103-625: The Surrey Iron Railway (SIR) was a horse-drawn narrow-gauge plateway that linked Wandsworth and Croydon via Mitcham , all then in Surrey but now suburbs of south London, in England. It was established by Act of Parliament in 1801, and opened partly in 1802 and partly in 1803. It was a toll railway on which carriers used horse traction. The chief goods transported were coal, building materials, lime, manure, corn and seeds. The first 8.25 miles (13.28 km) to Croydon opened on 26 July 1803, with
206-698: A 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) gauge, whereas Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand have metre-gauge railways . Narrow-gauge trams, particularly metre-gauge, are common in Europe. Non-industrial, narrow-gauge mountain railways are (or were) common in the Rocky Mountains of the United States and the Pacific Cordillera of Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, Bulgaria, the former Yugoslavia , Greece, and Costa Rica. A narrow-gauge railway
309-415: A train coming from the point blades toward the straight path or the diverging path. A train moving from the narrow end toward the point blades (i.e. it will be directed to one of the two paths, depending on the position of the points) is said to be executing a facing-point movement . For many types of switch, a train coming from either of the converging directions will pass through the switch regardless of
412-623: A wharf on the Thames at Wandsworth, and ascended gently through Tooting and Mitcham to Pitlake Mead in Croydon. There was a branch from near the site of the Mitcham Junction to oil-cake mills at Hackbridge, and a number of spurs to mills and works. The initial share capital was £50,000 to which a further £10,000 was added in 1805–1806. The final cost, including the dock at Wandsworth, was between £54,700 and £60,000. The main traffic
515-638: A barrier between the metal surfaces to prevent ice from forming between them (i.e. having frozen together by ice). Such approaches however, may not always be effective for extreme climates since these chemicals will be washed away over time, especially for heavily thrown switches that experience hundreds of throws daily. Heating alone may not always be enough to keep switches functioning under snowy conditions. Wet snow conditions, which generate particularly sticky snow and whiteout conditions, may occur at temperatures just below freezing, causing chunks of ice to accumulate on trains. When trains traverse over some switches,
618-405: A branch line off from Mitcham to Hackbridge . The 8.5 miles (13.7 km) long Croydon, Merstham and Godstone Railway was built as an extension of the railway but by a separate company. It opened in 1805 and closed in 1838. The Surrey Iron Railway was commercially successful only briefly, until shortly after the opening of the canal between Croydon and London in 1809. It closed in 1846. By
721-481: A brick bridge to carry the road over the railway. There were two other bridges over the cutting, one 200m south for the entrance to Dean Farm, and the other about 125m south of Harps Oak Lane, just south of the A23 dual carriageway near where the houses begin. The Coulsdon embankment extended over today’s A23 where there was a brick archway “of sufficient height and width to admit a wagon loaded with hay, straw, faggots , or
824-601: A crossover can be used either to detour "wrong-rail" around an obstruction or to reverse direction. A crossover can also join two tracks of the same direction, possibly a pair of local and express tracks, and allow trains to switch from one to the other. On a crowded system, routine use of crossovers (or switches in general) will reduce throughput, as use of the switch blocks multiple tracks. For this reason, on some high-capacity rapid transit systems, crossovers between local and express tracks are not used during normal rush hour service, and service patterns are planned around use of
927-425: A curve with standard-gauge rail ( 1435 mm ) can allow speed up to 145 km/h (90 mph), the same curve with narrow-gauge rail ( 1067mm ) can only allow speed up to 130 km/h (81 mph). In Japan and Queensland, recent permanent-way improvements have allowed trains on 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) gauge tracks to exceed 160 km/h (99 mph). Queensland Rail 's Electric Tilt Train ,
1030-455: A design speed of 137 km/h (85 mph). Curve radius is also important for high speeds: narrow-gauge railways allow sharper curves, but these limit a vehicle's safe speed. Many narrow gauges, from 15 in ( 381 mm ) gauge to 4 ft 8 in ( 1,422 mm ) gauge, are in present or former use. They fall into several broad categories: 4 ft 6 in ( 1,372 mm ) track gauge (also known as Scotch gauge)
1133-426: A fire and legal dispute and the dock was sold at auction to the adjacent Wandsworth and District Gas Company in 1910. It fell into disuse and was subsequently filled in. There was also a wharf with warehouses at Croydon, approximately bounded by the railway, Pitlake (which extended to Reeves Corner) and Waddon New Road, largely under today’s Roman Way extending west. Jessop had hinted at the possibility of extending
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#17327697499701236-474: A heavy-duty narrow-gauge line is Brazil's EFVM . 1,000 mm ( 3 ft 3 + 3 ⁄ 8 in ) gauge, it has over-100-pound rail (100 lb/yd or 49.6 kg/m) and a loading gauge almost as large as US non-excess-height lines. The line has a number of 4,000-horsepower (3,000 kW) locomotives and 200-plus-car trains. Narrow gauge's reduced stability means that its trains cannot run at speeds as high as on broader gauges. For example, if
1339-521: A hole for an octagonal oak plug, making them larger than Outram suggested. The gauge was recorded as 4 ft 2 in ( 1,270 mm ), the same as on the Croydon, Merstham and Godstone Railway. The rails were of the Outram pattern 3 feet 2 inches (97 cm) long, 4 inches (10 cm) on the tread except for 5–6 inches (13–15 cm) at the ends where they were 1 ⁄ 2 inch (1.3 cm) thicker. A matching rectangular recess at
