Chapter II: Section IV: There were also problems relating to adhesion and friction, (1)

particularly from the narrow-gauge point of view, which I was desirous of solving, some remarks on which will be found in Section VIII.

III. CONSTRUCTION OF THE DUFFIELD BANK LINE.

THE construction of my line of 15 in. gauge was commenced in 1874, and various additions were made up to 1881, when the length laid amounted to a little over a mile, inclusive of sidings. Since the latter date there has been no material extension, but the permanent way and its accessories have been gradually improved.

The line runs from the farm and workshops, up a gradient varying from 1 in 10 to 1 in 12 about a quarter-of-a-mile long, to a level 80 ft. above, where the experimental course is laid out in the shape of a figure 8, so as to admit of continuous runs. This part, somewhat more than half-a-mile in length, has a level stretch of a quarter-of-a-mile, the remainder consisting of gradients, of which 1 in 20 is the most severe. The minimum curve on the main line is 25 ft. radius, but in the sidings some occur as sharp as 15 ft. radius.

The permanent way was at first laid with 14 lb. rails, without fish-plates, spiked to elm and Spanish chestnut sleepers fallen and sawn on the premises, 5 in. wide, 2 in. thick, and 2 ft. 6 in. long, set at 1 ft. 6 in. centres. The maximum load did not exceed 12 cwt. per axle, but, although the work was well done, the road was not equal to the weight, and required incessant attention. The line was then re-laid on sleepers 6½ in. wide, 4 in. thick, and 3 ft. long, with various sections of rails, 12 lbs., 14 lbs., 18 lbs., and 22 lbs. per yard. These were all fitted with fish-plates, the joints being on a sleeper. The spacing of the sleepers was varied with the rails, from 1 ft. 6 in. for the 12 lb. to 3 ft. for the 22 lb. section. Any part of this road carries comfortably 25 cwt. per axle. The fish-plates and larger area of sleeper more than doubled the original carrying power of the rails.

Six years being about the life of these small sleepers, it soon became necessary to renew them. Seeing that the rails, owing to the light traffic, remained perfectly good, to have to pull the road to pieces for the sake of new sleepers only was a serious annoyance. I then determined to try a light cast-iron sleeper with the same bearing area. After some years of experiment, a thoroughly satisfactory one was perfected, in which the rail is held to its place by a curved steel spring key that cannot work out. The greater part of the line is now laid on these cast-iron sleepers, which weigh 28 lbs. each, inclusive of the chairs, which are cast on. This pattern has now had some eighteen years’ test, and has proved entirely satisfactory. With a 14 lb. steel rail, the sleepers being spaced 2 ft. 3 in., and at the suspended fish-joint 1 ft. 3 in., the road, under the load of 25 cwt. per axle, requires very little repair, some parts having stood for five or six years without being touched, though constantly run over.

The length of the sleeper is a very material point. It should project beyond the rail a distance of rather more than half the gauge of the line thus the rail is equally supported inside and out. When the projection is reduced, the centre of the sleepers cannot be packed up solid, because the support would then be greatest between the rails, with the result that the ballast below would assume a convex form lengthwise of the sleepers, and thus produce an unstable road. On lines of the standard gauge, if sleepers of this proportion were adopted, and of sufficient thickness to distribute the load more widely without bending, a great saving in repairs would be effected; but it is not likely that any permanent way official will be bold enough to suggest such a radical change. On the Festiniog Railway of 23½ in. gauge, a sleeper 4 ft. 6 in. long has been adopted with excellent results.

A detail of importance in laying rails is that the joints should be opposite one another. For this purpose it is necessary to order a proportion of the rails 3 in. to 6 in. shorter than the rest, according to the gauge and radius of curves. In this way the joints can be kept practically square. A cross-jointed road is not only unpleasant to travel on, but is also exceedingly difficult to set up true, particularly on sharp curves.

Steel rails are now almost universally employed, but it is worth attention that on any part of a line that is either very damp or rarely used, iron rails will long outlast steel ones, as every mining engineer knows.

In regard to the most suitable length of rail, I have found 15 ft. very convenient for weights up to 18 lbs. per yard. A good deal depends upon whether the rails come from the makers properly straightened. The longer the rail, the more difficult it is to straighten; as a rule even the most careful specification will fail to bring them on the ground in a fit condition for use. It is a very usual thing to look at rails only in regard to their horizontal truth, but in reality the vertical correction is of far more importance, and, to detect this, the rail must be turned on its side. I cannot too strongly insist on the vital importance of laying only straight and level rails. A good running road can never be made if any humpy rails are laid, and it is quite impossible to subsequently rectify the defect without taking up such rails and treating them under the press. Rail-straighteners should be directed to level a rail before straightening it, that is, to correct it vertically first, then horizontally; the reason being that vertical pressing disturbs the horizontal truth, while the horizontal pressing does not affect the vertical accuracy.

