New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-01-28
CAST IRON RAILROADS.

Luz Nti4A'
Car Nicholas Senator Douglas we thank YOU
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CAST IRON RAILROADS.
It is not 1ery many years since our railroads were
Ell luiit with the odfaslioned flat rails. Then the
breaking Of rails ard the running Of snake-heads
through the cars and often through the bodies OF pas
sercers prounen. among the causes Of accident
II vas also almost impossible 70 furnish a smooth and
solid track for the passage of the train. In conse
querce Of these oIecos the old fiat rails have been
entirely superseded in this country. One resait Of
his change has been greatly to increase the cost of the
ilon fer the tackone OF the heaviest items in the
ponse Of building railroads This is fully exemplicl
in the rate nj which have been running in debt to
England for this great aple during the past year.
10 obyiae tie great cost of the heavy rails without
iupairin2 their efficiency would be a very good thing
erpocially il it could lie done by substitute which
could be more readily manufactured a; home. 1t has
been proposed TO 60 this by substituting east rails for
wrought. This at first sounds Ike step in retro
grade direction but the Importance Of tn subject rem
deIs il deserving Of careful attention. When 1etbro
Wood fret proposed the OF cast iron sIbsti-
tute for wrought in the manu- Gcture Of plows, the
moving ores were ready to dcclam loudly against it,
So too the introduction Of cast iron wheels upon
tie railroads of our country, was pertinaciously
ressted By our engineers from similar cousideration3
Yet wrought iron mold-bo 70 plow is now mat
tcr of curiosity ard the use Of wrought iron carwhee
il awost equally T. re in Tie United States.
But wien we remember that malleable iron was
adopted soly the ground Of is greater cheapness
az sui silute FOR Cas-; iron-which first an for
lcre tine used upon the English railrOads-we may
iId reasou TO examine again the principles involved
IL o.dCr 20 zee it, the relative cheapness is now in
favor Of cast iron we may MT venture to return to
tie original system. We are well aware that IT will
he urged that the weight and speed Of engines have
been far increased, that the adoption OF d mode Of
construction rae that rimo would now be litte bet
ter than an indication Of insanity Bur it should also
he borne in mind flat the weight OF the rails has been
correspondiDqy increased and that tae pressure upon
H., does increase percep'by or at leas: in more
tLan very slight ratio with the speed. Experiments
ade by Prof Barlow, and published in his treatise on
tie Snash f NaieTGis, demonstrate that TIE Yer.ical
strain upon the rails when trains are passing att speed
Of thirty miles per hour is ttle above the pressure
qri.il from ii c imposition of load ofthe weight
in state Of rest that it may be disregartei alto
cetber: and if this be true, it becomes IN easy
a
Of tie ra or the sustaining OF any required weight OF
engines TIE experiments whoh have been made upon
the relative strength Of wrought aad cast ron show
that tie hitter in its capablity to resist transverse
strain su.CI0r to the former in ratio of less than i
10 ], 80 that when We take ia greater durability into
Consideration, it is altogether possible that were the
,olt equal round for pound, it might be equally ei7an
taceoUs to use cast iron. It is already demonstrated
that it's Zee for the wheels Of is advantageous
recount Of it, greater hardness its PARTICLES being
therefore less easily WON away It is WORTH Of note
flat this very hardness Of the wheels has led to
more rapi destruction OF tie rails
/. is desirable to increase the weight Of our ocomO
tyos as an increased weight gives greater tractye
power ard tbs is the way they nov built so
much heavier tIan formerly. But our engineers are
We, aware that they cannot 20 on indefinitely mere
irg tic weight # engines and the size of the rails to
c'un,crbaaIee ills increased weight There is limit
teyord which the rails viii yield, not from the
verse strain causing fracture bui from the great press
uIe causlg spliDteriEg OF cIuubling OF the upper
surface ofte rail This limit has been already reached
AID tie tracks Of tiose reads using tie rge class OF
ei enes are -apidly woIE away from his Cause.
Now it Is we'll known that cast iron " I'D yield from
vertical pressure Tuch less read J. than wrought
iron and tia, it viii endure weight nearly or quite
twice Gs great. There t. therefore .iliJ not far
above the present weight OF rails beyond which cast
rails would be, pound for pound less abe 10 iestrac-
ti(n than wrought Ores since wroa. iron rails can
not be increased teyoad their present size without SUI
feIrg from tie vertical pressure, While nc weight OF
east rails can be nearly doubled II which size they
would posses much greater capacity Of resistance
TO transverse strain than tie present wrought
But there Is ere other point having great influence
in tbs question TO which we invite attention Many
TIgish engineers, from various ccusideraiions give
the preference 70 a continuous bearing for the rail in
stead Of the Interrupted formed by tie crosses
in common use. Should this change be made the chie
objection to castron rals-their greater liability Ia
fIacturo from transverse stfain-would be removed
ard We sLoUld be enabled TO take advantage of the
voe increased capacity Of resistance to vertical pres
enabling to double tie weight OF our engine,
without increasing the present weight ofthe rail- while
tie greater cteapnes Of cast iron would nearly pay The
additional cost of continuous bearing.
From these consideratons, We think tismstte1
deserves tie nos: thorough examination. It wOull