Chapter XVIII: Appendix

Although in describing the character of a dull man it is customary to say of him “_that he scarcely knows his right hand from his left_” yet, when it is considered that railway travellers are undoubtedly the cleverest portion of every community--indeed it is only very dull men or very dead ones that now-a-days travel in stage-coaches or in hearses--it is difficult to explain why millions of such travellers, highly intelligent on all other subjects, should have continued for so long a time, and should still continue, ignorant of important signals which are passing not only close on each side of, but immediately before, behind, and beneath them.

As the long dusty caravan full of human beings flying along its iron orbit skims across the surface of “merry England,” its guard is continually receiving police signals--stationary signals--semaphore signals--junction signals--auxiliary signals--train signals--special signals--and detonating signals.

Every human being in the train may also see or hear them, and yet--whether for weal or woe--they are an alphabet which none of us can read--symbols which none of us can interpret--short-hand writing which none of us can decipher!

As an appropriate appendix, therefore, to our attempt to delineate the practical working of a railway, we offer to such of our readers as may be anxious “to read as they run” an Official explanation, not only of every signal exhibited on the London and North-Western Railway, but of the various orders given to the servants of the Company, for the purpose of protecting passengers of all classes from accident, injury, imposition, or insult.

It surely appears advisable for all parties that orders of this description should be made known to the public.

We annex them, therefore, without other comment than the mere statement of the fact that By Authority of the Board of Directors they have been very carefully collected--selected from the Orders of almost all the other Railway Companies--and compiled by the Company’s “General Manager,” Captain Huish.

RULES AND REGULATIONS

FOR THE

=CONDUCT OF THE TRAFFIC,=

AND FOR THE

GUIDANCE OF THE OFFICERS AND MEN

IN THE SERVICE OF THE

London and North-Western Railway Company.

LONDON, JANUARY, 1849.

INDEX.

SECTION PAGE

1. General Regulations 161

2. Signals 162
Police Signals 162
Stationary Signals 163
Semaphore Signals--Day 164
Semaphore Signals--Night 165
Junction Signals 165
Auxiliary Signals 165
Train Signals 166
Special Signals--Newton Junction 167

3. Fog Signals 168

4. Engine men 169
_Special Regulations_:--
London and Birmingham Section 176
Grand Junction Section 176
Manchester and Birmingham Section 177
Trent Valley Section 178
Bolton Branch 178

5. Guards 179

6. Breaksmen 184

7. Station Masters and Clerks 186

8. Inspectors of Police 191

9. Police 191

10. Gatemen at Level Crossings 195

11. Ballast Engines and Plate-Layers 196

12. Tunnel Regulations, Lime-Street 199
Ditto, Wapping 201

13. Bankriders 203

14. Bye Laws 204

15. Acts of Parliament 206

* * * * *

_At a Meeting of the Board of Directors, held on the 11th of
September, 1847, it was_

_Ordered,
That the following code of Rules and Regulations be, and the
same is hereby approved and adopted for the guidance and
instruction of the Officers and Men in the service of the
London and North-Western Railway Company, and that all former
Rules and Regulations inconsistent with the same be cancelled._

_Ordered,
That every person in the service do keep a copy of these
Regulations on his person while on duty, under a penalty of
five shillings for neglect of the same._

_By order of the Board of Directors.
MARK HUISH,
General Manager,
London and North-Western Railway._