Minutes of Prceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1867 Excerpt: ...and the proportions were to be such, that each revolution of the driving-wheel was to turn the screw twelve times. This system was ingenious, but wanted many of the advantages which will be hereafter referred to as arising out of the use of the central rail. In this country the Lickey incline of 1 in 37, the incline of l'in 30 on the Folkestone Harbour branch, the Oldham incline of 1 in 27, and the navigation incline of the Taff Vale Railway of 1 in 18, have, with others, been worked for a greater or less number of years with what may be called engines of ordinary construction. And it was stated in this Institution, in 1858, that an eight-wheel coupled engine, weighing 24 tons, was in the habit of taking its tender and a car-load of iron, together weighing 25 tons, over a gradient steeper than 1 in 10, at a speed of from 8 to 10 miles an hour.1 This required, however, as will be observed, an adhesion of between one-fourth and one-fifth of the weight of the engine, which is more than could be relied upon, at all events in this climate. But in conveying heavy loads up gradients much less steep than those referred to, a want of extra adhesion has been seriously felt, and various expedients have been resorted to for obtaining it. The most comprehensive proposal with this view was that of M. Flachat, who, in a paper laid before the Society of Engineers in Paris, in 1859, desired, in constructing railways over the Alps, to utilize the adhesion, not only of all the wheels of the engine and tender, but also, by the use of additional cylinders, &c, to them, of all the vehicles composing a train. M. Flachat says, La puissance motrice, au lieu d'etre concentred sur six roues, s'appliquerait ici a 32 ou 40 roues; elle sera done dans des conditions d'utilisat...