  The following letter, which appeared in The Times two years ago, is here reprinted as bearing on various points connected with narrow-gauge railways. Special attention is directed to what is advanced under the third head. LIGHT RAILWAYS. Sir,—The movement in favour of secondary railways has evoked from your numerous correspondents widely divergent views. This want of accord is more apparent than real, and it would facilitate the proceedings of the approaching conference The causes to which these differences are due may be summarized under three heads:— 1. The absence of a defined terminology of the distinctive kinds of railways. 3. The apparently meagre acquaintance on the part of those who state their views with the practical working of any but the standard railways of the country. Under the first head, some confusion has arisen in consequence of the application of the term “light railway” now to lines of the standard gauge only, and again to narrow-gauge lines also. Similarly with other expressions. It may be pointed out that the term “light railway” is properly applicable and should be confined to a line of standard gauge, of which the entire construction is lighter, cheaper, and simpler than is obligatory where weighty engines, heavy traffic, and high speeds are dealt with. Any line of less than the standard, gauge is correctly described as a “narrow-gauge railway,” and such lines, when not of a permanent character, come under the title, simply, of “portable railways,” for these are invaribly of less than the normal width. The term “tramway” should be restricted to its modern meaning of a line laid in the metalled or paved surface of a road or street. Finally, the not unfamiliar appellation of “secondary railways” might be fitly adopted as generally descriptive of all lines not amenable to the standard railway regulations of the Board of Trade. It would be well that the conference should pronounce on these points. In regard to the second head, needless controversy is engendered by attempting to assume that, because a light railway is right here, therefore a narrow-gauge railway is wrong there, or vice versa. In estimating the transport requirements of any particular locality, if connection is to be made with the railway system, the applicability of a light railway, as above defined, should first be considered. By its adoption the use of existing rolling-stock is secured, transhipment is avoided, and the line can be subsequently and without difficulty transformed, if necessary, into a railway of standard construction—advantages for which much may be sacrificed. But as it would be almost invariably essential to build a light railway of sufficient strength to carry the 15 tons gross weight of a standard coal wagon, the permanent way would be of a somewhat costly character, and, in the case of severe gradients, considerable difficulty would arise in providing suitable locomotive power. Where the impediments in the way of a light railway branch are insuperable, or where the proposed line has no connexion with the railway system, the advantages of a narrow-gauge railway may properly be weighed—such as the smaller width occupied, the sharper curves admissible, the lighter, cheaper, and more easily-handled permanent way and rolling-stock, the absence of much of the unsightliness of a line of standard gauge, the ease with which, in the ease of gauges under 2 ft., the rails can be laid among and into existing buildings, and, lastly, the convenience of being In regard to the third head, it may be noticed as a curious fact, that the strong and commendable predilections of English engineers for the standard gauge, whenever obtainable, appear to lead them, where circumstances compel the adoption of a narrower one, to advocate as little reduction as possible. Now, the general result of foreign experience goes strongly to show that narrow gauges exceeding 30 in. approximate so closely to a full-size line as to forfeit, to a considerable extent, the advantages of either system. This attitude is probably due to ignorance of what can be done on the narrowest gauges, for, in spite of the fact that many hundreds of miles of lines of less than 2 ft. gauge are at work abroad, our professional advisers persist in regarding such railways as mere toys. Yet a line of 15 in. gauge has been at work in this country for twenty years, on which thousands of passengers have been carried without a single accident, as many as 120 in one train, over gradients as steep as 1 in 20, the goods traffic being worked in all weathers up a long gradient of 1 in 11 without difficulty. It would be well that our railway engineers should inform themselves more fully on the subject, as otherwise their valuable assistance, which would insure that narrow-gauge railways were constructed in a solid and reliable manner, will be thrust on one side by the requirements of the times, and the work will be wholly in the hands of the many manufacturers of narrow-gauge plant, whose designs, being chiefly of what is known as the portable class, are, for the most part, ill adapted for permanent locomotive traffic. If so, it is likely that, in the push that may very possibly be presently made for secondary railways, the results will not be so satisfactory as would be the case if the work were carried out under the direction of professional advisers. Under the same head, attention may be directed to the fact that it is entirely unnecessary to urge the adoption of a standard narrow gauge. The circumstances of each case will decide the most suitable gauge, and it is only where there is a possibility, as in the North Wales district, of a wide ramification of connected narrow-gauge lines that the adoption of a particular standard is of any importance. I am, Sir, your obedient servant, ARTHUR PERCIVAL HEYWOOD.
