Answers to Queries submitted by the Committee to
Mr. John Macneil.
Query 1.—What is the greatest weight, in proportion to its own weight, which any Locomotive Steam Engine has been found capable of drawing upon a Rail Road, and at what velocity?
In the first edition of Mr. Nicholas Wood's Treatise on Rail Roads, published in 1820, he states that a Locomotive Engine, weighing 6½ tons, and containing one ton of water equal to 7½ tons, dragged twelve loaded Carriages, each weighing 9,408 lbs. up a plane ascending 134 inches in 1,164 feet, and also the conveying Carriage, weighing 1½ tons, the wheels not slipping, the rails dry.
He also gives the following experiments made on the Killingworth Rail Road:—The length of plane was 2,260 yards, with an ascent in one direction of 6 feet 5 inches, not uniform, varying from a dead level, or slightly undulating, to an ascent in one place of 1 in 330. Edge Rail, 2½ inches broad on the surface; Carriages all the same construction, weighing 81¼ cwt, each, wheels 34 inches diameter, axles 2 inches diameter.
Experiment 29.
Wheels, three feet, nine Carriages, weighing 731½ cwt., were drawn up the plane fourteen times in 317 minutes, and fourteen times down the plane in 258 minutes, distance traversed, 36 miles in 9 hours, 35 minutes; coals consumed, 2,534 lbs.; water, 800 gallons.
Experiment 30.
Wheels, four feet; nine Carriages, weighing 731½ cwt., were drawn ap the same plane nineteen times in 302 minutes, and nineteen times down the plane in 265 minutes, distance traversed, 48.8 miles in 9 hours, 27 minutes: coals consumed, 2,534 lbs.; water, 864 gallons.
Experiment 31.
Wheels, four feet; twelve Carriages, weighing 975 cwt, were drawn up the plane nine times in 155 minutes, and nine times down in 133 minutes. Distance traversed, 23 miles in 4 hours, 48 minutes, coals consumed, 1,548 lbs.; water, 452 gallons.
Experiment 32. (With a different Locomotive Engine.)
Wheels, 3nbfeet; nine Carriages, weighing 731¼ cwt, were drawn up the same plane ten times in 212 minutes, and ten times down in 180 minutes. Distance, 26 miles; time, 6 hours, 32 minutes; coals consumed, 1,487 lbs.: water, 490 gallons.
Experiment 33.
Wheels, four feet; twelve Carriages, weighing 975 cwt., were drawn up the plane five times in 45 minutes 48 seconds, and five times down, in 40 minutes 26 seconds. Distance each journey, 2002 yards. Total, 11.375 miles; distance passed over in the above time 1,663 yards each journey, or 9.45 miles, time, 1 hour, 28 minutes, 14 seconds; coals consumed, 587 lbs,; water 200 gallons.
In this experiment the Engine was allowed to traverse a given space, to put the train of carriage into their proper velocity before the time was noted, the time was then marked until the velocity was again checked at the further end of the stage. This will explain the difference between the two distances stated in the experiment; the one was the whole distance from the commencement to the cat of the stage; the other was that part of the stage which the Engine passed over when the regular velocity was acquired, and before it was again diminished at the end of the stage, to stop the train; the time given was that which transpired while the Engine was passing over that space, while the velocity was uniform, and may therefore be taken as a measure of speed.
At page 281, Mr. Wood states. Upon a Rail Road, near Newcastle, a Locomotive Engine in fifty-four weeks conveyed 53,823 Carriages of coals, each weighing 9,438 lbs. 2,541 yards, and returned with the same number of empty Carriages, each weighing 3,472 lbs. This was in fifty-four successive weeks, and, in that time, exclusive of Sundays, the Engine, from want of goods to convey, was at least twenty days off work; so that in 304 days the performance was 446,815 tons conveyed one mile; or 1,470 tons one mile each day on a stage, only 2,541 yards. The Engine had three feet wheels, which were calculated for a rate of about 4½ miles per hour.
Mr. Rastrick, in his Report to the Directors of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, dated January 1829, gives the following Table of the absolute quantity of work done by five different Locomotive Engines, when reduced all to the same standard of five, eight and ten miles per hour. The Carriages pro portioned to the weight of goods, in the same ratio as they were proposed for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, and also of the work that the ten-horse Engine, proposed by him and Mr. Walker, would be capable of doing."
The Engines started for the Premium of £500, on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, in October 1829, were, the Rocket, Novelty and Sans Pareil.
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N.B.—The Railway was level, and about two miles in length, where the experiments were made.
Query 2.—What may be considered as the greatest performance of locomotive carriages previous to the Manchester and Liverpool Railway being opened?
Mr. Wood, in 1825, states that the performance of the best Locomotive Engine was equal to 40 tons, conveyed at the rate of six miles an hour; and four years after (in 1829). Messrs. Rastrick and Walker have stated, that 48% tons conveyed five miles an hour, or 19% tons conveyed 10 miles an hour, was the greatest performance the Directors of the Liverpool Railway could expect from them.
I have seen some statements of experiments in which the effective work was greater than the above; but 1 am inclined to think, they could not be so well depended on as those of Messrs. Wood. Rastrick and Walker.
Query 3.—What has been the greatest performance of any Engine since that period?
On the 23d of February 1831. Mr. Robert Stephenson stated to the Society of Civil Engineers, that the Northumbrian Locomotive Engine, weighing 6 tons 3 cwt, drew 50 tons up the inclined plane at Rainhill, at the average rate of 7½ miles per hour: pressure of steam was 50 lbs, on the square inch. The inclination of the ground at Rainhill is 1 in 96.
On the 1st of March 1831. Mr. Locke stated, that "The Samson" drew a gross weight of 151 tons in 30 waggons (the nett weight being 107 tons), the whole
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distance from Liverpool to Manchester, in 2 hours and 34 minutes, including 13 minutes of stoppages. The diameter of the wheels was 4 feet 6 inches.
On the 19th of April 1831, Mr. Locke stated, that “The Samson" drew up the inclined plane at Rainhill about 44% tons gross of goods and waggons, at the rate of about eight miles an hour.
Weight of the Engine was 83 tons; weight of tender (which was full of water), 4 tons; making the total weight of Goods, Waggons, Engine, and Tender, 57 tons; and, calculating the speed of the Engine eight miles per hour, she was exerting a force equal to 39 horse power.
He also stated, that a new Engine, "The Jupiter," had just been started. From the 4th of March to 6th of April, she drew 226 Waggons (only 10 of which were empty) and 847 Coaches, a total distance of 3,426 miles. In one fortnight she made 50 journies, equal to 1500 miles.
Diameter of cylinder, 11 inches; length of stroke, 16 inches; diameter of the wheels, 5 feet. Value of such an Engine, £700.
