RAILWAY.
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from traffic over the expenses of working and maintenance, it is necessary that theline should be laid out not only with a view to the greatest economy in the costof construction, hut to possess facilities in working, to pass near towns and throughpopulous districts, and to be of easy access.
In the following remarks it is endeavoured to shew the principal points connected—
1st, With construction,
2ndly, With working,
3rdly, With the amount of traffic to he expected upon, a railway.
Construction of Railways . — Cost .—The original cost of constructing railways inthis country may be classed under six heads, viz. Law and Parliamentary Expenses,Engineering, Land and Compensation, Works, Locomotive and Carrying Stock,Interest and Miscellaneous.
An average taken from above fifty railways gives the total cost per mile at dE 34,000;but as these railways were among the earliest made, and as a diminution of expensehas since taken place under some of the heads, it is probable that the present averagewill he considerably lower : it may, however, be assumed that the per-centage of eachof the above-mentioned heads, upon the total cost of construction, is for
Law and Parliamentary Expenses.2-75
Engineering.1'75
Land and Compensation.15-00
Works.70-00
Working Stock ........ 7"50
Interest and Miscellaneous.3-00
100-00
The cost per mile of some few railways, selected from different parts of the country,may he interesting, when classed under the principal heads.
Land andCompensation.
Works.
Rails.
Total costper mile.
£.
£.
7,700
36,900
4,400
53,700
Great Western.
6,400
32,500
9,400
56,200
3,200
14,500
3,300
24,700
8,800
39,300
3,600
61,000
113,500
98,500
4,000
253,000
Leicester and Swannington .
1,000
5,700
700
8,700
The amount required, in this country, for parliamentary expenses is comparativelylarge; and this is due to the system which has been adopted for the settlement ofquestions of this nature by the Houses of Parliament , who refer the considerationof the relative merits of the proposed lines to Committees of their own Members,instead of laying down rules for the guidance of some separate competent tribunal.Formerly there was no means of securing uniformity in the powers conferred by theSpecial Acts; but in 1845 the Consolidation Acts were passed, by which all the clausesrelating to taking land, raising capital, &c., were collected into two Acts (the Railwayand Lands Clauses Consolidation Acts), which are now incorporated with every SpecialAct, and from which no deviation is permitted without good cause being shewn.
Survey .—The preliminary survey required to enable Committees of the Housesof Parliament to judge of the merits of projected lines must be sufficient for theplans to shew the direction of the line, the various properties severed or affected, aswell as those of which portions would require to be taken, and it extends usuallyto 100 yards on each side of the proposed line. A section corresponding to theupper surface of the rails is also made, on which is marked the level of the railway