possible, instead Of the largest
average maximum. The true plan is to provide for the
maximum average and let the occasional surplus wait till the
next time, the with the stage coaches maxi
mum average OF 100 might occasion reach 1000 but
would be- absurd 10 provide train Tor tnen Inc stage
coach propreors put special for the emergency and
should the railway opTc;ors The expense may De objected
to-bu in the first place the expense should mol Do
ing tho number sufficient the cny extra expense oet~eeh
and one, other things being equal are the wages
odrvcr s;oker Bat proprietor Of an OMNIBUS with
maximum oil % passengers ano!d driver and con-
ducor surely |; cannot be important with maximum oil H.
Surprising that two small trains could be worked at the
large il ~ manifest that greater pro-
iii would by the increase Of passengers through better
accommodation 10 the public.
The light system consmplatcs diffeen arrangement of
seats from those in 1t has been stated that
passengers prefer amchars in the ordinary fashion Very
probably but il be explained that the shareholders cannot
ord carry much dead weight without extra fare and
that the carriages would be supplied accordingly all obec
tons would There several mechanical qucs
,Ions consider besides the tightening of tho ains
The joints OF the rails require 10 be mado perfect and the
rails require better securing Wheels and axles orc yet far
from having attained their form, the whole system Of
breaks is mechanical abortion and springs very mper
iect Twenty years have suiccd to accomplish in rail-
way plans what took fifty years 10 accomplish in stage
coachesthe fixing standard FORM Yet it must be done
,ciorc profits can DC calculated on
In making future railways-whch will again be rife
the final extent of wasted capital in the existing
underSoOd-the light system must largely INTO
operation. The saving OF in construction OF bridges
and works for light weights will be very great and If land
holders TO their senses rs they will be fain 10 do the
probability is that railways will be made with rolling stock
complete passengers about 900 per mile OF double
The existing railways must look 10 H. and Set their
houses order They write off their wasted capital
and make the OF their good WILL being the first in the
field There mprooabiy in the assumption that Tel
lords Mena Bird will yet The transmit OF light rail-
way trains in the coming time when Ireland ahal be IN in
tegra part England and the Hoyhcad eaerry be work
ed by the longest iron steamships The world boa.
ting fire. wreck and sickness alike deance-paccal
moving bridge simple the present passage of
the Mersey from Liverpool Bkenhead scarcely
costly the passengers.
Again are the shareholders warned of their position and
there two modes by which they obtain dividends
First by reducing their working pointed and
secondly by encouraging their traffic. The public should be
encouraged TO build houses and locate FARMS and erect fac
tories close TO the lines and this only be by the compa
MES guaranteeing them low prices, and frequent trains
against changes When this shall be done-when tho
public and the shareholders shall be variance rail-
ways will have tendency grow up into streets of
uc greater than the most sagune imagnaons have yet cal
culaed on.
Meanwhile, signs Of the coming times may be psrceged
Sir John MNeal in Ireland after making high priced lines
is pacnng slight locomotives and cheap railways"
And in England Also various original improvements are now
practising after the oiignaors have expended time and
ney and industrial energy in calling public attention thereto
notion has prevailed amongst superficial people, that
light small engine be durable heavy one
fhe falacy OF this notion will easily be apprehendcd by
petent judges who know that the working parts and sura
are larger in proportion while The weight Of moving
greater durability will be attained than In tho monster
chimes.
The Reviewer continues:
Our readers may remember the given months
back in the Rauoy Record Of arrangements for working
Cork and Bandon line with very gh, trains and the pre-
dicon of success Mr. Leahy the original engineer and
during his ogn three heavy locomotives ordered from
highly respectable firm When the present engineer Mr.
Nixon appointed lie seriously considered the nature Of
his traffic and the of his ine-numerous sharp
curves and three mile gradients OF in l00 The result
he countermanded Of the heavy engines and order
ed in their stead OF the light engines of Messrs Adams
of Fair Field Works Not little adverse criticism did he
in consequence The hal!ycay report then pub
shed stating with trains of l20 passengers these en-
gnes capable CT performing thirty miles per hour over
level gradients and clearly demonstrated the absurd
Of such CRITICISM but ancient error easily 10
be rented took new FORM Wagers offered that the
heavy engine when delivered the line would work the
train, with the cost OF COKE and other expenses
the light and at the time, possess the advan
Of being powerful enough for much heavier trains when
required.
Thus the affair remained the light engines doing their
work till the delivery Of the large one and then new prog
nostic was p!ocacd-that in the damp weather the Light
engine. would slip the nclines while heavy one would
adhere
The trial has becn made time and the report
of the engineer, Mr. Nixon is as follows
The light engines work expense Of coke and other
things, of just one-half that of the heavy ones.
With the load heay Dir slin *,