The wagons first put upon my line measured only 4 ft. by 2 ft. inside. It soon became apparent, however, that a gauge of 15 in. could carry with safety a much larger vehicle. In fact it may be taken as a reasonable rule that the floor area of narrow gauge wagons should not be less than four times the gauge in length and twice the gauge in width. I have found such a wagon very handy for light work, but on the Eaton Railway I adopted an over measurement of 6 ft. by 3 ft. with 1 ft. 3 in. depth of side. The wheel base is, in all cases, half the length of the wagon. The larger wagon above described carries 16 cwts. of coal, and from 20 to 22 cwts. of sand, road metal, bricks, etc., and weighs about 7½ cwts., or one-fourth of its total gross loaded weight, i.e., it carries three times its own weight. The axles in this case are 2 in. diameter. For heavier loads I have made the wagons with 2¼ in. axles to carry 30 cwts. which is the standard I have finally adopted; and also with 2½ in. axles to carry two tons. Two of these last were built for the Eaton line, on which logs of timber up to 30 in. square and 60 ft. long have to be conveyed from the G. W. Railway to the Estate works. Each end of the log rests on a “timber fork,” which can be fitted on to any wagon, and in this way, not only timber, but any kind of lengthy goods can be carried with the greatest ease. My resident engineer at Eaton gave me an amusing account of the arrival from Messrs. Handyside & Co. of the ironwork for the coal store at Eaton. This included a number of long and awkward shaped pieces, and the foreman sent by this firm to erect the shed was in despair at seeing the toy wagons provided for the transport of pieces that with some difficulty had been loaded in the main line wagons. To his surprise the 15 in. gauge handled them with far greater facility than the 4 ft. 8½ in., owing to length being no drawback.

My standard wagons are constructed of pitch pine with angle-iron rims, and the box sides are framed together independently of the wagon itself, thus a flat wagon is converted into a box wagon by merely placing this frame upon it. These sides, or “tops” as they have come to be called, are about 15 in. deep, and the wagons being constructed to a standard size, are interchangeable. An iron rim on each enables two or three of the tops to be placed one above another upon any wagon, to give an extra depth. To empty the wagon, two men readily lift off the top, and, if necessary, turn it over sideways, sufficiently to shoot off the contents; or the load may be upset without removing the top. This mode is almost as rapid as emptying a tip wagon, which, though convenient to unload, is a fraud as to capacity, and cannot be designed to carry more than one-and-a-half times its own weight; and even then there is the objection that the centre of gravity is far higher than in the box wagon.

For carrying timber or other lengthy loads swivelling carriers can be placed on any two wagons; and if a greater length is required, these two wagons can be set a distance apart, with or without other wagons placed between them. By adopting the flat wagon as a standard, it is possible to adapt each one to any class of work, without the necessity of keeping a large variety for various purposes. A narrow gauge is said not to lend itself advantageously to the carrying of bulky material, but by loading a train of wagons without break from end to end, I clear hay off land, to which it happens that carts cannot have access, with great despatch. There is, therefore, no valid objection on this score. The cost of these wagons is from 80s. to 85s. per cwt. In the two years the Eaton line has been at work they have proved convenient in every way and show no signs as yet of wear.

In addition to a number of wagons, some of which are fitted with brakes, there are on my line seven bogie passenger cars and a bogie van; also a variety of miscellaneous stock, such as workmen’s car, screw and roller rail-benders, dynamometer car, and various small trolleys. The dynamometer car is constructed to indicate the tractive effort of the engine, the speed, and the distance travelled. The roller rail bender is worked by three men, two of whom work the winch which draws the rail through the rollers, while the third adjusts the pressure to produce the required curvature. The screw bender has two thrust blocks, opposite which works a horizontal screw, which straightens or bends rails with great accuracy, but in long or sharp curves the roller bender is more rapid and efficient, as elsewhere noted.

The passenger stock, which, like everything else, was built on the premises, requires a somewhat more detailed notice. There are four open cars, holding sixteen persons each, two abreast. These are 19 ft. 6 in. long and 8 ft. 6 in. wide, and are carried on two bogies of 1 ft. 6 in. wheel base, the total wheel base being 16 ft. 6 in. A foot brake is fitted to one bogie on each car. The weight of these cars is 20 cwt.; they therefore only weigh 1¼ cwt. per passenger seat, and reckoning sixteen persons to the ton, the proportion of live to dead weight is as 1 to 1. On the main lines it is more than 1 to 5. The cost of these cars, stained, varnished, and lined with linoleum, was £37 each.

