The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-10-25
RIGHT THROUGH THE OCEAN.
THIS ROAD INTO OPER-
ALTON.
BRIGHTON TO ROCKINGHAM.
Carries Car Modelled Like Yacht
to Afford View of Chalk
Cliffs.


was successfully opened on Sept. IL
last, in England. 1t runs through the
sea between Brighton and the neigh
boring shore resort of rockingham,
three miles away. The road was COM
pleted too late for use through the
Brighton season, but the trial test was
eminently successful, and 1t will begin
public operations early next spring.
1t has taken three years to put this
curious railroad into operation since
the idea was first conceived by Mr.
Magnus Volk, an inventive English
man. We have not yet heard how sue
cessful the experiment has proved from
a financial point of view, but mechan-
ically and as a sea shore novelty it
certainly equals If not exceeds any
thing yet done by US inventive Yam
KEGS.
The first purpose of the road was to
provide short sea voyage without the
possibility Of sea sickness. The shore
between Brighton and rockingham is
picturesque in the extreme, consisting
Of tall precipitous chalk cliffs against
whose rocky base the sea at high tide
dashes with magnificent fuss and foam.
The spectacle, which is one of the
finest on the English coast, was lost
to those ashore, and the great body of
seashore pilgrims would never venture
to sea to look upon it from the van
tage where an adequate view was pos
sible. The choppy English sea is full
Of ills for the landsman.
Hence Mr.. Volk's railroad. If, he
argued, the journey past the grand
cliffs could only be made in a stable
car that would not toss with the waves,
many thousands might see the beauti-
full tidal spectacle, and the seasons
profits would chink comfortably In the
pocket.
HOW IT WAS BUILT.
The scheme was rendered possible
by the nature of the beach, which be-
low the cliffs, shelved broadly and
gradually seaward, and, though COW
cred fifteen. feet deep with seethinS
water at high tide, is smooth and dry
when the water is low. For English
tides as every traveller knows. are not
the moderate six-footers that we en-
joy in America. Thirty feet is a mod
crate enough tide there sF oisa
So, the fact that this shelving beach
was not of shifting sand, but for the
most part of hard bottom rock made
the plan feasible. The Brighton Elec-
trio Railway company was formed, and
laid an extraordinary road along the
beach at low tide.
1t consisted of parallel double tracks.
each pair of two feet and eight and a
half inches guage, and spaced eighteen
rect between the two outer rails. thus
giving broad effective gauge of eigh-
teen feet for the tall, spider-lagged car
that was to stride both as 4 a single
track.
The rails are laid on huge ties of
solid concrete, built up from the solid
rock and incorporated with it The
laying of this track was a monumental
job at best, and required the greater
time because work could only proceed
2 Few hours at a. stretch at each low
tide. f .ea asd ~
Now for the car This is a beautiful
miniature of yacht deck, so as to
carry out the idea Of sea voyage.
A saloon, twenty-five feet long and
half as wide, occupies the center Of it,
and is luxuriously fitted out for those
who cannot stand the strong sea air
outside. The deck without is provided
with handsome settees, and a hurri-
cane deck is built on the cabin roof.
The whole carries out extremely well
the idea of a yacht.
SUCCESSFUL TRIAL TRIP.
This car stands upon a frame of
Drawn steel, consisting of four sprawl
ing, hollow legs, powerfully girded
together. Each leg carries a four
wheeled truck, resting upon one of
the small double tracks below, and
each truck is projected by a boyle,
looking like a double ended rowboat.
turned upside down.
The power is brought from an over
head trolley, and operates two electric
motors. under the deck, which transmit
the power to the wheels by shaftlng
carried down two of the hollow legs
and armed with toothed gearing be-
low. The breaks are worked by rods
passing down the remaining legs. The
current carries a force Of 300 volts.
and the motors have each thirty horse
power.
OF course, on this road speed is no
object. The car moves along easily
and rapidly enough through the fifteen
feet of seething sea, upon whose sur
face the 100 or $50 passegers in the car
look down from the height of nine feet,
The big swells rolls up and under and
dash against the magnificent chalk
cliffs beyond, and save for the absence
Of tossing, rolling motion, one can
easily imagine himself upon a fine
steam yacht pushing leisurely down the
coast.
Many were the objections made dur
ing the building Of this queer railroad.
1t was argued that seaweed would en-
tangle the wheels and wreckage pile
upo- the tracks and unseat the car
All Of these were silenced, however.
by the trial trip. Masses ri timber,
concrete, heaps of flint and chalk, and
even large iron sleepers, were heaped
upon the track. But the car swept
calmly through them all, tossing all the
distractions off as though straws. The
tide came in while the trial was going
on, and the water rose once or twice
to within four feet Of the deck.
q IL. II.
ence whatever to the car. It's speed
will be five and half miles an hour
when the tide is in, and seven miles at
low water.