A brief account of my little works will be of some interest to engineers. I have already, in Section I., given an outline of my progress as a mechanic.

I will now describe the machinery by which the locomotives, carriage and wagon stock, and permanent way fittings have been constructed.

The machine-shop contains an 11 in. lathe for wheel turning, cylinder boring, and the heavier work; an 8 in. lathe for surfacing, sliding, and general work; a 7 in. lathe for screw-cutting and fine work; a 4 in. Pittler universal lathe, with a variety of automatic and other fittings, chiefly used for the smaller brass work, such as cocks, glands, lubricators, &c.; a 3 in. sliding and screw-cutting lathe, for very light work; a planing machine to take work 4 ft. by 1 ft. 6 in. by 1 ft 6 in.; an 8 in. stroke double-table shaping machine, fitted for hollow and circular shaping, specially used for machining coupling rods, &c.; a 4½ in. shaping machine with circular motion, for light work; a milling machine; a 9 in. stroke slotting-machine with compound table, for heavy work; a 2½ in. spindle drilling and boring machine; a 1¾ in. drilling machine, for general work; a screwing and tapping machine, to 1½ in. for bolts and to 2 in. for pipes; a cold-sawing machine, to cut iron up to 2¼ in. square; a slot drilling machine; a twist-drill grinding machine; two grindstones, three bench vices, and complete sets of screwing tackle and fitters’ tools.

The smith’s shop contains two fires, of which one is blown by a fan, and is suited for the heavier work; anvils for ordinary purposes and also for the treatment of angle iron, &c.; a 2½ cwt. gas hammer; a punching and shearing machine; a bench vice, and complete set of smiths’ tools.

The erecting shop contains an overhead travelling crane; an engine pit; a 30-ton hydraulic press for putting axles into wheels, crank pins into cranks, testing samples, &c.; a hand screwing and tapping machine to ¾ in. for bolts and to 1 in. for pipes; standards for fitting up frame-plates; a rivet heating forge; two bench vices, and tools for tube extracting and other special processes connected with the construction and repair of locomotives.

The iron-foundry contains a 16 in. cupola worked through a double tuyÈre by a “Root’s” blower; an overhead travelling crane; a core stove; charge-weighing scales; a large supply of boxes for general purposes, and special ones for cylinders, chilled-wheels, sleepers, gutters, &c., with all ladles and other appliances suitable for producing castings up to half-a-ton weight. Especial pains have been taken to turn out chilled wheels (13½ in. diameter), for the rolling stock, of perfect smoothness and of even depth of chill.

The brass foundry contains a furnace, a metal moulding bench, and the usual fittings.

The carriage shop has two lines of 15 in. gauge formed of cast plates bolted together and bedded in concrete, and contains a wood-morticing and boring machine; fitters and joiners’ vices, with every convenience for erecting, finishing, and painting two of the long 20 ft. bogie cars simultaneously, or eight of the standard wagons, according to requirements; all bulky joiners’ and carpenters’ work is also done in this shop.

The pattern and joiners’ shop contains a 5 in. Holtzappfel lathe; and a small circular saw; 2 instantaneous-grip vices; saw tooth-setting machine; and a variety of other special appliances, in addition to a full set of joiners’ tools.

The saw-shed contains a 30 in. circular saw bench; a band saw; a small general joiner; an 11 in. planing machine, and a small emery grinder.

The engine house contains an 8 horse-power Otto gas-engine, of which the water circulation is effected by a small centrifugal pump.

The drawing office is fitted up with the usual appliances, and is in telephonic communication with my house and two of the stations on the railway.

The general stores comprise timber; foundry sand of various qualities; five kinds of pig iron; copper, spelter, tin, &c.; bar, rod, and angle iron; wrought-iron tubing up to 2 in.; bolts, rivets, nuts, and pins; steam fittings of all kinds; every sort of requisite needed in the construction of small railways and rolling stock, and also for meeting house and farm requirements.

The pattern store contains patterns for all the locomotive, carriage, wagon, signal, permanent way, and general experimental work; and for drain grates, gutters, &c. which are supplied from Duffield for my other estates.

The shops are lit by gas, and the 15 in. gauge line runs throughout. The construction, both in wood and iron, is done as far as possible to template, and every endeavour is made to turn out the very best work, which is perhaps the more easily attained in that there are no profits to be considered. At the same time it should be explained that the shops and machinery are, throughout, though good and sufficient for their purpose, in no way models of excellence. Their object is only to turn out the chiefly experimental work required, and the gradual additions that have been made during the twenty-five years of their existence have been done as cheaply as was consistent with efficiency.Outside the shops are a weigh-bridge for weighing rolling-stock and loads, and a six-ton crane to tranship heavy goods from drays to the 15 in. railway.

Adjoining the workshops is the locomotive shed, with rails raised 30 in. above the floor, so as to get more easily at the lower parts of these small engines. It is arranged for two locomotives, and is fitted with an air jet for raising steam, and with a water supply.

The carriage and wagon stock is, for the most part, housed in three sheds at various stations on the main part of the railway, 80 ft. above the workshops.