Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-08-30
EARLY WOODEN RAILWAYS.
From the Railroad Gazctte.

1t is not known with any certainty when
the first pair of parallel tracks for wheel
ed traffic was laid down in Great Britain.
or whether II was of wood or of stone.
Perhaps the former is the more probable,
the material being found everywhere and
its long shape being much more suggcs-
tive of fitness for such n purpose than
stone. But so long as each neighborhood
produced everything It wanted such things
were not needed. At least the destruction
of timber near London made the use of
coal indispensable. This could be conveyed
by sea. and one of the few places where It
could be got with the limited appliances
and skill of those days was the valley of
the Tyne, lust above and below Ncwcas
tie. About 800 years ago a considerable
trade In coal for shipment began there.
which soon led to difficulties as TO getting
It from the mines into the boats. The dis
tances were small, but the art of road
making had died out and in bad weather
pack horses could not carry enough to
render their use profitable. Some I'M
known benefactor to his species at least
laid down two PARALLEL lines of timber for
carts to run on. Probably they were mere
~ stout planks at first, but the sinking at
the Joints would soon suggest that other
DIdIIhS SIlouil ut plhN't NV '"''' wv
then becoming fairly efficient.
When fanges. either on the wheels or the
rails. were first inve1tcd. or by whom. Is
not known, but it was apparently toward
the end of the seventeenth century.
These wooden railroads seem to have
survived throughout he greater part OF
the following century, and even Into the
nineteenth in some cases. The Middleton
lcolliery railroad at Leeds. for instance.
was Of wood until 1t was relaid for the use
of Blenkinsop's rack rail engines. These
were started in 1872 and were unquestion-
ably the first commercials successful
locomotives. Many other wooden rail-
roads had existed in the same neighbour
hood for fifty or sixty years previously.
and no doubt in other colliery districts
as we'll. One was laid down near Sheffield,
for instance. so early as about 1I12. from
the Duke of Norfolk's colliery at The
Manor into the town, nearly one and one
half miles down hill. 1t lasted till l7Io,
when It was destroyed in a riot. Next year
II was reconstructed with the first cast
iron Hanged rails by James Outram. their
inventor. A wooden railroad long existed
at Bath. II was laid down In 1TSl by
Ralph Allen. who, having gained a for
tune by post office contracts, acquired ana
developed extensive quarries OF the cele-
brated Bath oolite stone on Conabe Down.
These being at Il great height, and away
from any regular mode Of transit. It be-
ca me necessary to devise n means or
bringing down such n heavy material The
wooden railroad occupied the site OF what
is now called Prior Park road. and was
laid partly upon low walls and partly on
the ground, like the wagonways belong
ing to the collieries in .he north Of Eng
land"
The colliery lines about Newcastle used,
lin the eighteenth century. rails of beech
wood. carefully planned on the top and
begged down to cross pieces. which were
even then termed 'sleepers." Longitude
nal timbers In addition were sometimes
used, the extra height being of use In en-
abling the cross sleepers to be well cover
ed up and protected from the action of the
horses feet. There were usually two
lines of rails. the descending one being
!, called the main way. the other the Dye
way. The cars held n Newcastle chaldroh
or ffty-three hundredweight. 1895 pounds
lThey were built or Ar planks. strengthen
t ed with iron straps. and had oak or asf
soles. They sloped orward! having slight
" larger Swhcels at hat end, which was
l found to ease the draught, These wheels
l were of cast iron, the rear pair being
, made solid. of pieces of beech Woo
: dovetailed and cramped together, 1t was
g supposed that brakes held better on Woo
' than on iron. Some of these wooden lines
r ended in "A short timber viaduct. where INT
e land slopcd much to the river leading t'
a shipping quay, from which coal eithe'
I be discharged at once down a chute lht'
e the 'keel'' or barge which carried 1t TO thu
= .-.-l 10 ,A lnn1 orc NJ h1n
$ The wagons opened below to effect this,
o In going down hill with n loaded wagoT
e the horr, followed behind. so that h