The annexed letter, published in The Times about two years ago, deals with possible difficulties to be met with by those who make a private line of railway. I brought to bear all the influence I could to obtain the insertion of a clause in the Act which would meet the “public road crossing” difficulty, but without success. The course which I took in the case of the Eaton Railway here detailed may be of service. PRIVATE LIGHT RAILWAYS. Sir,—May I, through your columns, draw attention to a class of light railway which does not apparently come within the purview of the Bill now before Parliament—that of lines constructed by private individuals or firms for their own purposes? These will usually confer advantage upon the district in which they may be situate by relieving the roads of a more or less heavy traffic, and in some cases by offering facilities of transport to a section of the neighbourhood. In a proposed route two difficulties may arise. In the first place, land not in possession of the projector may have to be invaded, and way-leaves obtained by a judicious tact in selecting the ground and in approaching the owners, since private interest is properly debarred from invoking compulsory powers. This problem, then, may frequently be satisfactorily solved. The second and more common impediment is the crossing or skirting of highways, and it is to this point that my letter is specially directed. The county and district councils are usually ready in their own interest to permit a private line to cross a road on the level—an over or under bridge is almost invariably impossible by reason of the expense—or to make use for a short distance of waste space by the road side. But—and here is the crux—no permanent agreement is obtainable, because councils have apparently no power to bind their successors in office, and without such guarantee the projector is naturally unwilling to risk his capital when the possible rescinding of the concession would render his entire outlay abortive. The Light Railway Bill contains, apparently, no provision under which this disability can be remedied, for it is improbable that the Commissioners would take action in respect of a private concern. The above difficulty was lately met with in the construction of a private narrow-gauge line for the Duke of Westminster, which crosses a main road. The matter was ultimately compromised by the insertion of a clause in the agreement to the effect that, should the county council give notice to discontinue the crossing, the Duke should be entitled to appeal to the Board As a case in point, and doubtless there are plenty of others, a quarry owner of my acquaintance is at the present time conveying some 80,000 tons of stone annually by means of traction-engines from his works to the railway along 2½ miles of highway. The road authorities, levying £400 a year for extraordinary traffic, are utterly incapable of coping with the destructive action of the heavy loads, and the roads are in a state of disintegration that baffles description. The proprietor of the quarry would at once set about making a narrow-gauge line at his own expense, with the cordial good-will of the county and district councils and his neighbours generally, could he only obtain some guarantee that the permission to cross and, in some parts, run alongside the road, which to-day would be gratefully accorded, would not be suddenly revoked at a future date. Perhaps those in charge of the Bill will see their way to give this point their consideration. I am, Sir, your obedient servant, ARTHUR PERCIVAL HEYWOOD. FROM A MANCHESTER PAPER. According to a correspondent in yesterday’s Times projectors of private light railways have hitherto been very chary of risking their capital owing to the precarious nature of their running powers. In nine cases out of ten the light railway proposes to cross or skirt the highways at certain points, and the permission which may be given by one district council in such cases is revocable by the next. This must be so inevitably, for circumstances might well arise under which a level crossing, for instance, would become a public danger. The difficulty might well be met by an appeal to arbitration in all cases of proposed revocation of the running powers; and if the Board of Trade were to undertake to nominate the arbitrator, the projector ought to have no reasonable ground for timidity. The present Bill can only be regarded as proposing to set an example and provide occasional assistance to the construction of light railways. Seeing, therefore, that its chief result, if successful, will be to encourage a more extensive construction of railways, it is important that all obstacles in the way of private enterprise in this direction should be at once removed. The Times correspondent suggests that the insertion of a clause providing for arbitration in all cases of dispute with the highway authorities would meet the difficulty.
