The charges by coaches for passengers are 42s. inside, and 21s. outside, and for parcels 1d. per pound. By waggon, the charge is 5s. per cwt. By fly-boat, for packages and general merchandise, 60s. per ton; and for iron-castings in boat-loads, 32s.; for pig-iron, 25s. per ton. Thus the coach charge for luggage, at ten miles per hour, is 1s. 9d. per ton per mile; waggon charge, for a rate of three miles and a half per hour, is 10¾d. per ton per mile; and goods by fly-boat, at two miles per hour, 6½d. per ton per mile; and the lowest rate for pig-iron 2½d. per ton per mile. These charges are calculated upon a distance of 110 miles.
| £ | |
| Twenty-two coaches pass daily each way, which, at 15l. per coach (the expense of working it), cost per annum | 227,600 |
| Goods per van and waggon | 36,300 |
| Goods per canal, paying from 40s. to 60s. per ton, about 180 tons per day | 146,000 |
| Making a total annual amount of | £409,900 |
for only a portion of the business; as in the above statement none of the coaching or posting that falls upon the Holyhead road, at Coventry, Northampton, and many of the towns nearer London, is taken into the account. The above amount is calculated from what passes through Birmingham only, and that exclusive of posting.
In addition to the above traffic, there are upwards of 2,000 tons that pass daily through Birmingham, besides an equal amount upon the Grand Junction Canal. There is also the whole of the business that arrives at the different towns upon the line; and it is ascertained that the passengers by stage-coaches only that pass through the towns near London, are upwards of four times the number that pass through Birmingham. But if it appears that a considerable profit would arise from conveying but a portion of the business by a railway, it will be much more satisfactory than if it were dependent upon the whole for an adequate return. And yet, as it appears that passengers are taken by this mode of conveyance in half the time in which they can be taken by any other, and at half the cost, and that goods are conveyed in one-sixth of the time and at a lower charge, the great probability is that a considerable portion will immediately be sent by it.
We will now inquire what would be the cost of conveying by a railway between Birmingham and London, the passengers and goods which are now paying by the roads and canals 409,900l. per annum.
It has been ascertained upon the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, that the whole expenses of one engine, capable of conveying twenty-five tons of goods 105 miles per day, at a rate of from ten to fifteen miles per hour, including fuel, attendance, repairs, oil, grease, &c., is 500l. per annum. Its eight waggons (the number required for 25 tons) at 30l. per annum each, involve a yearly expense of 240l. This, with the 500l., makes a total cost of 740l. We will take it at 800l. per annum, which gives the following cost, on the supposition that each engine takes but twenty tons:
| £ | |
| For conveying 180 tons per day it would require ten engines, which, with the waggons, cost 800l. each per annum | 8,000 |
| Supposing the present coaches to carry two tons each of passengers and parcels, or a whole weight daily of forty-four tons, which we will suppose requires four engines; and taking the repairs of the coaches to be double that of the waggons, or 60l. per annum each; it will make a total amount of 980l., or say 1000l. per annum, for the four engines and four sets of coaches | 4,000 |
| Goods per van and waggon twenty-six tons per day, which we will also suppose require two engines | 1,600 |
| £13,600 | |
| Supposing they are but two-thirds loaded, we will add to the expenses | 4,400 |
| £18,000 |
We then have a total cost of only 18,000l., exclusive of railway dues, for conveying that by steam power which the public are now paying 409,900l. for conveying by horses upon roads and canals in one district only. This, as before stated, is only a portion of the business. Supposing 2,000 tons of goods to be conveyed daily at 20s. per ton, which is less than two-thirds of the present average charge; and taking 300 days per annum, we have 600,000l.; that might be taken by 200 engines, which with the waggons would cost, at the rate of 800l. each, 160,000l. per annum. Nothing is calculated here for the conveyance of cattle, which may be reckoned upon, when it is known that the present cost of conveying an ox from Daventry or Leicester to London, including the loss of weight by driving, is 30s.; and when it is also known that a weight equal to an ox may be taken that distance in five hours for 7s. Sheep may also be taken at a proportionately low rate. Another great source of income and profit will arise from the conveyance of carriages and horses, as both will be taken with ease and safety in vehicles constructed for the purpose.
The question we will next consider is the amount of capital required for making such a road. The London and Birmingham Railway is stated at 3,000,000l. This is taken from the most accurate estimates; but for the satisfaction of those who would like to have corroborative statements, we will compare it with the cost of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. This undertaking, it is stated, may cost, including its carrying department and engines, carriages, &c., 1,000,000l.; and the railway is thirty-two miles in length. (For particulars see Appendix, No. I.)
The London and Birmingham Railway will be 105 miles in length; and therefore, constructed on the same scale, and its cost calculated at the same rate per mile, it would require, including every expense, rather more than 3,000,000l. But it must be recollected that materials and wages are at least twenty per cent. lower now than at the time the Liverpool and Manchester Railway was constructing. The cost of the rails for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway was 12l. 10s. per ton; they may now be purchased for 8l. 10s. per ton. The considerable reduction that has taken place in the wages of labour must be taken into account, particularly as three-fourths of the whole cost will be in an expenditure of this nature upon the line. The great reduction that has taken place in all kinds of ironwork will tend to reduce the cost of the engines, and the machinery required in the construction of the road.