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

As the object has been more to be useful than original, the best engineering writers and experimenters have been consulted; among whom are,—Gauthey, Navier, Vieat, Tredgold, Barlow, Totten, Fairbairn, Hodgkinson, Clark, and Lardner. Also a great number of reports by American civil engineers upon railroad matters.

If assumptions take the place of demonstration, it will be on good authority. Readers will bear in mind that the work is a “handbook,” and not a “treatise.” It is intended more as an office companion than as a text-book for students. It will give in all cases the actual numerical result needed, whether it be the scantling of a bridge chord, the thickness of a wall, or the dimensions of a locomotive boiler.

In connection, it will be found convenient to use the works of Trautwine and Henck, on Field Work: of Lieutenant Smith, on Topography; Davies, on Surveying; and Gurley, on the Use of Instruments.

Any one wishing a complete treatise on the principles of bridge construction is referred to the excellent work of Hermann Haupt.

I take this opportunity of heartily thanking the engineers who in many ways have aided in making the work, as it is believed, of some worth.

G. L. V.

GENERAL TABLE OF CONTENTS.

		Page
Introduction		[1]
CHAPTER I.—	Reconnoissance	[12]
II.—	Survey	[24]
III.—	Location	[41]
IV.—	Preliminary Operations	[55]
V.—	Laying out Work	[89]
VI.—	Earthwork	[97]
VII.—	Rockwork	[115]
VIII.—	Wooden Bridging	[122]
IX.—	Iron Bridging	[192]
X.—	Stone Bridging	[233]
XI.—	Masonry	[248]
XII.—	Foundations	[261]
XIII.—	Superstructure	[272]
XIV.—	Equipment	[302]
XV.—	Stations	[403]
XVI.—	Management	[413]
Appendix		[459]

ANALYTICAL INDEX.

INTRODUCTION.
	PAGE
Rise and progress of railroads	[1]
Influence of railroads	[3]
Safety of railroad travelling	[5]
Preliminary operations	[5]
Mechanical principles of locomotion	[6]
Determination of character of road	[7]
Gauge	[8]
General establishment of route	[10]
CHAPTER I.
RECONNOISSANCE.
General topography	[12]
Barometrical levelling	[18]
CHAPTER II.
SURVEY.
Topographical sketching	[24]
General establishment of grades	[32]
Equating for grades	[34]
Comparison of surveyed lines	[39]
CHAPTER III.
LOCATION.
Alignment	[41]
Final adjustment of grades	[46]
Comparison of located lines	[47]
CHAPTER IV.
PRELIMINARY OPERATIONS.
Specification	[55]
Contract	[81]
Solicit	[84]
Bid	[85]
Comparison of bids	[87]
CHAPTER V.
LAYING OUT WORK.
Slopes	[89]
Culverts	[90]
Masonry	[91]
Tunnels	[95]
CHAPTER VI.
EARTHWORK.
Form of railroad sections	[97]
Excavation and embankment	[104]
Transport of material	[106]
Average haul	[106]
Drainage	[109]
Method of conducting construction operations	[111]
CHAPTER VII.
ROCKWORK.
Rock excavation	[115]
Blasting and quarrying	[115]–[117]
Tunnelling	[118]
CHAPTER VIII.
WOODEN BRIDGING.
Of the forces at work in bridges	[122]
Extension	[123]
Compression	[123]
Cross strain	[124]
Detrusion	[126]
Strength of materials	[126]
Rules for practice	[131]
Of the truss	[139]
Of the arch	[169]
Of the road-way	[174]
Lateral bracing	[175]
Pile bridging	[178]
Trestling	[180]
Draw bridges	[181]
Centres	[182]
CHAPTER IX.
IRON BRIDGES.
Nature and strength of iron	[192]
Classification of iron bridges	[194]
Iron truss frames	[195]
Suspension bridges	[203]
Boiler plate bridges	[223]
CHAPTER X.
STONE BRIDGING.
Of the water-way	[233]
Form of the arch	[236]
Thickness of voussoirs	[238]
Form and thickness of abutments	[239]
Form and dimensions of piers	[245]
CHAPTER XI.
MASONRY.
Stone	[248]
Cements, mortars, and concretes	[249]
Construction of arches, wings, and parapet	[253]
Culverts and drains	[255]
Retaining walls	[256]
CHAPTER XII.
FOUNDATIONS.
Pile driving, common system	[262]
Mitchell’s screw pile	[266]
Potts’s atmospheric system	[266]
Coffer-dam	[267]
Caisson	[269]
CHAPTER XIII.
SUPERSTRUCTURE.
Timber work	[273]
Rail section	[276]
Chairs and joints	[282]
Frogs	[290]
Switches	[294]
Sidings and crossings	[298]
Elevation of exterior rail	[298]
CHAPTER XIV.
EQUIPMENT.
PART I. LOCOMOTIVES.
Introduction	[302]
Birth and growth of the locomotive	[302]
The English locomotive of 1850	[304]
The American locomotive of 1855	[305]
General description	[306]
Mechanical and physical principles	[312]
Resistance to the motion of trains	[312]
Traction and adhesion	[316]
Fuel	[317]
Generation of steam	[330]
Application of steam	[336]
Boiler proportions and dimensions	[340]
Rules and tables for practice	[354]
Adaptation of locomotives to the movement of trains	[360]
Classification of engines	[371]
PART SECOND.
CARS.
Wheels and axles	[396]
Classification of cars	[400]
Retarding of trains	[401]
CHAPTER XV.
STATIONS.
Classification of buildings	[403]
Location of buildings	[403]
Terminal passenger house	[403]
Terminal freight house	[405]
Engine house and appurtenances	[405]
Way passenger and freight house	[407]
Wood shed and tank	[407]
CHAPTER XVI.
MANAGEMENT.
Organization of employees	[413]
Duties of employees	[415]
Number of trains to be used	[418]
Amount of service of engines	[418]
Expenses, receipts, profits	[420]
Express trains	[428]
Comparative cost of working heavy and light trains	[434]
Branch roads	[436]
Reproduction of road and of stock	[437]
Working railroads by contract	[439]
Classification of freight	[439]
Time tables	[443]
Locomotive registers	[444]
Electric telegraph	[454]
New York and Erie Railroad	[456]
APPENDIX.
A.—Decimal Arithmetic	[459]
B.—Algebraic formulæ	[461]
C.—Weights and measures	[464]
D.—Value of the Birmingham gauges	[465]
E.—Locomotive boilers	[466]
F.—Effect of grades on the cost of working	[468]
G.—Form for a locomotive specification	[471]
H.—Relative cost of transport by railroad and by stage	[476]
I.—Form for experimental trips with locomotives	[478]
K.—Proper weight for locomotives	[479]