I have employed a rail-press fitted up on a wagon, specially arranged with drilling machine for fish bolt holes, with tool boxes, and a brake. The screw works horizontally, and the rail runs on adjustable rollers at each end of the wagon. The amount of curve is thus readily appreciated by the eye as the process proceeds, while with a vertical screw it is scarcely possible to judge correctly. For sharp curves I use a roller bender of a type I designed many years ago for the use of the Royal Engineers in their field railway experiments. In this machine, which consists of the usual three rollers with the centre one adjustable by a screw, two men wind the rail through, and, except at the extreme ends, effect a perfect curve. This machine, however, is of little use for the ordinary straightening, and, though saving some time on a long curve, is laborious to work. A curve made under the ordinary screw-press is of course really a succession of what are technically termed “dog-legs,” but, unless it be of smaller radius than one chain, these are imperceptible if the successive pressures are not applied more than about 14 ins. apart. By pressing at still smaller intervals it is possible to produce sharper curves of reasonable truth, but I find the rails on such curves work smoother and wear better if bent with the roller machine.

Rails can be laid round moderate curves without requiring to be bent, by screwing up the fish plates tight and then springing the rail. The extent to which this can be effected depends on the weight of the rail and on its length; the longer rail being the more accommodating. It is not advisable to attempt to spring a 14 lb. rail round a sharper curve than five chains, or an 18 lb. rail beyond ten chains radius.

The result of attempting too much springing is that the rails, under the traffic and changes of temperature, work outwards at the joints and make “dog legs” more or less serious. Where the ballast is of a loose dry nature very little, if anything, can be done with springing. I have enlarged upon this subject of rail-laying because it is of prime importance to a good road, and a matter that, on narrow-gauge lines, does not receive the attention it requires.

To return to a description of my line, there are on it three tunnels, two bridges, and a viaduct 91 feet long and 20 feet high. The latter was erected in 1878, as an improvement upon one at Aldershot, put up by a gentleman who induced the War Office to sanction a short experimental line for army transport upon a hopelessly inconvenient and ridiculous plan.

My structure is of pitch pine, and stood for 16 years without repair. It is a trestle bridge, the trestles being so designed that each member is a multiple of the height. The roadway is carried on four timbers; formerly, for a 8 ton engine, 11 in. deep and 8 in. wide; now, for one of 5 tons, 13 in. deep and 3½ in. wide. These are bolted together in pairs, one pair under each rail, the two being kept parallel by stretchers and through bolts at every 5 feet. In each pair the timbers break joint with one another on alternate trestles, the latter being 15 ft. apart, and each timber 30 ft. long. The advantages of this arrangement are two-fold, the timbers can be run forward from trestle to trestle as the work advances without scaffolding or lifting tackle, and, should one trestle sink out of line, the continuity of the upper work checks it, and obviates the dangerous “dog legs” to be almost invariably observed in this class of bridge. The original cost with the lighter timbers was £30, including every item of expenditure—equal to £1 per yard. The average height is 15 ft. The details are arranged to require but little skilled labour, the connections being made entirely by bolts and cast angle-plates. Two carpenters, in five days framed the five trestles including cutting the timber to length; and in three more days, with the assistance of three labourers, the whole was erected and the rails laid ready for traffic. A platform and railing were, however, subsequently added for the convenience of foot passengers, thus materially increasing the cost. When rebuilt in 1894 with stronger timbers, the original trestles were retained.

Where the line crosses field-fences a dyke is dug about 5 to 6 ft. square and 3 ft. deep, across which the rails are carried on two narrow girders, thus effectually preventing the passage of cattle, and avoiding both the delay of gates and the expense of side fencing.

The line is properly equipped with interlocking signals and points on a very simple plan. These are for the most part worked from two signal-boxes in telephonic communication.

Particulars of the cost of such a line will be found in Sections IV. and IX. On my experimental course there are six stations, at three of which are sheds for the accommodation of the rolling stock. When the line is used on the occasion of a garden party, a regular service of passenger trains is run, and several times trains of eight long bogie cars, carrying 120 passengers, have been hauled up the gradient of 1 in 20, and up the still more trying one of 1 in 47 situate on a three-quarter-circle curve of 40 ft. radius.

In the year 1894 I exhibited the line to the engineering public during three days. On this occasion a variety of experiments in haulage and shunting were shewn, and for part of each day two trains were run concurrently.

IV. DETAILS OF THE EATON HALL LINE.

DURING the exhibition of my railway at Duffield in 1894, one of the visitors was the Hon. Cecil Parker, agent to the Duke of Westminster, who was desirous of laying some sort of light railway from Eaton Hall to the Great Western Railway, three miles distant. It was necessary that the line should be unobtrusive in appearance, of a thoroughly permanent character, yet moderate in cost. The traffic was, as it proved, correctly estimated at from 5,000 to 6,000 tons annually. Here was a perfect opportunity for a practical experiment with the 15 in. gauge, which was ample for five times that amount. I was asked to inspect the route, and subsequently roughly estimated the cost, exclusive of buildings, at about £6,000. I had some doubt at first whether it was possible for me to find time to lay out and construct the whole line and rolling stock myself, but the difficulty of getting special designs effectively carried out by commercial firms at a reasonable cost decided me to undertake everything. It was at my desire eventually agreed that I should have a free hand in regard to all the designs, doing the work at cost price and without charge for my own time.

The line will now be generally described, after which some of the more interesting details will be enlarged upon.