1442-434: A lever to be moved by a human operator, and some switches are still controlled this way. However, most are now operated by a remotely controlled actuator called a point machine ; this may employ an electric motor or a pneumatic or hydraulic actuator . This both allows for remote control and monitoring and for the use of stiffer, strong switches that would be too difficult to move by hand, yet allow for higher speeds. In
1545-406: A maximum weight, width and length between axles. The maximum laden weight was 3¼ tons (3.3 tonnes), while the unladen wagons typically weighed about a ton(ne). According to Farey writing in 1806, the most common wagon was 7 feet 5 inches (2.26 m) long by 4 feet 5 inches (1.35 m) wide and 2 feet 4 inches (0.71 m) high. The owners were also obliged to register
1648-503: A mine in Bohemia with a railway of about 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge. During the 16th century, railways were primarily restricted to hand-pushed, narrow-gauge lines in mines throughout Europe. In the 17th century, mine railways were extended to provide transportation above ground. These lines were industrial , connecting mines with nearby transportation points (usually canals or other waterways). These railways were usually built to
1751-825: A number of large 3 ft ( 914 mm ) railroad systems in North America; notable examples include the Denver & Rio Grande and Rio Grande Southern in Colorado; the Texas and St. Louis Railway in Texas, Arkansas and Missouri; and, the South Pacific Coast , White Pass and Yukon Route and West Side Lumber Co of California. 3 ft was also a common track gauge in South America, Ireland and on
1854-558: A pair of turnplates or turntables that allowed the wagons to be rotated through 90° so their load could be tipped into a waiting barge. This was facilitated by an overhanging pier or stage, which likely included a tipping frame. The nine-mile route followed the shallow valley of the River Wandle , then heavily industrialised with numerous factories and mills, from the River Thames at Wandsworth southwards to Croydon, at what
1957-628: A range of industrial railways running on 500 mm ( 19 + 3 ⁄ 4 in ) and 400 mm ( 15 + 3 ⁄ 4 in ) tracks, most commonly in restricted environments such as underground mine railways, parks and farms, in France. Several 18 in ( 457 mm ) gauge railways were built in Britain to serve ammunition depots and other military facilities, particularly during World War I . Railroad switch A railroad switch ( AE ), turnout , or [ set of ] points ( CE )
2060-427: A regular crossing. Double outside slip switches are only used in rare, specific cases. A crossover is a pair of switches that connects two parallel rail tracks , allowing a train on one track to cross over to the other. Like the switches themselves, crossovers can be described as either facing or trailing . When two crossovers are present in opposite directions, one after the other, the four-switch configuration
2163-520: A shareholder in the railway, tried to persuade George Stephenson to supply a locomotive. Stephenson realised that the cast-iron plateway could not support the weight of a locomotive and declined. A steam railway arrived in Croydon with the opening of the London and Croydon Railway in 1839. In 1844 the proprietors sold the railway to the L&;SWR , which sold it to the London and Brighton Railway so that
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#17327697499702266-402: A siding, allowing a train to get off the track to allow traffic to pass (this siding can either be a dedicated short length of track, or formed from a section of a second, continuous, parallel line), and also allows trains coming from either direction to switch between lines; otherwise, the only way for a train coming from the opposite direction to use a switch would be to stop, and reverse through
2369-399: A sprinkling of gravel ballast. Tharby’s excavation revealed a flint rather than gravel ‘path’ at Merstham. The CM&GR had its own toll houses at Croydon and Merstham; the latter is still standing as Weighbridge Cottage, 201 London Road North, and is a grade 2 listed building . The railway closed in 1838 when it was purchased by the London and Brighton Railway Company . The company ordered
2472-408: A trailing-point movement (running through the switch in the wrong direction while they are set to turn off the track), the flanges on the wheels will force the points to the proper position. This is sometimes known as running through the switch . Some switches are designed to be forced to the proper position without damage. Examples include variable switches, spring switches, and weighted switches. If
2575-490: A train could potentially split the points (end up going down both tracks) if the points were to move underneath the train. During trailing moves, the wheels of a train will force the points into the correct position if they attempt to move, although this may cause considerable damage. This act is known as a "run through". In the United Kingdom, FPLs were common from an early date, due to laws being passed which forced
2678-403: A train to proceed over points when it was safe to do so. Purely mechanical interlockings were eventually developed into integrated systems with electric control. On some low-traffic branch lines, in self-contained marshalling yards , or on heritage railways , switches may still have the earlier type of interlocking. A railroad car 's wheels are primarily guided along the tracks by coning of
2781-410: A weighing machine. The entrance to the wharf was protected by gates across today’s Ram Street, at the junction with Barchard Street, which at the time was a continuation of Red Lion Street (Ram Street). This was the first part of the ‘railway’ to be constructed and was opened on 7 January 1802. It was managed by Samuel Jones, the wharfinger. There was likely a lock-keeper and watchman, as there were when
