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Our Iron Roads by F.S. Williams British Hard Cover
Our Iron Roads by F.S. Williams
Their history, construction and administration
520 pages
Hard Cover with numerous illustrations
Copyright 1884 FIFTH EDITION
Missing binding edge cover
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
Dr. Johnson's Ideal.-" The Coaching Days of Old."-The Troubles of fravel.-Tramroads.-Mr. Outram.-Roger North.-Iron Tramroad in Colebrook Dale.-The Peak Forest Line.-The Edge Railway.-Fishbellied Rails.-The Surrey Iron Railway Company.-Dr. James Anderson. -Thomas Gray of Nottingham-Complaints about Canals.-Stockton and Darlington Line Projected.-Wooden Trams and Horses to be Used.-"The Quakers' Line."-Mr. Edward Pease.-The Line Opened.-Joy and Sorrow.-The Engine-wright and the Quaker.-Colliery Engines.-Success of Stockton and Darlington Line.-Rise of Middlesbrough.-Liverpool and Manchester Line Projected.-First English Railway Prospectus.-First Great Parliamentary Railway Battle.-The Northumbrian Engineer before the Parliamentary Committee.-Opposition of Engineers to the Project.-The Bill Rejected.-Renewed Efforts.-The Bill Carried.-Anticipated Failure of Railways.-Premium for Locomotives.-The Competition.-The Rocket.-The Sans Pareil.-The Liverpool and Manchester Line Opened.-Success of Line.-George Stephenson.-Robert Stephensor, 1-32
CHAPTER II.
Change of Public Feeling towards Railways.-Wordsworth's Indignation.-Alarm of Vested Inteiests.-Colonel Sibthorpe.-Opposition of Northampton, Oxford, and Eton.-Hatred "even unto Death."-Prophecies of Disaster Falsified.-Progress of Railway Enterprise.-Select Committee of House of Commons.-Excellent Dividends.-Unwelcome Truths. -Railway Mania.-Extraordinary Excitement.-Gambling and Suicide."Stags."-George Hudson.-Remarkable Career.-The Railway King. -Decline and Fall.-Deposit of Plans at Board of Trade.-November 3oth, 1845.-Sharp Practice.-Statistics of Railways.-Cost of Railway Mania.-Disastrous Issues.-Confidence Returning - .
CHAPTER III.
A New Railway Project.-The Prospectus.-Advertisement.-Deposit Money.-Flying Levels.-The Course of a Line.-Opposition to Survey.-Mr. Gooch.-A Clergyman Outwitted.-The Breadalbane People.-" The Battle of Saxby Bridge."-Experience of Surveyors.-Mr. Sharland Snowed Up.-Deposit of Notices.-Fighting for the Act.-Theory and Practice of Parliamentary Committees.-" The Railway Session."-" The Minting Age."-The Hon. John Talbot and Mr. Charles Austin.-Scenes in Railway Committee Rooms.-Amusing Displays of Forensic Genius.-The Defence and the Attack. - Witnesses.-Professional Reputations. - Sir Edmund Beckett.-Cheap Amusement.-Buying off Opposition. -Enor- mous Prices for Land.-A Curious Bill.-Compensation.-A Pleasing Exception.-Buying an Editor.-Mr. Venables, Q.C., on Compensation. -Decisions of Parliamentary Committees.-The Preamble Proved.-Cost of Parliamentary Contests.-Cost of Railways .
CHAPTER IV.
Commencement of a Railway.-Turning First Sod.-The Ceremony.-Bedford and Bletchley Line.-Difficulties in the Construction of Railways. -Gradients.-Theoretical and Practical Considerations.-Undulating and Level Lines.-The Desborough Bank.-Special Precautions.-The High Peak Railway.-The Lickey Incline.-Spragging and Skidding.-The Righi Incline.-The Fell Line over Mont Cenis.-Working of this Line.Curves.-The Great Horse-shoe Curve.-Commencement of Works.-Making Cuttings.-Making the Running.-Angle of Repose.-Illustrations. -Retaining Walls.-Ditches and Drains.-The Great Enemy of Cuttings. The Road-bed.-Crest Ditches and Spade Drains.-Embankments.-The Haslingden Cutting. - Three Remarkable Cuttings.- Vicissitudes.- A Terrible Storm.-Slips.-Chemical Combination of Soils.-Precautions.Covering the Slopes of Cuttings .
CHAPTER V.