In order to demonstrate the capabilities of even so small a gauge, a closed car of the same dimensions as those already described was constructed, which has doors and windows of the usual kind. Lest it should be supposed that the space is unduly cramped, I may mention that a visitor 6 ft. 3½ in. in height, when seated, found ample clearance for his tall hat. The cost of this car was £67, and the weight is 24 cwt. Here the proportion of live to dead weight is as 5 to 6.

As a further test of the capacity of a 15 in. gauge, I have built a dining car and a sleeping car of the same dimensions as the cars already described. The former seats eight persons and carries a suitable cooking stove in a compartment to itself. The latter contains four berths 6 ft. 6 in. long and 1 ft. 10 in. wide, with a lavatory and other fittings. This, though hardly an essential accompaniment to a line under one mile in length, can be utilised as an overflow bedroom for my boys when the house is full of guests. I am unable to state the exact cost of these two vehicles, but exclusive of fittings, it is little, if at all in excess of that of the closed car already quoted. The weights are somewhat greater, owing to the bogie truck frames being of cast iron instead of elm.

A closed luggage van, 15 ft. in length, but otherwise of the same pattern as the cars, concludes the list, and is used to convey luncheons, teas, etc., for large parties, to the station where refreshments are served. The extreme height of the closed cars is 6 ft.

All the wagons and cars are carried on chilled iron wheels, 13½ in. diameter, cast in my foundry. The axles, as has been stated, vary from 2 in. to 2½ in. in diameter, and on to these the wheel on one side is forced by a hydraulic pressure of about 15 tons, while the opposite wheel runs loose to reduce the curve friction. The journals run in cast-iron boxes, which are lubricated by sponges placed in oil receptacles below. The horn-blocks and axle-boxes, with a rubber block between them to form the spring, and a cover to the oil reservoir, are secured together by a single bolt, after the insertion of which no part can come loose. The castings are put together as they come from the foundry, without machining or fitting of any kind, the axle bedding well into the cast-iron box after a few days’ wear. For the Eaton railway, however, I bored out the boxes, but have not found any advantage to result. These bearings require oiling only at intervals of several weeks, and although some of them have been in use more than eighteen years, there has been no case of heating or other failure. The cost of each complete bearing, including horn-block box, cover, spring, and bolt, is only 5s., 1s. of which goes for the rubber.

The buffers and couplings are central. A single east-iron buffer, which in the case of the cars is mounted on a spring draw-bar, has a coupler of the same metal hinged to it by a bolt. The latter is self-coupling or not as desired; but, when turned back so as not to couple, the driver can, by bringing the buffers smartly together, cause it to fall and couple up. These couplers allow the wagons and cars to be shunted out of the train, when the engine is either pushing or drawing, by a quick manipulation of the points, the hook sliding laterally from its hold as the vehicles diverge on different lines. I designed some cast-steel coupler-buffers of this type lately for the Royal Engineers’ 30 in. gauge experimental field railway, near Chatham, which, though for reasons unconnected with their construction not adopted, are reported as the only ones of several types experimented with ‘which fulfilled the necessary requirements. In the bogie stock the coupler-buffers are fitted to the bogie, and not to the car frame, on account of the severe curves. In the construction of the wagons and cars almost every part is made to gauge, and put together without fitting.

The aim throughout has been to make the details of all the rolling-stock as simple, cheap, and efficient as possible, which has been principally achieved by adopting designs and modes of construction largely at variance with commonly accepted notions. The totally different conditions under which minimum-gauge lines work, as compared with ordinary railways, renders this possible without any sacrifice of safety or durability.

In Section IV. mention was made of tip-wagons supplied as an experiment to the Eaton line. These consist of steel tubs, U shaped in section, hung at each end on two trunnions riding in cast-iron pedestals, the latter being bolted to an under-frame of channel steel fitted with cast iron ends rivetted in, and so formed as to carry a drawbar with rubber cushions, to the end of which the coupler-buffer is attached. These wagons cost £20 as against £12 for the standard box wagon. They weigh 11½ cwts., and carry about this weight of coal, or a little more. Loaded with coal, they average a trifle under 24 cwt., exactly the same as the box wagon, which weighs 7½ cwt., and carries 16 to 17 cwt. of coal. Thus the paying loads of the two are as 3 to 4 for the same hauled weight. For short distances, where the emptying bears a greater proportional relation to the running time, or where the load must be got rid of in a particularly short space of time, tip-wagons may answer. For such purposes as my experience has had to deal with, they are a drawback, which, as I have previously pointed out, is increased by their inadaptability to the carriage of bulky goods. One of my strong contentions is that, on a small line, to avoid expense in rolling stock, every vehicle should be available for every purpose.