2884-417: Is a lever and accompanying linkages to align the points of a switch by hand. The lever and its accompanying hardware is usually mounted to a pair of long ties (sleepers) that extend from the switch at the points. They are often used in a place of a switch motor on less frequently used switches. In some places, the lever may be some distance from the points, as part of a lever frame or ground frame. To prevent
2987-437: Is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another, such as at a railway junction or where a spur or siding branches off. The most common type of switch consists of a pair of linked tapering rails, known as points ( switch rails or point blades ), lying between the diverging outer rails (the stock rails ). These points can be moved laterally into one of two positions to direct
3090-425: Is a short piece of rail placed alongside the main (stock) rail opposite the crossing. These ensure that the wheels follow the appropriate flangeway through the frog and that the train does not derail. Check rails are often used on very sharp curves, even where there are no switches. A switch motor or switch machine (point motor or point machine) is an electric, hydraulic or pneumatic mechanism that aligns
3193-491: Is a track gauge of 1,000 mm ( 3 ft 3 + 3 ⁄ 8 in ). It has about 95,000 km (59,000 mi) of track. According to Italian law, track gauges in Italy were defined from the centre of each rail rather than the inside edges of the rails. This gauge, measured 950 mm ( 3 ft 1 + 3 ⁄ 8 in ) between the edges of the rails, is known as Italian metre gauge . There were
Surrey Iron Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue
3296-410: Is better to keep these separated as much as feasible). Sometimes a switch merely divides one track into two; at others, it serves as a connection between two or more parallel tracks, allowing a train to switch between them. In many cases, where a switch is supplied to leave a track, a second is supplied to allow the train to reenter the track some distance down the line; this allows the track to serve as
3399-410: Is called a double crossover . If the crossovers in different directions overlap to form an ×, it is dubbed a scissors crossover , scissors crossing , or just scissors ; or, due to the diamond in the center, a diamond crossover . This makes for a very compact track layout at the expense of using a level junction . In a setup where each of the two tracks normally carries trains of only one direction,
3502-430: Is connected, the right wheel's flange will be guided along the rail of that point, and the train will continue along the straight track. Only one of the points may be connected to the facing track at any time; the two points are mechanically locked together to ensure that this is always the case. A mechanism is provided to move the points from one position to the other ( change the points ). Historically, this would require
3605-414: Is described by the side that the diverging track leaves. Right-hand switches have a diverging path to the right of the straight track, when coming from the point blades, and a left-handed switch has the diverging track leaving to the opposite side. In many cases, such as rail yards, many switches can be found in a short section of track, sometimes with switches going both to the right and left (although it
3708-433: Is measured as the number of units of length for a single unit of separation. In North America this is generally referred to as a switch's "number". For example, on a "number 12" switch, the rails are one unit apart at a distance of twelve units from the center of the frog. In the United Kingdom points and crossings using chaired bullhead rail would be referred to using a letter and number combination. The letter would define
3811-629: Is not uncommon to find switches where a speed of 200 km/h (124 mph) or more is allowed on the diverging branch. Switches were passed over at a speed of 560 km/h (348 mph) (straight) during the French world speed run of April 2007. The US Federal Railroad Administration has published the speed limits for higher-speed turnouts with No. 26.5 turnout that has speed limit of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) and No. 32.7 with speed limit of 80 miles per hour (129 km/h). Under cold weather conditions, snow and ice can prevent
3914-418: Is now Reeves Corner . A short branch ran from Mitcham to Hackbridge and Carshalton . The railway was extended by a separate company as the Croydon, Merstham and Godstone Railway through Purley and Coulsdon to quarries near Merstham , opened in 1805 and closed in 1838. The railway users provided their own trucks and wagons, which were designed for the load they carried, but the railway company stipulated
4017-488: Is one where the distance between the inside edges of the rails is less than 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ). Historically, the term was sometimes used to refer to what are now standard-gauge railways , to distinguish them from broad-gauge railways , but this use no longer applies. The earliest recorded railway appears in Georgius Agricola 's 1556 De re metallica , which shows
4120-1021: The Isle of Man . 900 mm was a common gauge in Europe. Swedish three-foot-gauge railways ( 891 mm or 2 ft 11 + 3 ⁄ 32 in ) are unique to that country and were once common all over the country. Today the only 891 mm line that remains apart from heritage railways is Roslagsbanan , a commuter line that connects Stockholm to its northeastern suburbs. A few railways and tramways were built to 2 ft 9 in ( 838 mm ) gauge, including Nankai Main Line (later converted to 3 ft 6 in or 1,067 mm ), Ocean Pier Railway at Atlantic City , Seaton Tramway ( converted from 2 ft ) and Waiorongomai Tramway . 800 mm ( 2 ft 7 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) gauge railways are commonly used for rack railways . Imperial 2 ft 6 in ( 762 mm ) gauge railways were generally constructed in