The regulations given below, which I drew up for use on the Eaton line, and which have worked very well for two years, may, to some, be of interest. EATON RAILWAY. GENERAL REGULATIONS.1. All persons connected with the Railway shall be held responsible for making themselves acquainted with such of the regulations as apply to them, and for acting in accordance therewith. 2. All workmen on the Estate shall be liable to such fines for infraction of the Railway Regulations as are herein set forth, and as the Estate Office may see fit further to order. 3. All men employed on the Railway Staff shall promptly report any infraction of the Regulations which may come under their notice, or they shall be themselves liable to any penalty which may attach to such offence. 4. All workmen on the Estate are particularly requested to remove any impediment, such as sticks or stones, which they may see on the line; and in case of any serious block, such as a tree fallen across the rails, to give prompt notice to one of the Railway Staff. 5. No wagon or car shall (under a penalty of 1s.) be moved by hand on to or along the main line, except by special arrangement with the engine-driver; and the term “main line” shall be understood to include every part of the railway not being a siding or within a terminal yard. 6. Hand shunting of vehicles on sidings shall be done carefully, so as to avoid injury to the rolling stock; but no vehicle shall be moved at all except by an authorised person. 7. No vehicle shall (under a penalty of 1s.) be left in such a position on a siding as to interfere with the free passage of other vehicles along adjoining rails. 8. If it is necessary to throw over time weight of any point-lever, this shall be done gently, and the weight shall always be returned as soon as possible to the position in which the white bar thereon is uppermost. Point levers of which the weights are pinned in one direction, shall not (under a penalty of 1s.) have the locking pins tampered with. 10. No heavy weight shall be dropped upon the rails or sleepers, and no carts shall cross any part of the line except where a proper crossing of double rails is provided. But in the terminal yards light loads may cross the rails where the ballast is for that purpose made level with the top of the metals. Any unintentional damage to rolling stock or the line shall be at once reported to the engine-driver or foreman platelayer. 11. No unauthorised person shall ride on any part of the train, and those having permission shall, whenever possible, travel in vehicles provided with seats. 12. It is desired that all workmen on the Estate should understand that there exists the same liability to accident on a narrow-gauge line as on one of full size, and that it is only by a similar careful observance of proper regulations that serious mishaps will be avoided. REGULATIONS FOR YARDMEN.13. Yardmen shall carefully observe the General Regulations for the safe conduct of traffic comprised in Rules 1 to 12 inclusive. 14. The yardman at each terminus shall clean and oil all points in or near his yard at least once a week, and keep them perfectly free from grit, leaves, etc. 15. In frost or snow the points shall receive daily attention, and great care shall be taken in releasing frozen switches not to strain them. Salt for this purpose, shall, on account of its injurious effect on the rails, be used only as a last resource. 16. Yardmen shall take care that the loads on wagons are securely placed, evenly balanced, and not in excess of the specified weight. 17. Lengthy articles shall be loaded on a sufficient number of wagons to ensure that the ends thereof do not catch against other wagons. 18. All vehicles shall be loaded to the satisfaction of the engine-driver. 19. Yardmen shall give the earliest possible intimation to the engine-driver of the nature and quantity of the material requiring transport from their respective yards, that he may provide the necessary wagons at the proper time. 20. Yardmen shall take care that the wagons and cars are not roughly handled, and shall see that heavy lumps of coal or other material are not thrown carelessly on to the wagon bottoms. 21. The yardman at Balderton shall be responsible for the washing of all wagons when necessary, and the yardman at Eaton shall similarly see to all the bogie cars. Care shall be taken in washing that no water is allowed to run into the axle boxes. REGULATIONS FOR PLATELAYERS.23. Platelayers shall carefully observe the General Regulations for the safe conduct of traffic comprised in Rules 1 to 12 inclusive. 24. The foreman platelayer shall be responsible for keeping the whole of the permanent way, bridges, cattle stops, banks, road crossings, etc., in proper repair. 25. He shall see that every set of points on the line is kept in good working order, but he shall only be responsible for the oiling and cleaning (as under Rules 14 and 15) of such points as are not under charge of a yardman. He shall report to the engine-driver any set of points not under his personal charge which he finds neglected, as also any defect which he is himself unable to repair. 