could be ascertained; each town capable of raising sufficient capital to connect itself with the metropolis did so immediately, — more eager to be on a par with its neighbour, than considerate of the expense it was about to incur. Fortunately these increased facilities in many cases created a traffic which compensated for the unexpected outlay that was found necessary to form and work these roads ; and as there is now so large a portion of capital sunk in this description of property, and a moral certainty that a greater number of railways will be made in the next ten years than have been made and partially completed in the last,* any invention tending to facilitate their formation, or to reduce their cost, is a matter of the greatest national and commercial importance: and if by such an invention the speed of travelling can be further increased, the danger of accidents diminished, and the expense of transporting goods reduced to as low a rate as by canals, the traffic, and, as a natural consequence, the remuneration to the proprietors, will be proportionably augmented.

Our object is to point out, that these results will follow the adoption of the atmospheric system of working, and we think it will be admitted that we have fully borne out and justified this idea, when we have taken a review of the nature of the power and

* In England alone, since 1831, upwards of 2000 miles of railway have been completed, or are in progress of completion.

the experience already obtained on the one hand, and of the drawbacks under which the present system labours on the other. We will first notice the principal defects in railways worked by locomotive power. These are the expenses consequent upon their formation and working, in addition to the impossibility of obtaining a speed beyond 25 miles an hour, without incurring a more than proportionate additional expense. For an engine that would draw 61.29 tons on a level at the rate of 25 miles an hour, would, if required to travel 30 miles an hour, only be able to draw 29 66 tons, or, for the additional 5 miles in speed, a loss of more than onehalf in power. These evils arise from the following

causes (see Note, page 50.)

First, from the necessity of making the roads comparatively level, owing to the nature of the power employed. The whole power of the locomotive engine is not available to impel the train, because it has to drag itself and tender. Thus a great portion of its power is consumed even on a level; but that loss of power is greatly augmented when contending with the slightest ascent.

The extent of this defect will be more clearly apparent by an example :

Supposing a locomotive engine to possess a gross tractive force of 1700 lbs., and its weight, including tender, to be 20 tons, (this is the actual weight and tractive force of the best locomotive engines in general use when travelling at a mean rate of 20

miles per hour,) and as 14 tbs. per ton is required to attain this velocity on a level road, 280 lbs. will be consumed to impel the engine and tender, leaving 1420 lbs. available for the train. This, at 14 lbs. per ton, will draw 101 tons on a level road. We will now place the same train on an inclined plane rising 1 in 50. The power required to draw a ton at the same speed is then increased from 14 lbs. to 59 lbs., or nearly 4 times as much as on a level: therefore the engine and tender weighing 20 tons will consume 1180 lbs. instead of 280 lbs., and will leave but 520lbs. available for the train, instead of 1420 lbs.; but as the train now needs 5959 lbs. to enable it to ascend, 11 locomotives, each possessing a tractive force of 1700 lbs., together 19,550 lbs., will be required to produce that available force: we thus have an absolute waste of more than two-thirds of the power employed on an ascent of 1 in 50, while on a level it is less than one-sixth. By the same calculation it will be seen, that if the acclivity be slightly increased, the locomotive engine will not have sufficient power to draw itself and tender, even without the train.

Secondly, by the necessity of having great weight and strength of rails and foundation consequent on the employment of locomotive engines. These engines (exclusive of tender) weigh generally from 14 to 15 tons each; and, in addition to the rigidity of road required to sustain this weight passing over it

one carriage, the motion transferred to the

wheels by the engines alternately on each side, causes a continual displacement or forcing out of the rails.

The third, and perhaps the greatest evil, is the heavy expense attendant on working a railway by the ordinary method; and this item is rendered more excessive by the necessity of having a large number of extra engines in store, to keep an adequate supply in working order. By reference to the half-yearly accounts of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the annual expense for locomotive power and coke is found to be from £57,000 to £60,000 a year, nearly £2000 a mile per annum, on a traffic of about 1700 tons a day. This amount is exclusive of first cost and interest on the original stock.

The fourth evil is the large consumption of fuel in proportion to the power obtained, which arises, in part, from the great velocity in the movement of the pistons, preventing the steam from acting on them with full force; which causes a back pressure on the pistons, reducing their force in proportion to the velocity at which they move: the power of the engine is thus constantly diminished as the velocity of the train is increased. To so great an extent is the combined action of these defects felt, that when travelling at 20 miles per hour, the effective power of the engine is reduced to half that which would be obtained from the same quantity of steam generated, and fuel consumed, with a sta

tionary engine. When travelling at 30 miles per hour it is reduced to less than one-fourth; and at a speed but little exceeding 45 miles, the power is so far destroyed that the engine will scarcely draw more than itself and tender. An additional waste of fuel, to an immense extent, is also occasioned by the loss of power (as already shown) on inclined planes. And, lastly, the chances of accident from collision, running off the rail, bursting of boilers ;effects, which have been too severely felt during the past six months.

From the foregoing remarks it will appear that the evils of the present system are entirely attributable to the use of locomotive power, and the remedy must be sought for in the employment of stationary power in its stead: the means by which this can be effected without diminishing the accommodation and advantages at present given to the public, are next to be considered; and it is confidently expected that in the following summary will be found, not only remedies for all existing evils, but also many important advantages, both in speed and safety, which cannot possibly be obtained by the above-named system.

On the Atmospheric System.

1st. The loss of power occasioned by the locomotive engines having to draw their own weight is entirely avoided, and steep hills may be ascended with no more additional power than that actually