The railways of England : North Western ; Midland ; Great Northern, Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincoln ; North Eastern ; South Western ; Great Western ; Great Eastern ; Brighton and South Coast ; Chatham and Dover ; South Eastern

479 Pages·1890·12.589 MB·English

by  Acworth, William Mitchell

THE RAILWAYS OF ENGLAND.

Published by ICE Publishing, 40 Marsh Wall, London E14 9TP.
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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: 978-0-7277-5253-6
© Thomas Telford Limited 2011
ICE Publishing is a division of Thomas Telford Ltd, a wholly-
owned subsidiary of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE).
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Marsh Wall, London E14 9TP.
This book is published on the understanding that the author is
solely responsible for the statements made and opinions
expressed in it and that its publication does not necessarily
imply that such statements and/or opinions are or reflect the views
or opinions of the publishers. Whilst every effort has been made
to ensure that the statements made and the opinions
expressed in this publication provide a safe and accurate guide,
no liability or responsibility can be accepted in this respect by the
author or publishers.
THE
RAILWAYS OF ENGLAND.
NORTH WESTERN. SOUTH WESTERN.
MIDLAND. GREAT WESTERN.
GREAT NORTHERN. GREAT EASTERN.
MANCHESTER, SHEFFIELD, BRIGHTON AND SOUTH COAST,
AND LINCOLN. CHATHAM AND DOVER.
NORTH EASTERN. SOUTH EASTERN.
BY W. M. ACWOKTH.
FOURTH EDITION.
WITH 57 ILLUSTRATIONS.
LONDON:
JOHN MUEEAY, ALBEMAELE STREET.
1890.
LONDON:
PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,
STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.
TO
THE THEEE HUNDRED THOUSAND SERVANTS
OF THE PUBLIC,
WHO ARK AT WORK BY NIGHT AS WELL AS BY DAY, IN FOG
AS WELL AS IN SUNSHINE, UPON
THE EAILWAYS OF ENGLAND;
WHO, WHETHER THEY BE CHAIRMEN AND GENERAL MANAGERS, OR
SIGNALMEN, DRIVERS, AND PLATELAYERS, MUST INDIVIDUALLY BEAR
THE BLAME OF FAILURE, WHILE THE CREDIT OF SUCCESS GOES TO
THE COMPANY, AND THE PROFIT TO THE SHAREHOLDERS
AND THE COUNTRY AT LARGE,
THIS BOOK IS
Dedicate*
AS A TRIBUTE,
NOT ONLY OF GRATITUDE FOR ASSISTANCE
BUT OF SINCERE ADMIRATION.

PREFACE.
SOME two years since I went down to Liverpool and
Manchester with the intention of obtaining materials for
a magazine article. The result of that journey is that
I have written a book which cannot even offer for itself
the apology that it is only a very little one. But, before
it goes forth to the world, I trust I may be forgiven for
offering a few words of merely personal explanation.
I have published before now not a few criticisms
(which were meant to be scathing) on English Eailways
anonymously. I find myself using, under my own name,
the language of almost unvarying panegyric. This is
partly to be explained by the plan of the book, which
professes to set before the reader those points on each
line which best merit description—its excellences, there­
fore, rather than its defects. Much more, however, is
it due to a change of opinion in the writer. The more
I have seen of railway management—and in the course
of the last two years I have seen a good deal—the
more I have realised the difficulty of the problem set
before the railway authorities for solution, and the more
I have appreciated the success with which, on the whole,
they have solved it. I have found in so many cases
that a satisfactory reply existed to my former criticisms,
that I have perhaps assumed that 'such an answer would