26. He shall keep clear all road and field crossing grooves, and shall at once acquaint the engine-driver when repair to the surface of any road crossing is necessary. 27. At least once a week he shall walk over the whole length of the main line and sidings, observing carefully that the keys, bridge bolts, fish bolts, and sleepers are in order. 28. He shall, at the same time note, and as soon as possible rectify, all loose sleepers, crooked rails, and defective superelevation. 29. He shall pay particular attention to the prompt repair of all parts of the line marked by the engine-driver as defective, but, independently of such notice, he shall be responsible for detecting defective places. 30. In regard to any special repairs, or other emergencies of the traffic, he shall be under the direction and obey the instructions of the engine-driver. 31. When any part of the line is under repair, care shall be taken that the surface of the rails is kept clear of ballast grit, and that the free passage of trains is in no way obstructed. 32. When it is necessary to remove a sleeper, a red flag shall be set up between the rails in such a position that the engine-driver can discern it from a distance of at least 150 yards in each direction. Such flag shall remain until the line is made good. On no account shall the engine or a loaded wagon pass over any rail from which a sleeper is removed. 33. If from any cause it is necessary to remove a rail, or otherwise block the line, the foreman platelayer shall previously notify the engine-driver, and arrange with him a convenient time for the work to be done; and without such notification 34. No platelayer other than the foreman shall be authorised to undertake any work interfering with the free passage of trains. 35. If, for ballasting or other purposes, wagons are left by the engine-driver at any point on the main line, such wagons shall on no account be subsequently moved by hand to any other point on the main line, except by special arrangement with the engine-driver. 36. The platelayer’s trolley shall under no circumstances be left standing on the main line and when not in use, or unattended, the trolley shall always be put at a safe distance from the line, with the wheels padlocked. 37. The foreman platelayer shall report to the engine-driver any case of material found deposited within two feet of the rail, and likewise any other infraction of Regulations which may come to his notice. REGULATIONS FOR ENGINE-DRIVER.38. The engine-driver shall be responsible for the efficient working of the line, and shall use the utmost promptitude in dealing with the traffic as notified to him by the yardmen. 39. He shall be responsible also for the care of the locomotive, rolling stock, and fittings appertaining thereto, any defect in which that is beyond his own power to rectify he shall at once notify to the Superintendent, with whom any further responsibility in regard to such defect shall then rest. But the washing of the wagons and cars shall be done by the yardmen as set forth under Rule 21. 40. He shall, further, be responsible for the proper oiling of the axle boxes, spring slides, swivelling forks, and bake gear of the whole of the rolling stock; and shall on no account run on the train a loaded wagon having a hot axle box or a bent axle. 41. He shall see that all rolling stock is kept, as far as possible, under cover at night and in wet weather. 42. He shall watch carefully that the whole of the line and its accessories are kept in thorough working order, and shall direct the foreman platelayer in regard to any part requiring attention. 43. He shall put down white mark pegs, of which he shall at all times carry a sufficient supply in the brake van, at all points of the line which he may notice to be in special need of repair. 44. He shall arrange with the foreman platelayer, as set forth under Rule 33, in regard to the time of execution of any work requiring the blocking of the line. 46. He shall carefully observe the following County Council Regulations in regard to crossing the public roads, and shall be personally liable to the County and District Councils respectively for the consequences of any infraction thereof:— (a) Every train about to cross the road shall be brought to a stand at a point not less than 10 yds. therefrom, and the brakesman shall proceed to the centre of the road with a red flag, and shall, as soon as any approaching vehicles have crossed the railway, wave the said flag as a warning to distant vehicles and as a sign to the engine-driver to proceed and shall continue to wave until the whole of the train shall have passed over the road. After dusk a red lamp shall be used in place of a flag (but a green light shall be momentarily shewn to the driver when the road is clear). (b) No train shall cross the road at a greater speed than five miles an hour, nor shall any train impede the traffic along the road further than is necessary for the crossing thereof, which shall in no case exceed three minutes. (c) Every train crossing the road shall be in charge of a competent engine-driver and brakesman, and shall consist of not more than twenty-five vehicles, exclusive of the engine. 