The Eaton estate railway connects the Hall with the Great Western Railway at Balderton, 3 miles distant. The total length of line laid is 4½ miles, which includes, besides the main line, a branch ¾ mile in length to the estate works near Pulford, together with several shorter branches to the estate brickyard and other points. The traffic to be dealt with, consisting chiefly of coal, road metal, and building material, was computed at about 6,000 tons per annum. As it was desired that the line should be as inconspicuous as possible, since it had to cross the park and the three principal drives, and the required capacity being small, it was decided to adopt the 15 in. gauge.

The line is laid with steel flat-bottomed rails, weighing 16½ lbs. per yard, and, to reduce repairs to a minimum, these are carried throughout on cast-iron sleepers, 3 ft. long, 6½ in. wide, weighing 28 lbs., and coated with anti-corrosive. Steel spring-keys secure the rails in jaws cast on the sleepers, which are spaced at 2 feet 3 inches centres, and, at the joints, at 1 ft. 4 in. Steel girders, on cast-iron foundation plates, are used for all the bridge-work. Thus no timber whatever is employed in the permanent way, and the depreciation is practically limited to wear of rails.

The rails for the points are rivetted on to flat-topped cast-iron sleepers, and were built up in my workshops, and forwarded ready for laying down. A set of points with seven sleepers carrying them, and with lever, counterweight, base plate, and the necessary rods, weighs about 4 cwts., and costs £7 15s. 0d. All the switches are planed out of the solid, and the crossings are of cast steel. Special cast-iron sleepers are employed on the girder bridges. These are of bar form, having below a cross-piece which is tightened up to the sleeper by two bolts, and which grips the inner flange of each girder. It is thus possible to set the rails to any moderate curve, on straight girders. For crossing roads a short and very strong sleeper, only 2 feet in length, is employed, with jaws fitted to take a second rail on each side to act as a guard-rail to the running one. These sleepers have a concrete foundation, and are packed to the required level with tarred macadam. The spaces are then filled in with the same material, and the road finished to a surface level with the top of the rails with a mixture of tar, pitch, and screenings. The flange space is of course left free; this is 1½ in. wide so as to avoid any chance of the shoes of draft horses jamming therein. The field crossings, to permit of carts crossing the line at convenient points in the various fields, are arranged with a similar double rail, but on a specially strong sleeper of the standard length, packed with ordinary ballast.

The ballast is red furnace cinder, 5 to 6 in. in depth below the sleepers. The surface width is 4 ft., and through the park the top of the ballast is level with the turf, the drainage here being effected by a central 4 in. pipe. The appearance is thus that of a narrow garden walk. For the remainder of the route, which is entirely over grass land with a stiff clay subsoil, the ballast is above ground.

The railway is unfenced throughout, and passes from field to field on short open girders with a dyke excavated below, thus preventing the passage of cattle. Two high roads besides the three drives are crossed on the level, and several brooks by girder bridges, the longest span being 28 ft. The line is practically a surface one, there being few noticeable cuttings and embankments. The cost of the earthwork has been £205 per mile. The maximum gradient against the load is 1 in 70, the highest point of the line is 63 ft. above the lowest, and the Eaton terminus is 51 ft. above the junction with the Great Western Railway. The curves on the main line do not run below 300 ft. in radius, but curves of 60 ft. radius, and, at difficult points, of still less, occur at some of the termini and on the branches. At Eaton a large covered coal stove 80 ft. long and 33 ft. wide has been erected, so arranged that the little wagons run in at a high level and readily discharge their contents.

The rolling stock, which is all capable of traversing a minimum curve of 25 ft. radius, is fitted throughout with self-acting coupler-buffers, and all similar parts are interchangeable. It comprises the following:—

One four-coupled locomotive weighing 3 tons in working order, and carrying enough water and fuel for an hour’s running.

Thirty wagons 6 ft. long, 3 ft. wide, 1 ft. 3 in. deep, weighing each 7½ cwts., and holding 16 to 17 cwts. of coal, or 20 to 22 cwts. of bricks and road metal. The sides are of box form and removable, so that the floors can be used as flat wagons for the conveyance of large stones, castings, &c. Fittings are attachable to any wagon for carrying long timber. Also one bogie passenger car 20 ft. long and 3 ft. 6 in. wide, weighing 23 cwts. and seating 16 persons, and one parcel van, to carry 2 tons, of approximately similar construction.

Various other vehicles; among which are a brake van, 6 wagons capable of carrying 1½ tons each, and 2 for 2 tons each. Full particulars of the construction of the rolling-stock, now increased, will be found in Sections V. and VI.

The gross load which the engine, exclusive of its own weight, will haul in regular work is 40 tons on the level, and 20 tons up the ruling gradient of 1 in 70; the speed being about 10 miles per hour. In an experimental trip, however, a speed of 20 miles per hour was attained without undue oscillation. This weight of train is by no means the limit which can be hauled on the line, for, on the Duffield Bank railway, the eight-wheel-coupled engine draws far more than this load, and on one occasion took eight bogie passenger cars carrying 124 persons up a gradient of 1 in 47 on which is a half-circle curve of only 40 ft. radius.

The entire cost of construction has been £1,095 per mile, exclusive of sheds. This figure would have been materially less but for the considerable expense attending the extra levelling and turfing required to avoid undue prominence. The cost of rolling stock has been £214 per mile, thus bringing the total outlay to £1,309 per mile.