4223-493: The LB&;SCR from 1856, and some of the route is in use by London Tramlink : routes 3 & 4 between Wandle Park & Waddon Marsh, and route 3 at Mitcham. The Wandsworth wharf ran alongside the newly cut basin or dock that extended from the Thames nearly as far as Wandsworth High Street and could accommodate 30 barges , varying in size from the west country barge to the smaller lighter and passage boat(ferry). It allowed
Surrey Iron Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue
4326-453: The 1820s. It covered its costs, but was unable to update its technology or to keep the track in good repair. It closed on 31 August 1846. It was a public toll railway, providing a track for independent goods hauliers to use their own horses and wagons . The company did not operate its own trains. Sometimes it leased out the track and the dock, and sometimes it collected tolls and kept the line in repair itself. From about 1836, James Lyon leased
4429-587: The 500mm gauge tracks of their mine railway ; these locomotives were made by the Deutz Gas Engine Company ( Gasmotorenfabrik Deutz ), now Deutz AG . Another early use of internal combustion was to power a narrow-gauge locomotive was in 1902. F. C. Blake built a 7 hp petrol locomotive for the Richmond Main Sewerage Board sewage plant at Mortlake . This 2 ft 9 in ( 838 mm ) gauge locomotive
4532-585: The L&;BR could use the trackbed to extend from Croydon to Earlsfield and then join the L&SWR line into Nine Elms and eventually Waterloo. However, the sale did not proceed, and on 3 August 1846 the Surrey Iron Railway obtained an Act of Parliament authorising its closure, which took place on 31 August 1846. Part of the route was used for part of the West Croydon to Wimbledon Line , part of
4635-952: The Philippines demonstrate that if track is built to a heavy-duty standard, performance almost as good as a standard-gauge line is possible. Two-hundred-car trains operate on the Sishen–Saldanha railway line in South Africa, and high-speed Tilt Trains run in Queensland. In South Africa and New Zealand, the loading gauge is similar to the restricted British loading gauge; in New Zealand, some British Rail Mark 2 carriages have been rebuilt with new bogies for use by Tranz Scenic (Wellington-Palmerston North service), Tranz Metro (Wellington-Masterton service), and Auckland One Rail (Auckland suburban services). Another example of
4738-468: The SIR and CM&GR. Unlike the gentle inclines on these railways, the gradient was an average of about 1:66 and may have been 1:28 at its steepest. Comparison with other tramways suggest that a horse or mule could pull trucks up the tramway, which like the road followed a longer, less direct path up the hillside. The road survives as today’s Tamworth Road. The company had a wharf at Pitlake, which they let with
4841-472: The Surrey Iron Railway in September 1802 when a newspaper reported three wagons carrying 33 quarters of linseed were pulled by a small horse. Malcolm writing around the same time as Farey describes a similar wagon that was designed to tip by placing the axles further forward, with the rear axle in the centre. Wollaston’s 1823 watercolour depicts shorter, taller wagons used for conveying coal. Malcolm claims it
4944-567: The UK and most other Commonwealth countries, the term points refers to the entire mechanism. In professional parlance, the term refers only to the movable rails and the entire mechanism is named turnout or points and crossings . Turnout and switch are terms used in North America in all contexts. In some cases, the switch blades can be heat treated for improvement of their service life. There are different kinds of heat treatment processes such as edge hardening or complete hardening. The cross-section of
5047-847: The US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) standard gauge . Most narrow-gauge railways are between 600 mm ( 1 ft 11 + 5 ⁄ 8 in ) and 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ). Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves , smaller structure gauges , and lighter rails ; they can be less costly to build, equip, and operate than standard- or broad-gauge railways (particularly in mountainous or difficult terrain). Lower-cost narrow-gauge railways are often used in mountainous terrain, where engineering savings can be substantial. Lower-cost narrow-gauge railways are often built to serve industries as well as sparsely populated communities where
5150-694: The arrangement may also be called a double switch , or more colloquially, a puzzle switch . The Great Western Railway in the United Kingdom used the term double compound points , and the switch is also known as a double compound in Victoria (Australia) . In Italian, the term for a double switch is deviatoio inglese , which means English switch . Likewise, it is called Engels(e) Wissel in Dutch and, occasionally, Engländer ("english one", literally "Englishman") in German. A single slip switch works on
5253-715: The availability of water led to the adoption of a plateway. Contrary to popular belief, it was not the world's first railway authorised by Parliament independently of a canal: that was the Middleton Railway (1758). Nor was it the first public railway or the first railway company: both of those honours go to the Lake Lock Rail Road near Wakefield, Yorkshire. It received royal assent on 21 May 1801, and work commenced immediately with William Jessop as engineer, George Leather as resident engineer, and joint contractor with Benjamin Outram . The line started at