Levelling of the Round Down Cliff.-Blasting on the Londonderry and Coleraine Railway Embankments.-Making an Embankment.-The Tip. -Disappearance of an Embankment.-Embankments on Marshes.-Chat Moss.-Embankments Chained with Iron Cables.-Hanwell Embankment. -Intake Embankment.-Embankments on Loch Foyle.-A Baked Embankment.-Earthworks of Railways.-Comparison of Labour of Ancients and Moderns.-Market Gardens on Railway Banks.-Navigators and their Characteristics. - Cunning of Navvies. - Comparison of English and Foreign Navvies.-Nicknames of Navvies.-Courage and Recklessness of Navvies.-Management of Navvies . . . . . . . . 123-15r
CHAPTER VI.
Tunnels.-Shape of Tunnels.-Shafts.-The Horse-Gin.-Timbering.Driftways.-Air Shafts in Kilsby Tunnel.-" Cut and Cover" Tunnels.-Cost of Tunnels.-Vicissitudes of Tunnel Making.-Drainage of Tunnels. -Lining of Tunnels.-Making of Tunnels.-Box Tunnel.-Woodhead Tunnel.-Kilsby Tunnel.-The Deepest Tunnel in England.-The Longest Tunnel in England.-The Metropolitan Railway.-A Tunnel Carried under a Tunnel.-Construction of the Underground Railway.-Moorfields Chapel Underpinned. -Potholes.-Tunnel under the Thames.-Tunnel under the Severn.-Lost in a Tunnel.-Length of Tunnels.-The Channel Tunnel. - Mont Cenis Tunnel. - St. Gothard Tunnel. - Spruce Creek Tunnel. -Shugborough Tunnel 152-181
CHAPTER VII.
Viaducts.-Construction of Viaducts.-Arten Gill Viaduct.-Smardale Viaduct.-Materials for Construction of Viaducts.-Stone and Timber Viaducts.-Alderbottom Viaduct.-Sankey Viaduct.-Tarentine Viaduct.-Dutton Viaduct. -Dryfe Sands Viaduct.-Avon Viaduct. -Dinting Viaduct
-Congleton Viaduct.-Foord Viaduct.-Ouse Viaduct.-Llangollen Viaduct.-Skelton Viaduct.-Bugsworth Viaduct.-Ribblehead Viaduct.-Dent Head Viaduct.-New Holland Ferry.-Vicenza and Venice Railway. -Conewago Viaduct.-Trenton Viaduct.-Bridges.-Skew Bridges.Winkwell Skew Bridge.-Rugby Road Bridge.-Maidenhead Bridge.-Drawbridge over the Arun.-Floating Bridge on the Forth.-High Level Bridge at Newcastle.-Royal Border Bridge.-Runcorn Bridge.-Conway Tubular Bridge.-Chepstow Bridge.-Sinking the Cylinders.-Britannia
Tubular Bridge.-Severn Bridge.-Saltash Bridge.-Charing Cross Bridge. -Battersea Bridge.-Forth Bridge.-Elevated Railways. - Suspension
Bridge over Niagara River.-Conemaugh Bridge.-Level Crossings .. 182-226
CHAPTER VIII.
Temporary and Permanent Way.-Broad and Narrow Gauge.-Break of Gauge.-" Clever but Theoretical."-Broad Gauge Changed to Narrow. -Formation of the Line.-The Road Laid.-Rigidness or Elasticity of Roads.-Ballast.-Burnt Clay.-Stone Sleepers.-Wooden Sleepers.-Creosoting Sleepers.-Longitudinal Sleepers.-Chairs.-Keys.-Rails.Controversies.-Smoothness of Track.-Rails Kept Warm.-Fish Plates.-Cast-iron Rails.-Wrought-iron Rails.-Steel Rails.-" Creeping" of Rails. Repair of Permanent Way. - Plate-layers.-Duties of Plate-layers.Enemies of the Permanent Way.-Water Troughs on Permanent Way.-Opening of a Line.-Opening of London and Bedford Line. . . 227-251
CHAPTER IX.
Paddington Terminus.-" A Certain Field. "-Preamble of the Act.-Station and Staff.-Euston.-St. Pancras.-Lost Luggage Office.-Variety of Articles Lost.-The Hat Shelf.-Curiosities of Lost Luggage.-The Departing Train. -Passengers. -Intermediate Stations. -Woburn.-A Lonely Station.- The Station Master and the Keeper.-York Station.-Names of Stations.-Station Notices.-A Passing Train.-Strange Movements of Engines.-A Group on the Platform.-Arrival of Train and Departure.-Maintaining the British Constitution.-Refreshment Rooms.-Wolverton. -Swindon. -Rugby Junction. -Good Digestion. - Wagon Loading Gauge.-Strange Visitors at Stations.-Points.-Crossings and Sidings.-A Railway Siding.-Toton Sidings.-Ingenuity of Inventors.-Home Signals.-Distant Signals.-Junction Signals.-A Country Signal Box.-A Station Signal Box.-Interlocking Signals.- Cannon Street Station.-Cannon Street Interlocking Signals.-Cannon Street Signal Platform.-Messrs. Saxby and Farmer's Instruments.-Seeing through a Brick Bridge.-Block System.-Block System on Metropolitan Line.-Cost of Block Signal Machines.-The Lamp Room.-Fogmen.-Fog Signalling.-Fog Signals.-Construction of Railway Signals.-Railway Telegraphy.