The annual expenses were computed thus:— £ s. d.
Interest at 4 per cent, on gross 285 0 0
expenditure
Renewal of permanent way, 4 per cent 80 0 0
on £2,000 (25 years life)
Renewal of rolling stock, 8 per cent, 72 0 0
on £900 (12½ years life)
Working expenses £ s. d.
Driver 91 0 0
Brakesman (boy) 26 0 0
Two Platelayers 99 0 0
Fuel and oil 39 0 0
255 0 0
Total annual cost 642 0 0

The cost of loading being the same for railway wagons as for carts is not considered. With a minimum traffic of 5,000 tons per annum over an average distance of 2½ miles—equal to 12,500 ton-miles—the cost of transport is almost precisely 1s. per ton per mile; which is materially less than the cost of the cart haulage. The same rolling-stock and staff could readily deal with 40 tons per working day of eight hours—equal, at five days per week, to upwards of 10,000 tons a year. If the traffic were to reach this amount, the cost per ton of transport would be greatly reduced With a more powerful engine and additional rolling stock, such a line is capable of conveying an annual traffic of 40,000 tons.

There are probably many localities in which a diminutive railway like that at Eaton, ample in its capacity for estate requirements and extremely flexible in threading existing buildings, would well repay construction. The unobtrusiveness of so small a line and rolling stock, the relief to the roads, and the convenience of constant connection with the nearest railway, are points which are deserving of consideration where the conditions make such an installation possible.

The laying of the line was begun in August, 1895. The earthwork was already well advanced. On account of the large amount of game in the neighbourhood of the line, it was considered wiser to employ no contractor, nor were any men obtainable with a knowledge of such diminutive platelaying. For the first fortnight I worked away myself with beater, rammer, and crowbar, till I had taught a proportion of my staff of 16 the use of these tools, and how to put the permanent way together. My assistant engineer, new to railway work, soon picked up the right ideas of what was required, and in a month, when I had to leave, everything was going nicely. A bonus was paid on every rail-length beyond a quarter-of-a-mile per week completed. This, compared with the fine work done by the Royal Engineers in the Soudan, appears a poor performance, but it must be remembered that we had to bring not only rails and sleepers from our base, but also all the ballast, and that we left our work thoroughly packed, the banks soiled and turfed, the road crossings laid in concrete and asphalte with double rails and special sleepers, the field-crossings for carts made good, the girder bridges and fence bridges (cattle stops) erected, and all points and crossings permanently finished off. About Christmas we reached Eaton Hall, and in the following May (1896) had pretty well finished all the branches.

Of course work done with such care and by the day was costly, and it would doubtless be possible to construct a similar line by contract at two-thirds of the price. But it is a question whether much would have been saved in the long run, for, except the usual platelayers’ work, no repairs of any sort have been necessary since completion, nor has any part of the mechanism failed or given trouble; a result not usually attained in contract work.

It may interest those who have similar work to deal with if I explain that in making this line all our material had to be hauled from our base on the Great Western Railway at Balderton. The procedure was as follows:—At the rail-end four 15 ft. lengths of light timber framing 9 in. deep were laid on the bare formation. A train then backed up with eight wagons of ballast, and on top of them four lengths of rail ready keyed to sleepers. The rails were lifted off alongside where they were to be laid, the “tops” of the wagons were removed and the ballast shovelled off on each side. The train then drew away to refill. The length of framing next the rail-end was lifted forward to the end of furthest framing, and so consecutively with the other three, thus leaving between the rail end and the fresh laid framing a space of 60 ft. with the loose ballast lying thereon. Four men with shovels and four with rammers then put the ballast in shape and rammed it solid, and also true to a level given by the engineer. The rails and sleepers were next lifted into place, and the fish plates affixed. The sleepers next the joints were temporarily packed, by which time a fresh train had arrived. The process was then repeated. In this manner, with a staff of ten men at the rail-end, a driver and boy with the train, six men loading ballast, three men straightening and bending rails, and three fixing them in sleepers, 60 ft. were laid in about forty minutes, including delays for field crossings and cattle-stop bridges. After a day or two of this work the men were set to packing and finishing what had been laid. With a larger staff the two processes might, but less conveniently, have proceeded at the same time.

The following is a detailed account of the cost of construction:—

£ s. d. Earthwork to formation level 923 18 0 Drain pipes 33 2 1 Rails, sleepers (cast iron), and fastenings 1,814 15 1 Girders and fittings for four bridges and 143 5 9 nineteen cattle-stops Foreman, trainmen, and platelayers 563 5 8 Ballast (red furnace cinder) 337 10 4 Road metal, cement, and asphalte 39 1 7 Fencing at cattle-stops 42 10 2 Sodding in park and finishing banks 224 5 5 Locomotive coal, oil, &c. 17 3 11 Laying water-supply, Balderton, Belgrave, and 90 8 6 Eaton Weigh bridge, Balderton 22 18 2 Tools, huts, carriage of goods, repairs, &c. 248 13 4 Resident engineer 427 5 3 Total cost of construction 4,928 3 3 The cost of rolling stock was as follows:— 1 four-wheel locomotive, 4⅝ in. by 7 in. 400 0 0 cylinders, 15 in. wheels 1 covered bogie parcel van 50 0 0 1 open bogie passenger car (16 seats) 40 0 0 1 covered brake van (4 seats) 25 0 0 28 wagons (load 1 ton) ... at £12 336 0 0 2 special wagons (load 2 tons) ... at £14 29 0 0 10s. 1 rail bending wagon with press and drill 32 0 0 1 platelayers’ trolley and tool chest 9 2 0 8 sets timber carriers, and sundries 43 17 9 Total cost of rolling stock 964 19 8 Add construction 4,928 3 3 Total 5,893 2 11

The amount per mile to which the above works out has already been given. I am unable to give the cost of the coal store at Eaton, and of the engine and wagon sheds, although I designed them. They were executed by the estate, and being, for the most part, of the excellence and solidity of the neighbouring buildings, were doubtless somewhat expensive.