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#17327697499705356-920: The coal industry. Some sugar cane lines in Cuba were 2 ft 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 699 mm ). 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge railways were generally constructed in the former British colonies. The U.S. had a number of railways of that gauge , including several in the state of Maine such as the Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway . 1 ft 11 + 3 ⁄ 4 in ( 603 mm ), 600 mm ( 1 ft 11 + 5 ⁄ 8 in ) and 1 ft 11 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 597 mm ) were used in Europe. Gauges below 1 ft 11 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 597 mm ) were rare. Arthur Percival Heywood developed 15 in ( 381 mm ) gauge estate railways in Britain and Decauville produced
5459-431: The crossing are often connected to move in unison, so the crossing can be worked by just two levers or point motors. This gives the same functionality of two points placed end to end. These compact (albeit complex) switches usually are found only in locations where space is limited, such as station throats (i.e. approaches) where a few main lines spread out to reach any of numerous platform tracks. In North American English,
5562-402: The diamond instead of inside. An advantage over an inside slip switch is that trains can pass the slips with higher speeds. A disadvantage over an inside slip switch is that they are longer and need more space. An outside slip switch can be so long that its slips do not overlap at all, as in the example pictured. In such a case a single, outside slip switch is the same as two regular switches and
5665-418: The dock regardless of the tide . The dock was kept full at high tide, which varied from 3 feet 6 inches (1.07 m) at neap tide and 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 m) at spring tide. Bradshaw states the lock could accommodate vessels up to 77 feet (23 m) long and 17 feet (5.2 m) wide, which included Medway sailing barges . The wharf was equipped with warehouses, toll house, cranes and
5768-411: The eighteenth century, cast iron components were made to build switches with check rails. In 1797, John Curr described the system that he developed which used a single iron blade, hinged on a vertical pin that was tapered to lie against the plateway. By 1808, Curr's basic design was in common use. The use of a sprung rail, giving a smooth transition, was patented by Charles Fox in 1838. Prior to
5871-618: The end of the eighteenth century, a number of short plateways , such as those to the Caldon Low quarries and the Little Eaton Gangway , had been built. Their purpose was to convey a mineral to a nearby canal for onward transport. The original plan for a transport connection between Wandsworth, on the River Thames , and the industries of the Wandle Valley had been a canal scheme, put forward in 1799, but doubts about
5974-414: The ends of each rail allowed the ends of two rails to be secured by a single iron nail or spike, hammered into the oak plug. The height of the vertical flange varied along its length from about 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) at the ends to about 3 inches (7.6 cm) in the middle. Breakages of the brittle cast iron led to modifications in the replacement rails. Some rails had a smaller downward flange or rib along
6077-544: The fastest train in Australia and the fastest 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) gauge train in the world, set a record of 210 km/h (130 mph). The speed record for 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) narrow-gauge rail is 245 km/h (152 mph), set in South Africa in 1978. A special 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge railcar was built for the Otavi Mining and Railway Company with
6180-491: The first stage of this route, with a branch to Godstone via Merstham and an Act for the purpose was obtained on 17 May 1803. The railway's directors were directors of the CM&;GR, supplemented by Colonel Hylton Jolliffe and his brother, Rev William John Jolliffe, who had land and mineral interests on its route. Work started quickly and it opened to Merstham on 24 July 1805 – it never reached Godstone or Reigate. The track gauge
6283-481: The following corresponding radii: Switches are necessary for the operation of a railway, but they do pose a number of risks: Switch-related accidents caused by one or more of these risks have occurred, including: The switch rails or points ( point blades ) are the movable rails which guide the wheels towards either the straight or the diverging track. They are tapered, except on stub switches in industrial sidings, which have square ends. In popular parlance in
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#17327697499706386-527: The former British colonies . 760 mm Bosnian gauge and 750 mm railways are predominantly found in Russia and Eastern Europe. Gauges such as 2 ft 3 in ( 686 mm ), 2 ft 4 in ( 711 mm ) and 2 ft 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 724 mm ) were used in parts of the UK, particularly for railways in Wales and the borders, with some industrial use in
6489-418: The frequency of trains, or applying anti-icing chemicals such as ethylene glycol to the trains. The divergence and length of a switch is determined by the angle of the frog (the point in the switch where two rails cross, see below) and the angle or curvature of the switch blades. The length and placement of the other components are determined from this using established formulas and standards. This divergence
6592-414: The length (and hence the radius) of the switch blades and the number would define the angle of the crossing (frog). Thus an A7 turnout would be very short and likely only to be found in tight places like dockyards whereas an E12 would be found as a fairly high speed turnout on a mainline. On the London, Midland and Scottish Railway , switch curvatures were specified from A (sharpest) to F (shallowest), with
