The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1897-04-09
The FIRST RAILROAD.
Originated In Coal Mine and Was
Crude Affhir.

Originated In Coal Mine and Was .
Crude Affair.
"a coal mine is nothing but Q
hole in the ground" William II.
Vanderbilt CALCULATED when Frank
lin B. Gowen, in urging him to come
to the financial aid of the Reading,
cited the extensive mining posses
sions of that company as valuable
asset.
Goal mines produced the rail
roads," retorted Mr.. Gowen with
some asperity.
Whether or not this assertion
made any impression on the mind
of Mr.. Vanderbilt, it stated an in
teresting fact. The primitive rail
way appears to have been the prod
uct of the coal mines in Great Brit
ain. History records that in the
early part of the sixteenth century
rails of timber were laid at the col
lieries near Newcastle-upon-T Tyne,
over which, by means of bulky carts
provided with rollers, one horse
could draw four or five tons. For
fully 200 years the use of these rail
roads was confined to the collieries.
improvements developed slowly.
The first change was in securing the
wooden rails by means of pegs to
cross ties or sleepers placed two or
three feet apart. The rails were 6
inches high and G inches broad On
top of each rail strip of hard wood
was fastened, which could be re-
newed whenever occasion warranted
without disturbing the remainder
of the structure.
Flat iron bars were first substitute
ed for this temporary strip of wood
in 1888, and about 80 years later
cast iron bars were forged for that
purpose. These cast iron bars were
each feet long, 4 inches wide and
1 S-4 inches thick, with holes for
spikes, to secure them to the wood.
the close of the eighteenth
century the practice was adopted of
casting the rails with a perpendicu-
lnr ledge on the outer edge, to pre-
vent the wheels from leaving the
track. Subsequently the ledge was
to the inner side of the
rail.
1t was not until 1889 that the pres
ent type of rail and car wheel ap-
peared. Flanged rails and flat wheels
were discarded and the fiange trans
'erred to the tire of the wheels. Mr..
Jesup introduced at that period rails
,ast In lengths of 15 feet, with the
:op S-4 inches wide. They were of
,he fish belly pattern, deeper in the
middle than at the ends. After va
ious experiments 1t was found adj
,isable to set the ends of the rails in
,ast iron chairs, which were bolted
o the wooden or stone ties, and into
which the rails were secured by a |
Iey or wedge. Cast iron, however,
proved to be too brittle for the pas
age of heavy loads at nigh rates of
peed, and about the year 1920 NAL |
cable iron was substituted, and the |
ength of the rails was increased.
The idea of using steam as a mo-
i've power on the tramways in the
English collieries was first broached |
" James Watt in 1884, when he ap-
lied for q patent for steam car
iagc. In 1904 Richard Trevethic
'uilt locomotive engine, which
vas tried upon the Merthyr and
'ydvil railway in Wales and which
rev wagons containing ten tons Of
oal each at rate of five miles an
our. w. Hassell Wilson, in his
Railway History" says that in
S12 Blenkinsop's engines began run
ing between Middleton collieries
nd Leods-a distance of 1-2 miles
-and continued in use for several
ears, being the first instance of the
egular employment of steam loco
1otives for commercial purposes,
was In 1914 that George Stephen
on's first steam engine was placed
n the Killingworth railway. 1t
rev so tons at the rate of four
allies an hour upon an incline of
ne foot in 450. improvements in
ooomotives followed gradually.
yhen tho Stockton and Darlington
ailway was opened for public use
4 1925, one of Stephenson's s locomo-
ives drew train composed of %
'agons filled with passengers and
3 wagons loaded with coal, making
total weight of about 90 tons, in
luding the engine and tender, at an
vorage speed of about five miles an
our, but attaining maximum rate
12 miles. New York Times.