CHAPTER X.
Station Masters.-Duties of Station Masters -Working Single Line Traffic.-Exceptional Duties.-Perplexities.-Names of Station Masters.-Booking Clerks.-The Booking Office.-Thomas Edmondson.-Ticketmaking Machine.-The Dating Press.-The Cash Counter.-Train Books
-Audit Office.-The Clearing House.-Experiences of Booking Clerks.-Involuntary Travellers.-The Parcels Office.-All Sorts of Parcels.-Work of Parcel Clerks.- Signalmen.-Duties of Signalmen.-Guards.-Duties of Guards.-A Polite Guard.-Porters.-Complaints about Luggage.-A Valise of Dynamite.-Baggage Smashers and Bees.-What is Personal
Luggage?-" Checking the Baggage " 300-328
CHAPTER XI.
The Vicar's Alarm.-The First Locomotive in the World.-Trevethick and Jones.-The Trial.-Improvements in Engines.-London and North Western, Midland, and American Locomotives.-Speed and Momentum of Engines and Trains.-Life of a Locomotive.-Cost of Engine Coal.-Locomotive Establishments.-The Metropolitan Railway Locomotives.-Fitters and their Ways.-Duties of Drivers and Firemen.-Working of Engines.Incidents.-A Night Journey on the Dover Night Mail.-Possible Locomotives of the Future.-Electric Railways.-Break-down Train.-Railway Carriages.-The Old Tub and the New Bogie.-A Railway Carriage Building Works.-The Wood Yard, the Shaping Machinery, Carriage Wheels.-Wringing on the Tires.-Furnishing the Carriages.-Painting of Carriages.-Pullmans.-Injuries of Carriages by Travellers.- Cost of Repairs.-The Botany of a Railway Carriage Window.-Sleeping Cars in America.-" One Good Turn Deserves Another."-A Sheet Stores . . 329-380
CHAPTER XII.
"Bradshaw."-The Editorial Department of a Railway.-The Official Time-Table.-The " Working Time-Table."-The "Appendix" to the Working Time-Table.-Excursion Time-Table.-The Staff of a Railway Editor.-Charms of Early Railway Travelling.-Third-Class Passengers.-Improvements in Third-Class Travelling.-" Third Class by all Trains."-Numbers of Third-Class Passengers.-First-Class Passengers.-Workmen's Trains.-Special Trains.- Fox Hunters.-New " Twin Day Saloons " of London and North Western.-Dining Saloon Cars on Midland.-Limited Pullman Express on London and Brighton.-Special Sociability of Certain Railroad Travellers.-The Royal Train. -Odd Ideas of Locomotion.--A Passenger Travelling as Merchandise.-An Exciting Episode.-Carelessness of Travellers.-Foolishness of Travellers.-A New Zealander.-An Iron-Clad Train on Duty.-Railway Travelling in War Time. -A Military Railway.-Private Owners of Railways.-Other Passengers by Railway : Horses, Cattle, etc.-Legal Definition of a Pig.-A Lap Dog.-A Tiger. -Fish Traffic.-Milk Traffic.-A Goods Stationpat Night.-Coal Traffic . 381-423
CHAPTER XIII.
Working of Trains.-" Correspondence" of Trains.-Punctuality of Trains.-Mr. S. Laing.-Sir D. Gooch.-Mr. Allpart.-Mr. Paterfamilias and his Opinions.-Snow-storms on Railways.-A Young Lady's Experience.-Other Trains Snowed up.-Snow-storm in Scotland.-Results of Weather on Railway Finance.-Cost of a Snow-storm to a Railway.-Snow Sheds.-Railway Accidents.-A Paradox : is it true ?-Safety of Railway Travelling.-Curative Effects of Railway Accidents.-Horse*acing on Railways.-Brake Trials at Newark.-The Trial Trains.-The
Westinghouse Brake.-" Mr. Vacuus Smith."-Mr. Clayton's Brake.-A Ride on an Engine with a Vacuum Brake.-Earl de la Warr's Bill.Communicators.=The Cord System.-Results.-Running Powers of Railways.-" Facility Clauses."-Interchange of Traffic on Metropolitan Lines. -Lines jointly Owned or Worked.-" Compensation."-Curious Cases.-Taxation of Railways.-" The Railway Commission."-Alleged Excessive Railway Rates.-Reply of Companies.-Classification of Rates.-Special Rates.-Reasons for Special Rates.-Uniform Mileage Rates Impracticable and Pernicious
PAGE
424-467
CHAPTER XIV.