For all practical purposes simple wooden sheds would usually answer every requirement, and the extra amount spent at Eaton on levelling and sodding in the park much more than outweighed the omission of this item. As to the coal store this was altogether a special matter which does not affect the estimate of the cost per mile of this class of railway.

It will be of interest to give the actual amount of working expenses as compared with their estimated amount.

1896. 1897. £ s. d. £ s. d. Wages driver and boy 115 3 4 115 12 0 ,, platelayers 145 8 8 94 15 8 Locomotive coal 19 15 0 19 17 7 Oil, stores, and sundries 8 1 10 9 7 1 288 8 10 239 12 4

Tons of 6,067 5,986
material
hauled
No. days in 225 207
steam
Tons hauled 27 29
per day in
steam

The best Welsh smokeless coal is used, costing about £1 per ton.

From the above figures the following deductions may be drawn:—

The locomotive worked an average of 4 days per week, hauling an average of 28 tons each day, and burning 1¾ cwts. of coal at a cost of 1s. 9d.

Full particulars of the hauling powers of the locomotive are given at the end of this section, where it will be seen that 70 tons a day can readily be dealt with, and that, in an emergency, 100 tons would be quite within reasonable compass.

It is required, at Eaton, that the engine should meet the wants of several independent departments on the estate, and in different directions, added to which only a limited number of men are usually available for loading. In effect, instead of matters being arranged primarily with a view to the economy of the working of the railway, the railway is made an instrument for the economical working of the various departments supplied by it. There is doubtless much to be said for the view that, as the driver’s wages have to be paid, he may as well have his engine in steam as often as required. But, notwithstanding this easy mode of working the traffic, the cost of haulage is 3d. per ton per mile less than the average cost of carting, including interest on capital as well as working expenses.

I may say that the line is kept in the most admirable order, clean, well packed, and neatly ballasted, and that, under the astute direction of the Hon. Cecil Parker, the Duke’s agent, the painstaking Superintendent of the line, Mr. Forster, records with the greatest accuracy the weight of every truck load of goods hauled, and the exact amount of all expenditure on the railway, thus giving a value to this somewhat novel experiment which it would not otherwise possess.

It should be mentioned that the amount expended on platelayers’ wages during 1896 exceeded the probably normal sum spent in 1897, on account of the road not having become till the latter year properly consolidated. The cinder ballast, though admirably porous, has proved somewhat deficient in solidity, and the sleepers have required a good deal more packing than should have been necessary.

Since the completion of the line in May, 1896, some additions have been made to the rolling-stock, with a view of obviating the necessity for the immediate unloading of every wagon. There was a strongly expressed idea among the employes that tip wagons would be more serviceable than the box wagons with loose “tops” supplied by me. I have always felt that the greater dead-weight of the former class of wagons in proportion to the load carried, and also their increased cost, heavily discounted their only advantage: celerity in unloading. In order, however, to bring the question to a definite proof, I constructed six tip wagons entirely of steel and cast iron which are fully described in Section VI. In practice these were found to work as well as it is possible for a tip wagon to do, but, nevertheless, the unloading advantages were wholly incommensurate with the drawbacks of greater dead-weight and less capacity. There was the further disability that a wagon of this class could not be used, as can the others, for the conveyance of timber or other bulky goods. In the end I removed all but two, which were left as samples, and replaced them with wagons of the original type.

I conclude this account of the Eaton railway by giving particulars of the trial trips of the small four-wheeled locomotive and of its hauling powers, and also of a test day’s work on time line.

The trials of No. 4 locomotive at Eaton were carried out in Sept., 1896, and the particulars were as follows (all weights being accurately taken on the weighbridge):—

Weight of engine in working order, with two men on the footplate, 3 tons 5 cwt.; weight of brake-van, with two men and a boy, 14 cwt.; pressure of steam throughout trials, 155 to 165 lbs. per sq. in.; ruling gradient between Balderton (G.W.R.) and Eaton, 1 in 70 rise from Balderton to Eaton, 51 ft.; rise from lowest to highest point, 63 ft.

Trip 1.—Balderton to Eaton, distance 3 miles exactly. To show that engine could haul its guaranteed load of 15 tons gross, exclusive of own weight. Coal train of thirteen wagons and van:—

Tons. cwt. qrs. Coal 10 10 3 Thirteen wagons 4 18 1 Van 0 14 0 — Gross load 16 3 0 Engine 3 5 0 — Total weight of train 19 8 0

Time from start to stop, 17 mins.; speed. 10 miles per hour. In all cases trains have to stop dead on a rising gradient of 1 in 100 before crossing the high road one mile from Balderton.