6695-497: The like to pass underneath”. Malcolm claims there was another embankment with brick arch to the south of Hooley where the road had to be lowered to pass under it; between Purley and Coulsdon the ground had to be levelled by cutting and filling. Accordingly, the gradient on the CM&GR was a steady 1 in 120. After the ground had been levelled, a foundation of chalk and flint was laid, which was pounded, watered and rolled. The stone blocks and rails were then laid and more chalk added, with
6798-407: The movable switch blades were connected to the fixed closure rails with loose joints, but since steel is somewhat flexible it is possible to obviate this looseness by thinning a short section of the rail's bottom itself. This can be called a heelless switch . Turnouts were originally built with straight switch blades, which ended at the pointed end with a sharp angle. These switches cause a bump when
6901-405: The other, alternatively to going straight across. A train approaching the arrangement may leave by either of the two tracks on the opposite side of the crossing. To reach the third possible exit, the train must change tracks on the slip and then reverse. The arrangement gives the possibility of setting four routes, but because only one route can be traversed at a time, the four blades at each end of
7004-575: The points are rigidly connected to the switch control mechanism, the control mechanism's linkages may be bent, requiring repair before the switch is again usable. For this reason, switches are normally set to the proper position before performing a trailing-point movement. Generally, switches are designed to be safely traversed at low speed. However, it is possible to modify the simpler types of switch to allow trains to pass at high speed. More complicated switch systems, such as double slips, are restricted to low-speed operation. On European high-speed lines, it
7107-600: The points with one of the possible routes. The motor is usually controlled remotely by the dispatcher (signaller in the UK). The switch motor also includes electrical contacts to detect that the switch has completely set and locked. If the switch fails to do this, the governing signal is kept at red (stop). There is also usually some kind of manual handle for operating the switch in emergencies, such as power failures, or for maintenance purposes. A patent by W. B. Purvis dates from 1897. A switch stand ( points lever or ground throw )
7210-411: The position of the points, as the vehicle's wheels will force the points to move. Passage through a switch in this direction is known as a trailing-point movement and switches that allow this type of movement without damage to the mechanism are called trailable switches . A switch generally has a straight "through" track (such as the main-line) and a diverging route. The handedness of the installation
7313-657: The proper movement of switch or frog point rails, essentially inhibiting the proper operation of railroad switches. Historically, railway companies have employees keep their railroad switches clear of snow and ice by sweeping the snow away using switch brooms (Basically wire brooms with a chisel attached onto the opposite end of the broom – quite similar to ice scrapers used today), or gas torches for melting ice and snow. Such operation are still used in some countries, especially for branch routes with only limited traffic (e.g. seasonal lines). Modern switches for heavily trafficked lines are typically equipped with switch heaters installed in
7416-410: The provision of FPLs for any routes traveled by passenger trains – it was, and still is, illegal for a passenger train to make a facing move over points without them being locked, either by a point lock, or temporarily clamped in one position or another. Joints are used where the moving points meet the fixed rails of the switch. They allow the points to hinge easily between their positions. Originally
7519-422: The rails to be taken up and were subsequently sold. Through Croydon, the old tramway became Tramway Road and was later renamed Church Road. The Croydon Canal Company had been authorised to build a road between West Croydon and Pitlake in 1801 but this was not built until 1811, after additional funds were authorised. It had a double track tramway with crossovers along its east side that interconnected with both
7622-491: The railway and dock were let in 1806 until the railway’s closure in 1846. The dock continued after the railway’s closure and was sold to James Watney and William Henry Wells at the nearby flour mill (Middle Mill). By 1865, and probably in 1861 when Watney and Wells dissolved their partnership, it was the property of William McMurray. McMurray was an important paper maker who made paper out of imported esparto grass , among other things. The company subsequently became bankrupt after
7725-610: The railway to the Sussex coast in 1800 and at the SIR’s first annual meeting in June 1802 it was agreed to enquire about opening “… a communication with the sea ports in the Channel, and particularly with Portsmouth”. The significance of Portsmouth was that naval supply ships sailing from London to Portsmouth could be attacked by French privateers. It was agreed to extend the railway to Reigate as
7828-530: The rail’s trailing edge. Rails with a constant 1 inch (2.5 cm) flange were used at road crossings, as directed by the House of Lords. Farey states the crossing was made level using pavement stones. Simple points or switch plates consisting of a pivoted iron rail or bar allowed trains to pass from one track to another, connect branch lines and provide sidings at the wharves. At the Wandsworth wharf there were
7931-550: The same narrow gauge as the mine railways from which they developed. The world's first steam locomotive , built in 1802 by Richard Trevithick for the Coalbrookdale Company, ran on a 3 ft ( 914 mm ) plateway . The first commercially successful steam locomotive was Matthew Murray 's Salamanca built in 1812 for the 4 ft 1 in ( 1,245 mm ) Middleton Railway in Leeds . Salamanca
