Middletown transcript., 1868-01-04
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History of SailrOnds and Locomotiv

covered that roads with solid stone track
ways were built by the ancient artifcers Of
that country for transporting the stupend-
Gus stones Of the Pyramids. The remains
of such roads, formed of heavy blocks Of
stone, have been actually found. The
Appian way of the Romans of later day,
constructed with blocks of stone closely
fitted together, is another step towards
the rail way; and the same kind of smooth,
solid roadway was used in modern times in
the continental cities, Pisa, Milan, and in
London. In the life of Lord Keeper North,
who figured about two hundred years ago,
it is said that at that time the Goals from
the collerics near Newcastle-upon-T Tyne
were conveyed to the banks of the river
Shy laying rails of timber exactly straight
and parallel; and bulky carts were made,
with four rollers, fitting those rails, where
by the carriage was made so easy that one
horse would draw four Or five caldrons of
coal" This was earlier than 1876. This
was another great step in the line of i'm
provement. These roads were used in the
Northumberland and Durham coal districts
for about one hundred years, with such
gradual notifications us their use suggest
cd and in 1865 their construction en-
braced the leading features of the modern
railroad, including the fanges upon the
wheels, but not the iron surface for the
wheels to roll upon. At this period the
roads were built with square wooden sleep
ers, six feet long, and two to three feet
apart. Upon these were laid the rails,
with a uniform inclination, as nearly as
possible. The rails were long timbcrs, six
or seven inches wide and five inches Deep
and about four feet apart, fastened down
BY pegs, and the space between filled with
gravel. A subsequent improvement placed
a second set Of rails upon the top of the
first, which were then used as the founda-
ton. The rails were after awhile further
improved by straps Of iron covering their
upper surface. The wagons with tlanged
wheels carried two to three tons of coal
each. t . 5.a4 .
The first iron rails were introduced just
one hundred years ago, at the iron works
of Colcbrook Dale. The rails were cast of
pig iron, in bars, five feet long, four inch
es wide, and one and thrce-fourths inches
thick, with holes to spike them to tho wood
Ell timbers -......
In 1876 they introduced rail with a
perpendicular ledge on the outer edge, to
hold the wheels upon the track the ledge,
after a time, being transferred to the inner
edge of the rail- They were at that time
called plate roads, and afterwards tram
roads, from Outram, a person prominently
connected with the collieries. In 1889
5Jessop's edge rail, with the top surface
over, the ledge being transferred from the
rail to the wheel, was introduced. This
marked improvement was not much appre-
eiatcd at first, as it fell into disuse; but in
1901 the edge rails were revived at the
slate quarries of Lord Penrhyn. The rail
was at first made convex, with the wheel |
concavc, to fit. This was found to wear. |
and the wheel and rail thus become tight
on the track. The wheel and rail were
then both. made fiat, and the wheel had
fange on each edge. 1t was found that
une horse on this rail would do the work
Of forty ON the common road The edge
rail was, in 1908, improved by being made
thicker in the middle than at the ends, and
was, from the shape, called the fish-bellied
rail, this form giving the strength where
most needed 1t was not, however, until
1920 that machinery for making these of
wrought iron was invented. All rails be-
fore this were cast, and could not, there
fore, be more than three or four feet long,
making the joints and points of support
in the road very numerous Besides, cast
iron had been, from its brittleness, found /
unfit for heavy roads and high speed.
Thus far the motive power had been
almost exclusively that of horses. On in
clined plains gravity was often used, the
descending car on one side being some
times attached to another on the opposite
declivity so that the one end going down
would draw up the other
The possibility of constructing steam
carriages seems to have been first suggest
ed by Watt as early as the period Of the
American Revolution; but it is to Oliver
Evans, of Philadelphia, that is due the
honor of first making the application of
steam to the propelling of land carriages.
In 1882 he patented a steam wagon, and
sent the specifications to England as early
as 1881" A locomotive carriage was also
patented by Watt in 1884. In 1902 Rich
ard Irenithick patented high-pressure
locomotive engine, and in 1904 built one
for railroad in Wales, which did well on
level surface or moderate grade; but the
wheels, on any considerable grade, would
slip round without advancing. This diff
Guilty was not obviated for some years
Wheels with teeth were tried in 1911, and
the next year carriages with eight wheels
were tested in vain. In 1914 plain wheels
were found to do well on some of the roads ,
of the English mines, but no application
was made of them except for moving coal
and ore wagons
the first passenger railroad opened was
a horse-ralroad between Stockton and
Darlington, distance of eleven miles, in
the north of England, built in 1926. Sc
guin, the French engineer, in 1926 first
successfully introduced locomotives upon
several small roads in France. In 1926,
the Mnnpoaatar and Tivernnol railrnad do | ,