46

HISTORY AND PROGRESS

V.; near each end of the rail small holes were cast, throughwhich a nail was driven into the sleepers, which was of thesame description as those of the wooden rails, Fig. II., andshewn by the dotted lines in Fig. IV.; at the joinings ofthe rail at c c c c, they were merely laid against each otherat the ends, and nailed down to the sleeper, the intermediatesleepers having only one nailing; Fig.V. shews a section ofthis form of rail; ab, the horizontal bearing in which thewheel travelled; and b e, the upright ledge or projection toprevent the wheels from running off the road.

Various forms of this rail, which is calledthe “ Plate Rail/’ appear to have been usedwith either wooden sleepers stretched across thewhole breadth of the Rail-road. , or short squarewooden sleepers,as shewn in Fig. IV., on whichthe rails were nailed. In the year 1800, weare told that Mr. Benjamin Outram, an engi-neer, in adopting this rail on the public Rail-way at Little Eton, in Derbyshire , introducedstone props instead of timber, for supportingthe ends and joinings of the rails.

Mr. Outram, however, was not the first whomade use of stone supports, as the late Mr.Barns employed them in forming the firstiron Rail-road which was laid down in theneighbourhood of Newcastle-upon-Tyne , viz.from Lawson main colliery to the river, in 1797.

This kind of rail has undergone manyalterations in form since it first came into use.

Fig. VI. Plate I. is a ground plan; Fig. VII. a side