8034-421: The same principle as a double slip, but provides for only one switching possibility. Trains approaching on one of the two crossing tracks can either continue over the crossing, or switch tracks to the other line. However, trains from the other track can only continue over the crossing, and cannot switch tracks. This is normally used to allow access to sidings and improve safety by avoiding having switch blades facing
8137-451: The shock, vibration, possibly in combination with slight heating caused by braking or a city microclimate, may cause the chunks of ice to fall off, jamming the switches. The heaters need time to melt the ice, so if service frequency is extremely high, there may not be enough time for the ice to melt before the next train arrives, which will then result in service disruptions. Possible solutions include installing higher capacity heaters, reducing
8240-460: The switch blades also influences performance. New tangential blades perform better than old-style blades. The crossing is the component that enables passage of wheels on either route through the turnout. It can be assembled out of several appropriately cut and bent pieces of rail or can be a single casting of manganese steel. On lines with heavy use, the casting may be treated with explosive shock hardening to increase service life. A guard rail
8343-561: The switch onto the other line, and then continue forwards (or stop, if it is being used as a siding). A straight track is not always present; for example, both tracks may curve, one to the left and one to the right (such as for a wye switch ), or both tracks may curve, with differing radii , while still in the same direction. Switches consume a relatively high proportion of a railway maintenance budget. Simple single-bladed switches were used on early wooden railways to move wagons between tracks. As iron-railed plateways became more common in
8446-423: The switch rails being about 25 mm (0.98 in) less high, and stockier in the middle. Apart from the standard right-hand and left-hand switches, switches commonly come in various combinations of configurations. A double slip switch ( double slip ) is a narrow-angled diagonal flat crossing of two lines combined with four pairs of points in such a way as to allow vehicles to change from one straight track to
8549-405: The tampering of switches by outside means, these switches are locked when not in use. A facing point lock ( FPL ), or point lock , is a device which, as the name implies, locks a set of points in position, as well as mechanically proving that they are in the correct position. The facing point part of the name refers to the fact that they prevent movement of the points during facing moves, where
8652-573: The tolls and could be hired to convey goods along the railway. There were toll or gate houses at Croydon, Wandsworth and Colliers Wood . According to the Mitcham Advertiser , the Colliers Wood gate house was still standing on 7 May 1956. It was double-track plateway with a spacing of about five feet between the centres of the stone blocks. The stone blocks were up to 16 inches (41 cm) square and 9 inches (23 cm) thick, with
8755-475: The traffic potential would not justify the cost of a standard- or broad-gauge line. Narrow-gauge railways have specialised use in mines and other environments where a small structure gauge necessitates a small loading gauge . In some countries, narrow gauge is the standard: Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, New Zealand, South Africa, and the Australian states of Queensland , Western Australia and Tasmania have
8858-500: The train traverses in the turnout direction. The switch blades could be made with a curved point which meets the stockrail at a tangent, causing less of a bump, but the disadvantage is that the metal at the point is thin and necessarily weak. A solution to these conflicting requirements was found in the 1920s on the German Reichsbahn. The first step was to have different rail profile for the stock rails and switch rails, with
8961-651: The tramway to Edward Grantham. At the canal basin the wagons were dragged up a short incline on to a platform using a windlass, which likely doubled as a 4 ton crane. The tramway was taken up in August 1836, and when the road was reopened in April 1840 it was for the exclusive use of rail passengers, despite it being a public carriage road. 51°27′31″N 0°11′32″W / 51.45861°N 0.19222°W / 51.45861; -0.19222 Narrow-gauge railway A narrow-gauge railway ( narrow-gauge railroad in
9064-414: The usual direction of traffic. To reach the sidings from what would be a facing direction, trains must continue over the crossing, then reverse along the curved route (usually onto the other line of a double track) and can then move forward over the crossing into the siding. An outside slip switch is similar to the double or single slip switches described above, except that the switch blades are outside of
9167-404: The usually flying junctions at each end of the local-express line. A stub switch lacks the tapered points (point blades) of a typical switch. Instead, both the movable rails and the ends of the rails of the diverging routes have their ends cut off square. The switch mechanism aligns the movable rails with the rails of one of the diverging routes. In 19th century US railroad use, the stub switch
9270-535: The vicinity of their point rails so that the point rails will not be frozen onto the stock rail and can no longer move. These heaters may take the form of electric heating elements or gas burners mounted on the rail, a lineside burner blowing hot air through ducts, or other innovative methods (e.g. geothermal heat sink, etc.) to keep the point & stock rails above freezing temperatures. Where gas or electric heaters cannot be used due to logistic or economic constraints, anti-icing chemicals can sometimes be applied to create
