GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY.
TO THE EDITOR OF TIIE SPE(TIIITOR•
Bristol, nth October Me.
SIR—In concluding your notice of the Great Western Railway meeting held last week at Bristol, you remark, " If we tightly understand the effect of the vote of Thursday, the progress of this vast work is for the present suspended." I am sure you will be glad to learn that no such consequence will result from the decisions of the meeting ; which were in fact unanimously in favour of the Directors' past proceedings, although some of the proprietois expressed their fears that economy had not been so much studied as was desirable. The defects which existed at the first opening of the line to Maidenhead have now been remedied ; and it is probable that if the road hid been originally in the same good condition in which it now is, there would have been no thought of calliug for an examination of the line by engineers unconnected with the Compeny. As Mr. Woon, however, has been called on to undertake a practical investiya - tins of the working of the line, and required further time to obtain full and setisfactory duta, thete was no report from him to guide the proprietors as to the results of the system adopted ; and whilst it is known that Mr. Hexer:strew and other engineers who have constructed lines with the narrow gauge, are nut in favour of the increased width of the Great Western Railway, it seemed but reaornable alit the result of Mr. W000's practical examination of the line should be kuefen bef.re 4uny decision WUS come to on mere theoretical grounds: for the continuance or abandonment of the wide gauge. It was therefore re- solved that a special meeting, should be held two months hence, to take the leports of Mr. Woo n and Mr. Ile WXSI1AW into consideration ; and this pro- position etnanided from the Directors themselves. There is no reason to believe that the opinion of the Directors in favour of the increased width of the gauge is at all shaken by the experience they have had. On the contrary, they avow their conviction of its decided advantegee, in securing ineteiteed safety and ac- commodation for passengers, greater facility its the construction and repairs of the locomotives, and, above all, the capability of ultimately employing a much higher speed than is safely practicable on other railways. It would of course be premature to anticipate what the result of Mr. Vl'oon's expetimental hives- tigatiou may be; but unless it should develop facts of a very decided character adverse to the broiol gauge, there can be no reasonable apprehension that the proprietors will consent to abandon it, after Mewling a heavy expense to secure its contemplated advantages. In the mean time, the works of the road are advancing with all possible rapidity ; and, as Mr. HEYWORTH remarked at the meeting, there has been more progress and energy displayed during the last two months than before. It is understood that the -Directors do not intend to lay down any further portion of the rails until a final decision of the proprietary has been come to respecting the broad gauge; but every preparation will be ovule to do this without loss of time after the meeting in December ; before which period it would hardly be practicable under any circumstances. I will only notice one other point to which you refer—the profit and loss account. You very rightly atate, that in considering the traffic, we mutt also ascertain the amount of capital expended on the same portion of the line, and on which interest is to be paid. The August report of the Directors shows that the 22/, miles from Paddington to Maidenhead have cost just 1,000,000/. ; and the Company are now receiving an income at the rate of 90,000/. per annum from this portion. It is unnecessary to remark to your readers, that as this outlay of 1,000,000/. includes the London terminus of forty acres, with all the erections, bridges, &c. of the depot, which will remain the same when the entire line of I 17i lades is completed, it is not fair to look upon these ex- pensive items as falling entirely upon the fractional part of tbe line already opened. And, 011 the other hand, it is certain, that whilst no line of the same length in the country has acquired such an amount of passenger traffic, withiti t ;same period of its opening as the Great Western, the present teturns from tisk portion will be greatly inereaser1 as further portions are brought into action, and as the road traffic, whieh is still very large, is gradually absorbed by the Besides this, provision will soon be made fur the cenveyance of merchatillise to and froan the Thames at Maidenhead : and for this branch of their business, the Great Western Company possess the greatest facilities, from the proximity 'co their Paddington station of the Grand Junction Canal, wliih forms the boundary on the north side.
Your ingenious speculations a few weeks since on railway travelling in general, and your incidental reference to the Great Western Railway, have led me to think that these few remarks will not be unacceptable to 6aurself and your readers ; and should they serve to dissipate any of the prejudices with which the efforts of the Great Western Directors and Engineer to improve rail- way communication have been attended, I shall he thankful foe the opportu- tunity of conveying my views through your pages.
Previous page