Trip 2.—Eaton to Balderton. To test capacity of engine for fast running. The same train as above, empty. Time from start to stop, 12 mins.; speed, 15 miles per hour.

Trip 3.—Balderton to Eaton. To determine maximum speed at which average weight of train could be run. Gross load, exclusive of engine, 14 tons; time from start to stop, 15 mins.; speed, 12 miles per hour.

Trip 4.—Eaton to Balderton. To test power of engine to haul a long train round the curve of 60 ft. radius on a gradient of 1 in 60, with which the line starts from Eaton. Gross load, exclusive of engine, 14 tons, consisting of 33 vehicles. The gradient was surmounted without difficulty. No time taken.

Trip 5. Balderton to Eaton. To test maximum capacity of engine.

Coal train of 20 wagons and van:— Tons. cwt. qrs. Coal 14 6 2 Twenty wagons 7 13 0 Van 0 14 0 — Gross load 22 13 2 Engine 3 5 0 — Total weight of train 25 18 2

Time from start to stop, 21½ mins.; speed, 8½ miles per hour. The first mile, fairly level, was run at 6¼ miles per hour only. The long gradient up to Eaton was run at just under 10 miles per hour, the steam blowing off freely with injector full on and damper three-quarters closed nearly all the last mile-and-a-half.

Trip 6:—From 1¼ to 2¼ mile posts, chiefly up gradient of 1 in 80. To test maximum running speed with light trains. Load: bogie passenger-car and van only. The maximum speed was attained on passing the 1½ mile post, but fell off slightly after passing the 1¾ post. Time by stop watch, from 1½ to 2 mile post, 1½ mins. exactly. Average speed, 20 miles per hour.

It is to be noted, since the 15 in. gauge is almost precisely one-quarter that of the standard railway gauge, and since possible speed is in direct proportion to gauge, that 10, 15, and 20 miles on the one equal 40, 60, and 80 on the other. Thus the average speed of 10 to 12 miles per hour usually maintained, including the road-crossing stop, by the mineral trains on the Eaton line is considerably in excess of the proportionate speed of similar trains on the standard railways.

In August, 1897, arrangements were courteously made at my request by the Hon. Cecil Parker and by Mr. W. A. Forster, to enable me to test the weight of minerals that could be transported in a full day’s work, over the three miles of line from Balderton to Eaton. Care was taken to obviate any delays in loading and unloading, but every truck had to be weighed separately on leaving Balderton, a process occupying about ten minutes with each train. Six trips were run during the day, and 69 tons of coal and road-metal were transported. There were four loaders at Balderton, and two unloaders at Eaton. The trains consisted of 12 wagons and van. The average gross weight, exclusive of engine, was about 17 tons, and the weight of minerals, or paying load, 12 tons. The speed was just under 10 miles per hour for the loaded trains, and 11.5 miles per hour for the empties. The engine left the shed at 8.15 a.m., and returned at 5.45 p.m., with a delay of 55 minutes for dinner. The weather was as bad as possible, slight showers all through the day making the rails so greasy as to necessitate the constant use of sand up the inclines. Time was also wasted in an extra journey for empty wagons, and in other unavoidable delays. About 1 hour 10 minutes was the average time taken over a trip out and back, reckoning to the time of next start. It is thus apparent that, with a little more arrangement, eight trips could have been run in the day. In the earlier trips, the gross loads hauled were only about sixteen tons, increasing later in the day to eighteen and nineteen tons. These larger loads might just as well have been also hauled on the earlier trips and it was apparent that, under less adverse conditions, 100 tons of paying load could have been transported in the day. Only 3 cwt. of coal was burned, including lighting up. The total distance run was 41 miles, and the average consumption of coal per mile, including that burned while standing, was 83 lbs. For Eaton Railway Regulations see Appendix C.

V. LOCOMOTIVES.

THE first locomotive put upon my line was completed in 1875. This engine was constructed, not so much as a model of what a small locomotive should be, as to provide the requisite motive power for the experiments I desired to carry out. No great care was, therefore, observed in the details, and in its construction a good deal of material which happened to be at hand was utilized to save time and expense; this much in excuse of the want of proportion in some of the dimensions, which will be found in detail under the head of No. 1 in the table of locomotive dimensions on page 31.

The boiler was of the launch type, a cylindrical shell with a cylindrical fire-box terminating in tubes. This pattern of boiler, though giving less heating surface for its size than one of ordinary locomotive design, has the great merit of having no fire-box projecting below the barrel, thus enabling the over-hang of the frame beyond the wheel-base to be equalised at each end, a matter of the first importance in small tank engines. Its low first cost and the ease with which it can be kept in order are additional advantages. So well was I satisfied with the working, that in the four boilers since designed for my locomotives I have adhered to the original plan, which was copied from some shunting engines made by Mr. Ramsbottom for the London and North Western Railway. I go so far as to think that, without getting rid of a depending fire-box, no really satisfactory tank engine can be constructed for a small gauge railway unless idle wheels are introduced, a proceeding that cannot too strongly be deprecated. The gradients, which are almost invariably the concomitants of these small lines, make it essential that the whole of the available weight should be utilized for adhesion.