Financial Aspects of Railways.-Closing of Capital Accounts.--Enormous Demands on Railway Shareholders.-The Crucial Question.-Dividends on English Railways.-Capital Authorized.-A Profitable Line. -The State Purchase of Railways.-Financial Difficulties.-Increasing Value of Railways.-Captain Tyler's Proposal.-Cost of Purchase.-The Speculator.-Stupendous Financial Problems.-Logical Results.-Political Aspects of the Subject.-Political Pressure.-" Portentous Mischief."-Mr. Gladstone's Opinion
CHAPTER XV.
Continental Railways.-Belgian Railways.-Railways in France.-Railway up Vesuvius.-Spanish Railways.-Railways in India.-American Railways 487-494
468-486
CHAPTER XVI.
Railway Revolutions.-Increased Comfort and Convenience of our Locomotion.-English Locomotion Fifty Years Ago.-Wealth-creating Power of Railways.-New Industries brought into Existence.-Improvements in Country Towns and Country Life.-Lowestoft and Harwich.-Crewe and Swindon.-Railway Companies as Landowners.-Increased Value of Land in Scotland through Railways.-Residential Area of London Enlarged by Railways.-Diminished Cost of Locomotion.-Numbers of Passengers who Travel by Railway.-Goods and Mineral Traffic.-Conclusion
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Shakespeare's Cliff Frontispiece
Llangollen ViaductTitle Page
Snow PloughTitle Page
Chee Vale .....I
The Wayside Inn..3
Sections of Rails .5
"Fish-bellied" Rail6
Opening of the Stockton and Darlington Line ... 11
The First Railway Passenger Carriage 14
The "Novelty" ... 21
The " Rocket" ... 22
The "Sans Pareil" 23
Trent Bridge, Nottingham .. 32
Lledyr Vale ..... 33
Barnsley Viaduct. . . . 60
George Stephenson's Birthplace . 61
A Levelling Party . . . 65
Parliamentary Committee-room . 87
Viaduct near Mansfield.. 90
Olive Mount Cutting ... 91
Diagram of Earthworks.. 93
Chiques Rock Curve . 104
Horse-shoe Curve... 105
Making a Cutting... 107
Making the Running . . . 109
Retaining Walls, Haverstock Hill 112
Birkett Cutting . . . . 116
Baron Wood Cutting ... 117
Dove Holes Cutting ... 118
Dove Holes Cutting Cleared . 119
Woodhouse Tower and Cutting . 120
A Welsh Railway Station . . 122
Viaduct and Tunnel near Penmaenmawr .... 123
Abbot's Cliff... 124
Making the Wolverton Embankment..... 127
The "Tip" ..... 129
Intake Embankment .. 135
Willersley Cutting : a Winter Sketch ..... 151
"Beware of the Trains !" .. 152
Interior of a Tunnel .. 153
The Horse-gin . . . 153
Temporary Props in a Tunnel . 154
Shaft in Kilsby Tunnel. . . 156
Diverting the Fleet Sewer .. 165
The Underground under the Underground Line... 168
St. Gothard Tunnel... 177
Spruce Creek Tunnel ... 180
Shugborough Tunnel ... 181
Railway Tools.... 182
Arten Gill Viaduct in Course of Construction .... 183
Smardale Viaduct in Course of Construction .... 184
The Tarentin Viaduct ... 185
The Viaduct as it was (Midland Railway) : Niphany, near Skipton.186
The Viaduct as it is (Midland Railway) : Niphany, near Skipton ..186
Dryfe Sands Viaduct ... 188
Viaduct on the Midland Railway near Rugby .... 189
Congleton Viaduct. 190
Bugsworth Viaducts, near Manchester ..... 191
Ribblehead Viaduct, Blea Moor . 192
Dent Head Viaduct .. 193
New Holland Ferry .. 193
Vicenza and Venice Viaduct 194
Conewago Viaduct.. 195
Trenton Viaduct ... 196
Diagrams of Skew Bridges (fig. 1, fig. 2, figs 3) .... 197
Winkwell Skew Bridge.. 198
Rugby Road Bridge ... 198
Maidenhead Bridge ... 199
Drawbridge over the Arun 200
Floating Railway across the Forth 201
High-level Bridge at Newcastle 202
Royal Border Bridge . . . 203
Runcorn Bridge . . . . 204
Bridge over the Avon, near Bath. 205
Britannia Tubular Bridge . . 207
Elevated Railway, New York . 223
Conemaugh Bridge . . . 225
Level-crossings .... 226
Conway Castle and Tubular and Suspension Bridges.. 227
Stone Sleepers 235
Stone Sleepers Laid Diagonally . 236
Wooden Sleepers. . . 237
Railway Chair, and Section of Chair, Key, and Rail . . 240
Section of Bridge-shaped Rail . 241
Sections of Rails 243
