Engineers and Mechanics Encyclopedia 1839: Railways: T. Chapman

It has generally been considered a defect in Mr. Palmer's arrangement, that in order to make turns in the road, it is necessary that a portion of the rail should be made to turn with the carriages upon it.

This defect, T. Chapman, of Royal-row, Lambeth, proposed to remedy, by so constructing the carriage, as to enable it to turn itself upon a fixed suspension rail, whether curved or straight, or from one angle to another.

Fig.1 exhibits an end view of the carriage, and Fig. 2 a side view of the same, partly in section. a-a is the rail, b-b two wheels on the rail; these carry the turning plates c-c, each having four friction-rollers: e-e, upper plates; f-f, the vertical axis of the wheel-frames or turn-plates c-c; they pass through the plates d and e, from which the boxes g-g are suspended, by the lateral arms h-h and i-i.

Now as the wheels and frames b-c can turn freely on their axis f-f, they each require four guiding rollers j-j-j-j to keep them in a right line with the rail, and to cause them to turn as the rail turns. These carriages should not be further asunder than is absolutely necessary for the required curve of the rail. The bottom of the carriage has a joint at one third of its length, and is held up at this by the hooks k-k; by removing these, the contents may be let out: the fixed portion of the bottom is made sloping, so that it may be readily emptied.

About thirteen years ago it occurred to the editor of this work, that the force of the wind might be beneficially employed as an auxiliary power for propulsion on railways; and considering that the suspension principle, which had just then been promulgated by Mr. Palmer, was better adapted to that object than any other, he wrote a short paper on the subject, which was inserted in the eighth number of the Register of Arts, for January, 1824, under the signature of " L. H."

The plan also embraced a proposition for enabling boats from the sea, a river, or canal, to pass out of the water, at once upon the rail, and thereon be propelled precisely in the same manner as the receptacles provided by the inventor are, and from which they scarcely need to differ in shape.

Both of these propositions have been treated with abundance of ridicule, by persons who were either incapable or indisposed to reason. But one of them having, according to the newspapers, been recently carried into actual practice at Sunderland, and under less favourable circumstances, (i. e. on the common ground rail,) the writer need not dilate upon its feasibility. And as respects the other propositions, he will only observe, that believing it to contain the germ of something that may hereafter prove of public benefit, he hesitates not to place it before the judgment of the reader.

The following are extracts from the paper alluded to:

"The inhabitants of small islands, and of the sea-coast generally, subsist chiefly upon fish; and as they are remarkable for robust constitutions, it follows that their food must be strengthening and wholesome. I propose, therefore, a railway on Palmer's principle, from London to the nearest seaport town or fishing-place that shall give to the inhabitants of this city the advantages of a plentiful supply of the cheap and wholesome food enjoyed by those in maritime situations. In the drawing which accompanies this, the scene sketched is entirely imaginary, and is intended, first, to represent a railway leading to a sea-port, with the carriages being propelled, according to the modes projected by Mr. Palmer; the first train of carriages being drawn along the rail by a locomotive steam-engine, the second, more in the perspective, is supposed to be drawn by a horse.

“Brighton is perhaps the most eligible situation for such an undertaking. By a railroad from that place, the London market might be supplied with a prodigious quantity of fish within three or four hours after their being taken front the sea, at the most trifling expense of carriage; and if the wind were to be employed as an auxiliary propelling force. which I propose, the rapidity with which the fish might generally be brought to our markets would give no all the advantage of a sea-port town in the purchase of it.

“If the Hollanders have found it practicable (as is well known) to sail over land in four-wheeled carriages, how much more practicable and advantageous would it be to bring into use the admirable facilities furnished by Mr. Palmer in his new suspension railway, in which the resistance to the motion of the carriages is reduced to one-twentieth part; or in other words, wherein the facilities are twenty times greater.

“As objections will of course be raised, on the score of the variableness of the wind, I must repeat, that I only propose it as an auxiliary power. It would rarely happen that the wind would not be favourable in going or returning; and it is well known that S.W. winds prevail more than any other in our quarter, which would be favourable for the principal traffic; that is, to London. In the absence of a steam-engine, a horse should always be in attendance; so that when employed in drawing a train of carriages, if a favourable breeze should spring up, the sails might be spread, and the horse be put into one of the receptacles, where, over his bag of corn, he might regale and invigorate himself for fresh exertions, should the wind fall off.

“Having now given the outline of my first project, I proceed to my second, which will explain the meaning of the sailing vessels in the foreground of the drawing that are apparently issuing out of a canal lock. My intention in this was to exhibit an easy and obviously practicable mode, of transferring heavily laden vessels directly out of the water on to the railway, where they might be propelled by the wind with much greater velocity than through the water; and the same time show how admirably Mr. Palmer's railway is adapted as a branch communication to and from canals and rivers, or to form an important connecting line between them.

“In cutting a canal, which has to proceed down a declivity, and to ascend another, numerous locks must be constructed at an enormous expense; these would cause great loss of time and inconvenience in the traffic, which may be obviated by the adoption of this suspension railway as a connecting communication. The railway I propose is to be constructed as usual, elevated upon pillars, and not to terminate on arrival at the lock gates B, but to pass over it, and terminate at the other end, just within the second gates A, and be supported upon pillars thin the floor of the lock, the same as on dry ground. In the annexed cut, (which is a plan,) the double train of vessels are supposed to have all entered the lock, half on one side of the rail, and half on the other, and they are hooked on to the axle-trees of the wheels which, are already upon the rail for that purpose.

“The gates next to the river or canal are then closed, and all being fast, the water is let out of the lock by a sluice at D, till it falls below the bottom of the outer gate; at which time the vessels are all suspended on their axles in the air. The gates being next opened, and the wind fair, they sail across the valley, or are propelled by the other means provided by the patentee."

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