The difficulty of carrying on four wheels a boiler of sufficient length for a more powerful engine, and the unsuitableness of an ordinary six-coupled engine to the sharp curves in which narrow-gauge lines generally abound, led me, in 1877, to work out a design by which the wheel-base of an engine of the latter type could be made to accommodate itself to any required degree of curvature. At this time I was in communication with officers engaged in promoting a scheme for an army field railway, where great power conjoined with perfect flexibility was essential. As the result, I constructed the engine of which the dimensions are given under No. 2 in the table, this being put to work in 1881. While avoiding the complication of the double-bogie system, this engine possesses most, if not all, of its advantages. It is six-coupled in the ordinary way, the axles having outside bearings and cranks. The wheels, of cast steel, are not fixed upon the axles, but each pair is keyed upon a cast iron sleeve, through which the axle passes. The sleeve upon the middle axle is capable of sliding 1 in. in each direction laterally, but cannot revolve upon its axle thus, when the engine reaches a curve, the arc of the rail draws the middle wheels on their sleeve to an amount equal to the versed sine of the arc, without interfering with the rigid position of the axle. The leading and trailing pairs are likewise mounted on sleeves, but here the connection of the sleeve with the axle is by means of a ball joint at the centre, so constructed as to leave the sleeve free to radiate in any direction, but obliging it to revolve with the axle. The middle sleeve is so connected by external hoops and links with the leading and trailing sleeves that, when the former makes a lateral diversion, the two latter are radiated precisely to the required curve, providing it is within the limit of the travel of the middle sleeve, which, in this case, is arranged for a radius of 25 ft. This engine excited considerable interest among visitors to my railway at the time of the Royal Agricultural Show in Derby in 1881, but the opinion was expressed that the arrangement would not stand hard work. A few years later, however, when some officers of the Royal Engineers were trying the engine with a view to adopting the plan on the military railway at Chatham, they subjected it to very severe tests, loading it up steep inclines to its utmost capacity; stopping it with the steam brake almost dead when travelling at various speeds and over the most awkward places; and, finally, giving it a fifty mile run with all the load that could be got together, at an average speed of seven and a half miles an hour, stops being made for water, &c., for twelve minutes in each hour. This was followed, shortly after, by a continuous run with a similar load for an hour and thirty-five minutes, the extreme limit to which the water in the tanks would hold out.

There was no heating of any part during the trials, nor failure of any kind. After eight years’ work, chiefly on gradients of 1 in 10 to 1 in 12, where sand has to be used freely, the engine came into the shops to be overhauled. During this time there had been no mishap or breakage whatever, nor had a wheel ever left the rails, except on one occasion in descending the steep incline, when, owing to the slippery state of the rails, and sand failing, the engine slid away and left the road; less than an hour, however, sufficing to get it running again.

On removing and examining, shortly after this, the working parts of the radiating gear, they were found in perfect order, the tool marks being still visible in the ball joints; and in August, 1895, the engine, which was then sent over to do the ballast work on the Eaton Railway, where it worked for thirteen months, showed still a clean bill of health. The engine is now rebuilding, and it is proof of the excellence of the radiating gear that this part is being put together again without re-adjustment of any kind. There is thus no doubt of the success of this radiating principle.

This engine is fitted, as already noticed, with a steam brake, which can also be applied by hand but the latter alone is far too slow in action for the abrupt stops necessary on a line like mine.

The space between the frames being occupied by the radiating arrangements, the valve gear is necessarily outside, and, to avoid overhung eccentrics, I designed a modification of one of Mr. Charles Brown’s Swiss valve gears, which are also the parents of what is known in this country as Joy’s gear. I venture to think that my plan, in which nothing projects below the connecting-rod, is better suited to small engines where the motion is almost always near the ground than any yet produced. The gear is extremely simple, and has worked without any trouble, the only setting required being the adjustment to length of the valve spindles, and the setting of one fixed centre on each side of the engine.

The springs consist of rubber pads placed between the axle-box and the horn-block. They are simple to fit, take up no room, never get out of order, and last many years. I have no steel-carrying spring on any of my stock.

The safety-valve spring is entirely within the boiler, so that it cannot be tampered with or injured by accident.

The connecting-rod brasses are peculiar. In order to avoid the twist to the slide bar when the driving axle, owing to inequalities in the road, fails to preserve its horizontal parallelism with the frame, the brasses are shaped circular, so as to turn slightly in their straps, the latter being bored out in the direction of their length instead of slotted. This plan not only relieves both crank-pin and slide-bar of torsion, but also forms a much more rigid union between the strap and the rod end.

The steam jet is worked by the regulator handle, the valve being so arranged that when the handle is moved beyond the point at which steam is shut off, the jet is opened. A spring stop prevents the jet being opened inadvertently. Thus when steam is put on, the jet is by the same action closed, steam is saved, and two motions are performed in one.

An important point in this, as in all the locomotives I have built, is that the over-hang at the two ends is equal, and the weight also on both leading and trailing axles practically the same, when the driver is on the foot plate. A further arrangement of value is that in all my engines the cranks are counter-balanced. It is impossible to effect the counter-balancing on the wheels, nor, even if feasible, will the result be so good, as counter-balance weights on the wheel are not at the same distance from the axle centre as the disturbing weights, and therefore not equable in their effect at different speeds.

