Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1897-04-29
THE z S

ESTELLE MAE PICKING.
THE FIRST RAILROAD.
Originated In . Coal Mine and Was .
Crude Affair.
IA coal mine is nothing but a.
hole in the ground" William Fl.
Vanderbilt circulated 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 a 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 Neutrality-suspicious.,
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 6 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 yer forged for that
purpose. These cast iron bars were
each s feet long, 4 inches wide and
1 "a inches thick, with holes for
spikes, to secure them to the wood.
Toward the close of the eighteenth
century the practice was adopted of
casting the rails with a perpendicu-
lar ledge on the outer edge, to pre-
vent the wheels from leaving the
track. Subsequently the ledge was
transferred to the inner side of the
rail.
It was not until 1889 that the pres
ent type Of rail and car wheel ap.
peared. Flanged rails and fat wheels
were discarded and the flange trans.
ferred to the tire of the wheels. Mr..
Jesup introduced at that period rails
cast in lengths Of, Is feet, with the
top 1 3-4 inches wide. They were Of
the fish belly pattern, deeper in the
middle than at the ends. After va.
rious experiments it was found ad'
visable to set the ends of the rails il
cast iron chairs, which were bolteG
to the wooden or stone ties, and into
which the rails were secured by
key or wedge. Cast iron, however
proved to be too brittle for the pas
sage of heavy loads at high rates O.
speed, and about the year 1920 NAL
leable iron was substituted, and til,
length of the rails was increased.
The idea of using steam as a mo
tive power on the tramways In th'
English c~ollieries was first broachet
by James Watt in 1884, when he ap
piled for a patent for q steam car
riage. In 1904 Richard Trevethi,
built a locomotive engine, which
was tried upon the Merthyr ant
Tydvil railway in Wales and which
drew wagons containing ten tons o
coal each at a rate of five miles al
hour. w: Hassell Wilson, In hi
Railway History" says that i,
1912 Blenkinsop's engines beganrun
uing between Middleton collierie
and Leeds-a distance of 8 1-2 mile
land continued in use for severa
years, being the first instance of tn,
regular employment of steam loco
motives for commercial purposes
1t was in 1914 that George Stephen
sons first steam engine was places
on the Killingworth railway. I
drew 80 tons at the rate Of fou
miles an hour upon an incline o
one foot in $50. improvements il
locomotives followed gradually
When the Stockton and Darlington
railway was opened for public us
in 1925, one of Stephenson locomc
tives drew a train composed of 2
wagons filled with passengers an
12 wagons loaded with coal, maxim
a total weight of about 90 tons, il
Guiding the engine and tender, at a:
average speed of about five miles a;
hour, but attaining amaximum rat
of 10 miles. New York Times.
Roman Boots.
The Romans went to such length
in the way of luxurious boots an