Fish-plates ..243
Section of Wrought-iron Rail and Longitudinal Sleepers .. 244
Picking up Water from Feed Trough .. 247
Elstow ...... 248
Luton .... 249
St. Albans ..... 250
Initial Letter...252
Woburn Station ...259
York Station... 260
Water Crane..267
" Points " as they were..268
Crossing and Siding .. 268
Home Signal.... 274
Auxiliary or Distant Signal .. 276
Junction Signals . . . . 277
Plan of Cannon Street Station . 282
Cannon Street Station Signals 284
Interior of London Bridge Signal-box. 286
Fog-signal ..... 296
Monsal Dale Footbridge and Viaduct299
Malvern Link Station ... 300
A Metal Ticket .... 307
Cash Bowls ..... 309
Clay Cross Junction ... 328
Initial Letter.... 329
A London and North Western Engine 334
Midland Express Engine . 334
New Midland Bogie Engine. 335
An American Locomotive .. 336
Locomotive Station, Wellingborough 342
Break-down Train.. 360
A Snatch-block ... 362
A Ramp..... 363
A Clip .....364
New Midland Bogie Carriage 368
Interior of Pullman Car.372
Pullman Parlour Car ..373
Pullman Drawing-room Sleeping Car..... 373
Monsal Dale.... 380
Temporary Over-bridge . . 381
British Ironclad Train in Egypt . 403
St. Pancras Goods Station . . 419
Hampton Station .. 423
Fogman's Hut ..424
A Midland Train Snowed up, near Dent 433
Accident to an Empty Coal Train 437
Lawley Street Goods Station . 461
Chesterford Station, Eastern Counties Railway ... 467
Saltash Viaduct .... 468
Chee Vale Tunnels... 486
View of part of the Righi Railway 487
The Railway up Vesuvius, with a Sketch of the Carriage . 488, 489
Lewistown Narrows . . . 491
Conestoga Bridge, on the Pennsylvania Railroad 494
Embankment on the London and North Western Line near Lancaster495
A " Dead End" .... 511
PREFACE/PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION.
THIRTY years ago the Author had the impression that the rise and progress of our great peaceful and humanising industries should be more interesting and instructive than that which generally fills our books of history-the blood-stained annals of war. Accordingly, though a young writer, he published the first edition of " Our Iron Roads " ; and the favour with which his book was honoured showed that, happily, his impression was widely shared. Since then he has been gratified by the reception given by the press and the public to his work-" The Midland Railway : a Narrative of Modern Enterprise " ; of which, within a week of its publication, half a large edition was sold, and of which four editions, of 8,000 copies, have nearly been exhausted.
On two occasions " Our Iron Roads " has been recommended to the Author (not knowing who he was) by principal Librarians of the British Museum, one of whom subsequently urged him to bring ont a Second Edition ; and various requests have reached him from other quarters to the same effect. After careful revision it is now issued, the Author venturing
to ask for it the goodwill that its predecessor enjoyed. He hopes that its perusal may help to quicken, especially in the minds of the young, a deeper interest in the social and industrial progress of the people ; and that it may also inspire a kindlier appreciation of the endless skill, labour, and cost with which our railway service is carried forward, not only by the chiefs at the head of the administration, but by the hundreds of thousands of workmen, who intelligently and faithfully fulfil their responsibilities for the comfort and safety of the public.
PREFACE TO THE THIRD, FOURTH, AND FIFTH EDITIONS.
THE Author is much gratified by the kindly reception granted to his Second Edition, of 2,00o copies ; by the demand made, within a few weeks, for a Third Edition of 2,000 ; within a few months, for a Fourth Edition of 4,000 ; and now for a Fifth Edition of 3,00o more copies.
He is also glad to learn that the Chancellor of the Exchequer has made important modifications of the Passenger Duty on Railways.
FOREST ROAD, NOTTINGHAM.
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