File:Every boy's book of railways and steamships (1911) (14756651174).jpg

Identifier: everyboysbookofr00prot (find matches)
Title: Every boy's book of railways and steamships
Year: 1911 (1910s)
Authors: Protheroe, Ernest
Subjects: Railroads Steamboats
Publisher: London : Religious Tract Society
Contributing Library: Boston College Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Library Consortium Member Libraries

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ons couldchange trains with greater ease than coal andgeneral merchandise could be moved. Where theGreat Western and other lines worked in concertthe gauges were mixed, that is, a third rail waslaid down, so that a train could take the two railsthat fitted it (Plate XVII). Opponents of the broad-gauge commenced toclamour for its conversion to narrow, while Brunei,Gooch and their friends strained every nerve toprove that their system was superior to all others.On the London to Birmingham line the expresstrains were doing 23^ miles an hour; and in May,1845, the Great Western Eailway Cornishmancommenced to run to Exeter, 192 miles in 4;hours, or very nearly 44 miles an hour. The besttrains nowadays only effect the journey 35 min.quicker, which does not seem a tremendous im-provement in half a century. A Parliamentary Commission inquired into thequestion of the rival gauges, at which time therewere 274 miles of broad-gauge, while the narrow-gauge lines were seven times as long. Tests were
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G.W.R. CORNISH RIVIERA EXPRESS
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A GARLAND OF IRON RIBBONS 135 arranged for each system, which resolved them-selves into a contest between the locomotives ofthe Great Western and those of other companies. The 43 miles from York to Darlington formedthe narrow-gauge racing track. With a boilerfed with warm water and a flying start, a trainof 50 tons completed the distance at 35 milesan hour; in a second trip the rate rose to 48miles; and in the third trip the narrow-gaugeengine ran 22 miles in 27 min. and then left themetals. The Great Western racing track was fromLondon to Didcot, 52 miles. The broad-gaugeenthusiasts scorned warm water for the boiler andstarted from rest. They laughed at a load of 50tons, and took 31 tons additional just for luck.The first trip occupied 64 min., and on the returnjourney four minutes were knocked ojff; the averagerate was 47 J miles an hour; lightening the load to70 tons reduced the time to 56J minutes, or 55miles an hour. In the report of the Commission it was acknow-ledged that, so f

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