As soon as an infant railway can run alone—we mean as soon as its works are all constructed, its permanent way finished, its buildings executed, its locomotive engines as well as its carriages constructed, and its whole establishment of officers and men appointed and organised—the chief engineer, like a month-nurse, usually departs to new troubles, leaving the maintenance of the way to those of his assistants whom he considers, and who in the opinion of the Directors of the Company are deemed, the most competent to execute its various details.
The manner in which this important duty is performed on the London and North-Western Railway is very briefly as follows:—
The line is, according to the nature of its works, divided into distances of from 17 to 30 miles, to each of which there is appointed “an overlooker,” whose district is subdivided into “lengths” of one or two miles, to each of which is appointed “a foreman,” with his gang of two or three men.
Every morning before the first train passes, the foreman is required to walk over his length, not only generally to inspect it, but especially to ascertain that each of the wooden keys which secure the rails are firmly fixed; and in case of any deficiency, his first operation is to put up, 800 yards above the point, a signal flag, which flies until the necessary repair is executed.
The ambition of the superintendent of the division is, however, to execute all necessary repairs not only with the utmost promptitude and despatch, but, if possible, without impeding the passage of the public; and considering the number of up and down passenger, goods, and coal trains (vide ‘Bradshaw’s List’) that are continually passing along the line, the success with which this object can, in railway management, be practically attained is worthy of explanation. For instance—
1. In February, 1848, three miles of single rails were relaid by the Company’s engineer in Kilsby Tunnel; 125 men and one ballast-engine being employed in this work for four weeks, without stopping the public.
2. The Beech Wood Tunnel (situated about five miles north of Coventry, and about 300 yards in length) was entirely relined with bricks. Two hundred workmen were employed in this troublesome operation for about six weeks without a single accident, and without stopping the public, who, indeed, probably, during the whole period of the repair, passed through without being even aware of the execution of the job.
3. Between June, 1845, and October, 1848, the Company’s engineer of the Southern District relaid 57 miles of single line of railway without stopping a train and without accident.
At the Agricultural Meeting at Northampton in July, 1847, upwards of 11,000 persons were sent to Northampton, and 13,000 returned in the evening, the carriages they occupied forming one mass as far as the eye could reach. From the Company’s returns it appears that, of the above number, not a single person received any injury; and although, from some unaccountable reason, a good many of them on their return walked, it is whispered, zigzaggedly, only two out of the whole number were despatched to wrong destinations.
As the above facts require no comment, it is merely necessary to explain by what description of arrangements the works of a great railway can be repaired and renewed without stopping the public.