Chap. VI IT.
BRITAIN.
587
The Grossmont Tramroad is about 7 miles in length, and has a rise of 166 feet. Itcommences at the Llanfihangel railway, and terminates at Llangua Bridge.
Penrhynmaur Railway , a little more than 7 miles in length, commences at that place, andterminates at Ited Wharf, near IJanbedrgoch, in the county of Anglesea.
Mumhilad Railway , after a course of 5 miles, ends at Usk Bridge, in the county of Mon-mouth.
Gloucester and Cheltenham Railway extends from the basin of the Gloucester andBerkeley canal to the Knapp toll-gate at Cheltenham , the distance being 9 miles.
Mmnsjield and Pinxton Railway, 8J miles in length, commences at the first mentionedtown, and ends near Alfreton, in Derbyshire , after passing through a country abounding inminerals.
Kington Railway is 14 miles in length, and may be considered as a continuation of theI lav railway, which it joins at Parton Cross, in Herefordshire. ; it passes by Kington, andterminates at Burlinjob, in Radnorshire.
Plymouth and Dartmouth is in length altogether 30 miles: this railway commences atthe Sound at Sutton Pool, and terminates near the prison at Dartmoor, in the parish ofLydford.
Stratford and Moreton. — This tramroad is in length 16 miles, exclusive of a branch of2j miles; it extends from Stratford-upon-Avon to Moreton in the Marsh, the branchleading to Shipston-upon-Stour, in Worcestershire .
The above railroads were established solely for the use of miners, or the transport ofcoals and minerals, and some for that of merchandise. We now arrive at the period whenit was considered that they might be rendered available for passengers.
Stockton and Darlington Railway , being the first on which the locomotive steam-enginewas employed, excited considerable interest, and led to the great changes which have takenplace in the transit of passengers, and the establishment of the numerous lines which havesince been laid down. Its length was 25 miles 30 chains; it was opened throughout inSeptember, 1835: it commences on the left bank of the Tees at Stockton, and proceeds ina southerly direction for 4 miles, where there is a branch to Yarm Bridge; the main lineturns to the west, and afterwards to the north-west, by the town of Darlington, fromwhence its course is nearly north, to the point of junction with the Clarence railway. Itthen passes West Auckland, and ends at Bishop Auckland . The main line has five branches,making together 15J miles, the whole extent being 40 miles. At the fifth branch, whichextends across the river Tees, is a suspension bridge, 240 feet in length between the piers,and 30 feet above low water-mark. The gauge of the way is 4 feet inches, rulinggradients 1 in 104, rise in feet per mile 50, and cost per mile 9000/. The total sum ex-pended to July, 1844, was 450,000/.
Durham and Sunderland , open throughout 28th of June, 1839, is in length 13 miles 20chains ; its termini are in the two towns above named ; the gauge of way is 4 feet 8^ inches,ruling gradients 1 in 60, rise in feet per mile 88, and cost per mile 14,281/. The totalsum expended to August, 1844, was 301,248/., and the cost of working the previous sixmonths 11,334/.
Redruth and Chasewater Railway -The length of the main line is 9^ miles, and that of
the four branches rather more than 5 miles additional. It commences at Redruth in Corn wall , and ends at Point Quay, in the parish of Feock.
Monkland and Kirkintilloch is 10 miles in length, with a branch of about ^ mile. It com-mences at Palace Craig, and terminates at Kirkintilloch, in Dumbartonshire.
Rumney Railway is in length 21^ miles, and extends from Bedwelty, in the county ofMonmouth, to Bassaleg, in the same county.
West Lothian , with its two branches, is in length 23 miles ; it commences at Ryall, on thebanks of the Edinburgh and Glasgow Union canal, and ends at Shotts.
Cromford and High Peak Railway , originally planned by Joseph Jessop, was executedunder the direction of Thomas Woodhouse , engineer . An act was obtained in the year1825, having for its object a junction between the Cromford and the Peak Forest canals,through a very mountainous and rugged district, where many obstacles occurred to preventits being effected ; the railway was substituted in lieu of it.
As Derbyshire is intersected by a lofty range of mountains, which extend northerly intoYorkshire and southerly into Staffordshire , the waters which run to the eastern andwestern coasts are divided, and over these mountains, which are of a limestone formation,the railway is carried : it ascends to a level of 992 feet above the Cromford Canal, and 1270feet above the level of the sea. The railway commences at the Cromford Canal, where itascends, by two inclined planes, to an elevation of 465 feet; the lower one being 580 yardslong, rising 204 feet, the upper one 711 yards long, and rising 261 feet. Each of theseinclined planes has two stationary steam-engines of 20 horse-power, which work endlesschains, directed and supported by pulleys, for the purpose of dvawing up the waggons,two of which, containing five or six tons each, are drawn up at a time, with a velocityof four miles an hour : 123,000 cubic yards of excavation, principally through grit or free-