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having to encounter steep inclined planes totally unfit for the profitable employment of the locomotive engine, and also without having to depend in a great measure upon the peculiar state of the atmosphere, in order to enable the engines to surmount such inclined planes at all.

"It is extremely desirable, in laying out a main line of railway like this, to avoid as much as possible passing through a high country, as in so doing you not only invariably meet with difficulties in the form of extensive works to be executed, and inclined planes to be overcome, but you also traverse a country much more subject to the inclemency of the weather, especially in winter, where in high countries the snow, a great impeder to railway travelling, remains so long a time upon the ground.

"In consequence of the line I propose to you running so near the coast, it is entirely free from those great disadvantages. It passes through a low country; it possesses levels of a most favourable nature; and in the neighbourhood of the sea-coast, the snow remains a very short time upon the ground. The line itself runs so near the coast, that it may be found of great advantage in conveying troops from station to station, and, in case of war, in conveying despatches from the seat of government to any part of the North, and also for keeping up a communicatoin with the sea. If it should be found necessary, the whole line from Newcastle to Edinburgh might be formed into one continuous battery, by erecting a mound in exposed places to protect the engines from any attack from the sea. The whole troops of the country might also by its means be concentrated in one spot on the shortest notice.

"The line of railway which I am proposing will constitute the last link in the great chain of railway communication from London to Edinburgh and Glasgow: in the whole of this chain there will not be between London and Edinburgh

one inclination exceeding 20 feet a mile (except at the London and Birmingham station), and the characteristic inclination will be 16 feet a mile. The same description of engine will be enabled to work the whole of the lines included in this chain, so that, if it should be necessary, either from necessity or despatch being requisite, or in case of accident, an engine may be transferred from one line to another capable of performing the work. But, as I stated before, it appears to me, that both in a national and commercial point of view, the most important consideration in procuring easy inclinations is, that it ensures a certain, speedy, and punctual performance of the duties required from the engines.

"In looking at the subject in a local point of view, I may state that it has always been my practice to lay out main lines of railway through the lowest country, unless some important consideration, such as a large and populous town, induced me to diverge into a higher country. I consider that by adopting the low country I have many advantages which are lost by taking a high one. Considering the subject locally, I afford great facilities in procuring cheap branches from the main line into the interior of the country, and up the various valleys which run nearly at right angles to the main line; for instance, as regards the present railway, those productions, both agricultural and mineral, which are found in Northumberland and Scotland, may be conveyed on branch railways running up the valleys of the Blyth, the Wansbeck, the Coquet, and the Tweed, on declining railways from the places where they are produced to the main line of railway, when they can be carried north or south as may be required.

"It is a very important consideration indeed, that branch railways should possess a falling inclination towards the main line, as the productions of the country are invariably conveyed either to the coast for shipment, or to populous towns

through which the main railways of the kingdom are carried; and the traffic conveyed from populous towns and the coast into the interior of the country is generally of a light description, consisting of groceries, and what may be called the luxuries of life. There is, however, in this case, an exception, and that is the river Tweed. It will be a great advantage to the valley of the Tweed, inasmuch as the inhabitants will procure both lime and coal from Berwick at a cheap rate, and as that river is crossed at the height of 90 feet, and being a sluggish stream near its mouth, you will be enabled to have a level branch along the valley for many miles.

"The towns of Morpeth, Belford, Alnwick, and Kelso, may be easily accommodated by branches up the different valleys in which they are situated.

"I will now conclude this Report, congratulating you upon the favourable nature of the country, and the great facilities which exist for constructing the works on the coast line, with a firm conviction on my own mind that it is the only feasible and desirable line of railway, with levels to which locomotive steam power can be advantageously applied, between the town of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow."

The recommendations contained in this able report were eventually adopted, although several years elapsed before the line was actually constructed. This delay was caused by unavoidable circumstances, to which we shall afterwards

In the meantime, the alternative route to Edinburgh by Carter Fell was not without its advocates, Mr. Nicholas Wood heading the opposition to Mr. Stephenson, and alleging that the east coast route by Berwick "could neither answer the purpose of the public in general nor the subscribers."*

Mr. Stephenson was also consulted with reference to the Railway Times, 1839, p. 372:

formation of a main line from Chester to Holyhead, with the view of improving the railway communication with Dublin, and Ireland generally. Mr. Giles and Mr. Vignolles were both engaged in surveying lines of railway to Holyhead in 1838, and they presented reports on the subject to their respective promoters. About the same time the directors of the Chester and Crewe Company called upon Mr. Stephenson to make a preliminary survey of the country between Chester and Holyhead, and inquire into the practicability of forming the line by Shrewsbury to Port Dynllaen, which had been suggested by the Irish Railway Commissioners in their published report, as compared with a line to Holyhead passing through Chester. After a careful examination, Mr. Stephenson reported in very strong terms against the line adopted by the Irish Railway Commissioners and by Mr. Vignolles, and in favour of the route by Chester, which, he alleged, could be formed for less money, and would be a shorter line, with much more favourable gradients.

A public meeting was held at Chester on the 10th of January, 1839, in support of Mr. Stephenson's line, at which the Marquis of Westminster, Mr. Wilbraham, the member for the county, and other influential gentlemen, were present. Mr. Uniacke, the Mayor, in opening the proceedings, observed, that it clearly appeared that the rival line through Shrewsbury was quite impracticable,-"Mr. Stephenson, the first railway authority in the kingdom-in fact, the father of railways had so characterised it; and, after that opinion, he did not think that any one could be found who would risk money in such a speculation. Their object was, to advance and carry the really practicable project; and he would take the opportunity of saying, that the dissemination of Mr.

* Report upon the proposed Railway Communications with Ireland, addressed to the Directors of the Chester and Crewe Railway Company, dated Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Dec. 19th, 1838.

Stephenson's admirable report had satisfied the people of Ireland, not only that the project was practicable, but that it was the only one that was practicable, and worthy of general support." Mr. Stephenson, he added, was present in the room, ready to answer any questions which might be put to him on the subject; and "it would be better that he should be asked questions than required to make a speech; for, though a very good engineer, he was a bad speaker." One of the questions then put to Mr. Stephenson related to the mode by which he proposed to haul the passenger carriages over the Menai Bridge by horse power; and he was asked whether he knew the pressure the bridge was capable of sustaining. His answer was, that "he had not yet made any calculations; but he proposed getting data which would enable him to arrive at an accurate calculation of the actual strain upon the bridge during the late gale. But he had no hesitation in saying that it was more than twenty times as much as the strain of a train of carriages and a locomotive engine. The only reason why he proposed to convey the carriages over by horses, was in order that he might, by distributing the weight, not increase the waving motion. All the train would be on at once; but distributed. This he thought better than passing them linked together by a locomotive engine."

Mr. Vignolles, in the course of the same month, published a defence of his mode of effecting a communication between London and Dublin, although he confessed that to impugn Mr. Stephenson's statements in reference to his measure, or to enter into a professional contest with such high authority, was almost "bearding the lion in his den." The Dublin Chamber of Commerce decided in favour of Mr. Stephenson's plan; and at a meeting of members of Parliament held in London in May 1839, a series of resolutions was adopted in favour of the scheme. At that meeting Mr. Stephenson was present, and

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