9373-469: The wagons to be loaded or unloaded into waiting barges for onward travel. The dock cut through The Causeway , which was spanned by a swing bridge . There was another swing (or lift) bridge at today’s Armoury Way where a branch of the railway crossed the dock to Mr. Shepley’s (aka Shipley’s) warehouse. A lock was required at the entrance of the tidal Thames, which had the advantage over a single tidal gate by allowing barges and other vessels to enter and leave
9476-404: The wagons with the railway company and paint their name and wagon number in letters 3 inches (7.6 cm) tall in white on a black background. An artist’s impression was printed on a 1939 cigarette card. The company, “Were & Bush” were significant linseed oil manufacturers at Garratt Mill where today’s Trewint Street crosses the river Wandle. McGow believes they were the first known users of
9579-407: The wheels, rather than relying on the flanges on the insides of the wheels. When the wheels reach the switch, the wheels are guided along the route determined by which of the two points is connected to the track facing the switch. In the illustration, if the left point is connected, the left wheel will be guided along the rail of that point, and the train will diverge to the right. If the right point
9682-428: The widespread availability of electricity , switches at heavily traveled junctions were operated from a signal box constructed near the tracks through an elaborate system of rods and levers . The levers were also used to control railway signals to control the movement of trains over the points. Eventually, mechanical systems known as interlockings were introduced to make sure that a signal could only be set to allow
9785-565: The world; 19th-century mountain logging operations often used narrow-gauge railways to transport logs from mill to market. Significant sugarcane railways still operate in Cuba, Fiji, Java, the Philippines, and Queensland, and narrow-gauge railway equipment remains in common use for building tunnels. In 1897, a manganese mine in the Lahn valley in Germany was using two benzine -fueled locomotives with single cylinder internal combustion engines on
9888-456: Was 4 ft 2 in ( 1,270 mm ). The engineering on the CM&GR was more substantial than the SIR, with an 8m high embankment at Coulsdon, parallel but southwest of Lion Green Road and a 9m deep cutting or cuttings near Merstham (on the east side of London Road North opposite Harps Oak Lane) that was nearly 1 km long. These have survived and are scheduled monuments . The cutting started just north of Dean Lane, which required
9991-525: Was adopted by early 19th-century railways, primarily in the Lanarkshire area of Scotland. 4 ft 6 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,384 mm ) lines were also constructed, and both were eventually converted to standard gauge. 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) between the inside of the rail heads, its name and classification vary worldwide and it has about 112,000 kilometres (70,000 mi) of track. As its name implies, metre gauge
10094-499: Was also the first rack-and-pinion locomotive. During the 1820s and 1830s, a number of industrial narrow-gauge railways in the United Kingdom used steam locomotives. In 1842, the first narrow-gauge steam locomotive outside the UK was built for the 1,100 mm ( 3 ft 7 + 5 ⁄ 16 in )-gauge Antwerp-Ghent Railway in Belgium. The first use of steam locomotives on a public, passenger-carrying narrow-gauge railway
10197-501: Was coal, building materials, lime, manure, corn and seeds. Horses were the motive power, and passengers were never contemplated. The railway was only briefly successful financially. It lost much traffic after the Croydon Canal opened in 1809, though the full effect was not felt until the canal acquired a rail link to the two railways in 1811. Later it suffered from the closure of the underground stone quarries at Merstham in
10300-560: Was in 1865, when the Ffestiniog Railway introduced passenger service after receiving its first locomotives two years earlier. Many narrow-gauge railways were part of industrial enterprises and served primarily as industrial railways , rather than general carriers. Common uses for these industrial narrow-gauge railways included mining, logging, construction, tunnelling, quarrying, and conveying agricultural products. Extensive narrow-gauge networks were constructed in many parts of
10403-592: Was probably the third petrol-engined locomotive built. Extensive narrow-gauge rail systems served the front-line trenches of both sides in World War I . They were a short-lived military application, and after the war the surplus equipment created a small boom in European narrow-gauge railway building. The heavy-duty 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) narrow-gauge railways in Australia (Queensland), New Zealand, South Africa, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia and
10506-482: Was typically used in conjunction with a harp switch stand . The rails leading up to a stub switch are not secured to the sleepers for several feet, and rail alignment across the gap is not positively enforced. Stub switches also require some flexibility in the rails (meaning lighter rails), or an extra joint at which they hinge. Therefore, these switches cannot be traversed at high speed or by heavy traffic and so are not suitable for main line use. A further disadvantage
10609-413: Was usual for three wagons to be drawn by a pair of horses, although Farey mentions one horse could pull several wagons and were generally large mules by the time the railway closed. The train travelled at the walking pace of the person who led the horses / mules and checked the track. The advent of faster and more powerful steam locomotives spelled the end for horse-drawn railways. In 1823, William James,
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