47. He shall take care to run no train without a brake-van at the rear end, and a brakesman in attendance. 48. He shall at all times whistle before putting his engine in motion, and also on approaching all road crossings, termini, and other points where a warning may be desirable. He shall, during fog, proceed with the utmost caution, particularly in crossing roads, and shall be ready to stop promptly where cattle may be upon the line. 49. He shall approach all facing points with caution, especially after dark, and shall see that his train is well under control in descending inclines, particularly the gradient by the Eaton cricket ground. 50. He shall cross the Great Western Siding at Balderton only when the yard gates are closed, and at dead slow speed, and shall be personally responsible for any mishap resulting from neglect of this rule. 52. He shall take care to avoid injury to the rolling stock from shocks, careless usage, or foul shunting. 53. He shall, between September and February inclusive, carry on the train all necessary lamps ready trimmed. 54. He shall take care that the breakdown tackle is always kept ready on the brake van in case of emergency. 55. He shall under no circumstances leave his engine with the steam up without the hand-brake hard down, the lever out of gear, and the cylinder cocks open. 56. He shall take care that the spark arrester is kept effective; the sand boxes full, and that, in conveying passengers, condensed water is cleared from the cylinders before starting. 57. He shall keep his engine in good working order, clean, and smart; executing all necessary repairs at the earliest opportunity. 58. He shall keep a careful watch that point-lever weights are left in the right positions, and that the white bars thereon are kept clearly painted. 59. He shall notify to the Superintendent at the earliest possible time any requirement for the rolling stock or line, such as coal, stores, material for repairs, oil, waste, etc., etc., and shall keep such booked records of the working as are required. 60. He shall impress upon the brakesman the following orders (a) To travel always in the brake-van; to keep a sharp look-out and promptly put down his brake should occasion require, or on receiving a signal from the engine. (b) To carefully watch the loaded wagons, and in the event of any part of the load appearing unsafe, to signal at once to the engine-driver to stop the train. (c) To carry always on the van a red flag, and, between September and February inclusive, a hand lamp ready trimmed, which latter, in travelling after dusk, shall shew a red light at the back of the train. (d) To perform shunting operations with caution, taking care that all point-lever weights are left in their proper position. (e) To keep his van clean and smart, washing it when required. (f) To carefully observe such of the Railway Regulations as apply to the brakesman’s work.
61. The engine-driver shall give three short whistles when he requires the brake-van brakes to be put down, and one short whistle when they are to be released. When he requires facing points to be set for the main line he shall give two, and for a branch or siding three medium whistles. A whistle continued for several minutes is a call for assistance, and workmen within hearing should at once proceed to the spot. 62. A red light is a signal to stop; a green light, to proceed cautiously; and a white light, to go a-head. In shunting, a green light, if waved up and down, is a signal to move a-head; if from side to side, to back. 63. It is important that all persons having to do with shunting operations should understand that if an engine is either in contact with no vehicles, or has vehicles both in front and behind, it is said to go a-head when it moves chimney first, and to back when it moves fire-box first. If in contact with vehicles at one end only, it is said to go a-head when it draws and to back when it pushes such vehicles, without regard to its own direction. D.The following rather neat parody, which appeared in a London evening paper at the time of the passing of the Light Railways Act, expresses a very reasonable doubt, in which I fully share, as to the specially beneficial effect of the measure on agriculture. Fortunately, the Act has been taken very quietly, and such schemes as have been promoted will, for the most part, be of considerable general advantage. Certainly there are some cases in which farmers would be the gainers by a light railway, but these are an infinitesimal proportion of their whole number. THAT TIGHT LITTLE, LIGHT LITTLE
You farmers, who lately By no relaxation Your wheat may grow cheaper, (Chorus.) You may not have a fraction (Chorus.) Then, oh fortunati (Chorus.) |
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