This engine was built for tractive power, not speed, and eighteen miles an hour is the highest rate registered over the short straight course available. The previous engine, with 15½ in. wheels, reached a speed equal to 23 miles an hour, the time being in both cases taken over a measured distance with a stop watch. About 11 miles an hour is the usual average speed with passenger cars, which, owing to the severe curves, it is not deemed wise to exceed.

The net cost of the engine under consideration was £309, exclusive of drawings and patterns. At the time it was built a joiner and occasionally a labourer were my only assistants; the work consequently proceeded but slowly, occupying altogether two years and a half. Reducing the time to hours, the whole of my own labour was almost precisely equal to that worked in one year by an artisan, and that of my assistants together to about half the amount. This includes the time occupied in moulding, for all the castings were made on the premises, with the exception of the steel wheels.

The boiler, frame-plates, and some of the brass fittings, were purchased, but the whole of the machine work and fitting was executed on the spot. The cost of all material, the hours of labour and engine power, interest on tools, &c., were all carefully booked, and it will probably not be far from a fair trade price for the engine if 10 per cent, for drawings and patterns, and 20 per cent, for profit, are added to the cost given above, thus bringing the amount to about £400.

The working of the radiating gear of engine No. 2 proving so satisfactory, I elaborated the principle so as to apply it to an eight-wheeled locomotive. (No. 3 in the table.) In this case both of the middle pairs of wheels have the traversing motion already described, but, instead of the leading and trailing wheels being radiated from one central pair, the second pair of wheels radiates the leading pair, and the third pair of wheels the trailing pair, thus forming a mechanism practically equal to a double bogie. By this arrangement an eight-coupled engine is obtained capable of passing round curves as severe as may be necessary. In the present instance, the travel is constructed for a minimum radius of 25 ft. The details of the engine are similar to those of No. 2, but numerous improvements have been effected, into all of which it would be tedious to enter. It may, however, be mentioned that the ends of all the crank pins are boxed in by the connecting and coupling rod brasses, to exclude dirt. A steam water-lifter has also been added, by which the tanks can be filled without delay during frost.

The blast-nozzle is made adjustable by raising or lowering an internal cone. Owing to the steep gradient before alluded to, it was impossible to get a fixed size of nozzle that would keep up steam with a light load on the level, without being so contracted as to lift the fire off the bars on the incline.

The boiler fittings have been made as symmetrical as possible, and circular nuts have been substituted for hexagon, as more easy to clean. The water-gauge glasses are put in through the top cock and fastened by a single cap nut, thus doing away with the usual external glands. The steam brake has a 5 in. cylinder, and the rigging is arranged to swing with the traversing wheels.

The locomotive for the Eaton Railway (No. 4 in the table) was built as an example of a four-wheeled engine for use where the traffic was small and the gradient reasonable. With the exception of radial axles, it is fitted up precisely as No. 8. It has not, however, been altogether a success. From the data of its hauling powers, it will readily be seen that there is no deficiency in this respect; indeed, the maximum load handled exceeded all my expectations. In its working, for now nearly two years, nothing has gone amiss, nor has there been any trouble. On the contrary, the engine has on all these points given full satisfaction. But it is with regard to its effect on the road that I have my doubts. The running is steady enough, and 20 miles an hour has been attained without undue oscillation, yet nevertheless the road suffers as it never suffers under the six and eight-wheeled engines. The long and short of my experience is that I should not again recommend a four-wheeler except for very short distances and low speeds. Nothing but the experience I have had with this engine could have impressed so forcibly on me the very distinct advantages of such a radial action as I have adopted in my other locomotives, which enables them to go round a considerably sharper curve than the four-wheeler with an ease and absence of grinding quite remarkable, to say nothing of the saving to the road by the distribution of weight over more points. The relief seems to be by no means so much in the lessening of the weight per axle, which is not very great, as in the increased number of points of support. I am well aware this is not a new discovery, but it has come home to me with a practical force that leads me to insist somewhat strongly upon its importance.

The whole of the foregoing locomotives have been entirely made in my workshops, with the exception of the boilers and steel castings. The former have been chiefly supplied to me of excellent workmanship by Messrs. Abbott and Co., of Newark, and the latter by the Hadfield Steel Foundry Co., of Sheffield.

The last locomotive in the table (No. 5) is now being commenced, and will combine all the advantages of the previous ones in a less costly engine than No. 8 which was built specially with a view to see how powerful and fast travelling an engine could be put on the 15 in. gauge. No. 5, with its smaller wheel, is not very inferior in hauling power to No. 8, and the expense of the extra axle is saved. This is the engine that, if I had to build another for the Eaton Railway, I should certainly recommend in preference to the four-wheeled No. 4.

The wheels of such little locomotives, since speed is no object, should be kept as small as possible, and the stroke should be of the greatest length. The nearer the stroke can be extended to half the diameter of the wheel, the more successful will the engine prove on steep inclines. Good sand-boxes, front and back, of ample capacity are essential, but it is not advisable to fit any steam sanding apparatus, for, owing to the low position of the motion, a good deal of the sand will rebound into the joints and bearings, as I found by experiment.