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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 2, Issue 8 (December 1, 1927)

Extending The Range of Non-stop Trains

page 32

Extending The Range of Non-stop Trains.

The introduction of track troughs in Scotland by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway recalls some of the pioneering work done in providing this aid to rapid transport.

About 70 years ago John Ramsbottom introduced this system in England on the London and North Western Railway. Of course he had cruder mechanism than that of to-day for the purpose, but his was essentially the idea on which the later-day engineers have worked in evolving the modern perfected system. The process is the same. A water-trough is fixed between the two rails, and as the train passes over it a hinged scoop is released under the locomotive. With the speed of the engine the water caught by the scoop is thrust through an upright pipe, which discharges it, syphon-like, into the tender tank.

Group at D. T. M's. office, Christchurch, 1902. Back Row-J. C. Schneider, H. P. West, B. R. Sword, H. Chapman, J. A. McCaskey, L. H. Pugh. Front Row-C. S. Johnston, J. W. Pedler, E. A. Smart G. H. McLean, I. W. Blackmore, L. E. B. Edwards.

Group at D. T. M's. office, Christchurch, 1902.
Back Row-J. C. Schneider, H. P. West, B. R. Sword, H. Chapman, J. A. McCaskey, L. H. Pugh.
Front Row-C. S. Johnston, J. W. Pedler, E. A. Smart G. H. McLean, I. W. Blackmore, L. E. B. Edwards.

The new troughs to be used in Scotland are about one-third of a mile in length. They are of concrete construction, less than 18 inches wide and about six inches in depth. The trough is raised slightly above the rail level, and the scoop of the locomotive, which is manipulated by the fireman, dips about an inch and a half into the water. The trough ends in easy gradients, and the scoop works clear of it, even if the fireman does not lift it immediately the water supply has been secured.

The volume of water forced up the pipe and into the tank depends, of course, on the speed at which the locomotive is travelling. The scoop works most effectively with a locomotive speed of about 35 miles per hour. The water channel requires to be on a dead level throughout its length, and to secure this condition the portions of line selected as sites for the troughs have had to be reconstructed to some extent. The water is fed into the troughs from storage tanks, into which ample supply is pumped from the river Clyde in one case and from the river Esk in another.

The replenishing of the trough after a passing train has scooped up a tankful is effected automatically by means of valve mechanism, the channel being refilled in a minute or two. It is here that the modern engineer has improved most notably on the Ramsbottom system, under which there was a continual leakage of water from the storage tanks, except when the troughs were being refilled. In the Scottish installation, which is claimed to be the most up-to-date of its kind in the world, all leakage of this nature is eliminated.

The provision of the three water troughs in Scotland extends the chain which the L. M. S. have already established on their lines south of the Border. The first new link of this extended chain is at Floriston, about a mile and a half south of Gretna Junction. It will serve trains both on the Carlisle to Glasgow route via Dumfries and on the Carlisle to Edinburgh and Glasgow routes via Beattock. The second link is also on the main line passing through Beattock, and is situated at Strawfrank, a little over a mile south of Carstairs, where the Edinburgh and Glasgow lines join. The third link is on the old Glasgow and South-Western route, the site in this case being to the south of New Cumnock Station. In this chain the troughs are spaced along the main lines about 45 miles apart.

The non-stop range of trains is of course largely extended by this supersession of the old order under which the locomotive tanks had to be replenished by means of the water columns at stations and running sheds. The average amount of water raised from the troughs by an engine in motion is about 1,500 gallons, a quantity sufficient to operate an express locomotive for a distance of about 50 miles.

To Beat the Bus.

The London, Midland and Scottish Railway Company recently placed, on its Airdrie-New-house branch, a luxuriously fitted light steam carriage, by the use of which it is hoped to defeat the keen bus competition on the route. Of the vestibule type, the carriage has a built-in-engine and is capable of travelling at a maximum speed of 45 m.p.h. It has accommodation for 44 passengers, and combines all the advantages of the bus with the comfort and safety of a railway train.