Handbook of Railroad Construction; For the use of American engineers. / Containing the necessary rules, tables, and formulæ for the location, construction, equipment, and management of railroads, as built in the United States.

by George L. Vose

and 32 the accelerating force of gravity.

The force tending to throw the car from the rail is not centrifugal but tangential, but it matters not whether the body is kept in position by tension upon the inside or by compression on the outside; the amount of the force is the same.

Fig. 148.

The horizontal projection of the centre of gravity of the car, when at rest, is at c, fig. 148, and when in motion the direction of the weight should be a b; and the inclination, c′ a′ b′, must be such that a b will be perpendicular to c′ a′; to effect which, c′ b′ should be to a′ b′ as the weight to the tangential force; or E being the elevation of the rail, g the gauge, W the weight, and c the tangential force; we have

E : g :: c : W,

or E = cg
W, and c being = WV²
32R;

finally E = (WV²
32R)g/W or V²g
32R = E.

Where W = weight of a car.

V = speed of train in feet per second.