of traction. At length, when the railway drew towards completion, Messrs. Walker and Rastrick, engineers, were engaged by the company to visit the various local railways, and to obtain practical information respecting the comparative effects of stationary and locomotive engines. The reports of these engineers were published separately at the time, March 1829; but they both concurred in opinion that fixed engines were preferable to locomotive ones, and accordingly recommended their adoption. They proposed the fixed engines to be placed at intervals of a mile or two along the line of railway, and to draw the trains by means of ropes from station to station.

Mr. George Stephenson, the company's engineer, and Mr. Joseph Locke, were also requested to report on the subject of the motive power. The purport of their report was, that Mr. G. Stephenson was decidedly, as he had uniformly been, in favour of locomotive engines, which he was confident would be found the most convenient power that could be employed, and it is stated that when he was examined before a Committee of the House of Commons, in 1828, his claim to credibility was almost doubted when he spoke of locomotive engines going at a greater speed than 10 miles an hour.

EXPERIMENTS

LIVERPOOL AND MANCHESTER

RAILWAY.

The Directors of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway eventually resolved to adopt the locomotive principle of traction; and the idea originated with Mr. Harrison, one of the directors, to offer a premium for the best engine which could fulfil certain conditions. The directors, therefore, on the 25th of April, 1829, offered the sum of 500l. The chief stipulations were

1. That the engine must "effectually consume its own smoke," according to the provision of the Railway Act, 7 Geo. IV.

2. The engine, if it weighs six tons, must be capable of drawing after it, day by day, on a well constructed railway, on a level plane, a train of carriages of the gross weight of twenty tons, including the tender and water-tank, at the rate of ten miles an hour, with a pressure of steam on the boiler not exceeding 50 lb. per square inch.

3. There must be two safety valves, one of which must be completely out of the control of the engine man, and neither of which must be fastened down when the engine is working.

4. The engine and boiler must be supported on springs, and rest on six wheels, and the height from the ground to the top of the chimney must not exceed 15 feet.

5. The weight of the engine, with its complement of water, must not exceed six tons, and a machine of less weight will be preferred if it draw after it a proportionate weight;

and if the weight of the engine, &c. do not exceed five tons, then the gross weight to be drawn need not exceed fifteen tons, provided that the engine, &c. shall still be on six wheels, unless the weight be reduced to four and a half tons or under, in which case the boiler, &c. may be placed on four wheels. And the company should be at liberty to put the boiler, the fire-tube, cylinders, &c. to test at a pressure not exceeding 150 lbs. per square inch, &c.

6. There must be a mercurial guage affixed to the machine, with index rod, showing the steam pressure above 45 lbs. to the square inch.

7. The engine to be delivered, complete for trial, at the Liverpool end of the railway, not later than the 1st of October, 1829.

8. The price of the engine which may be accepted not to exceed £550, delivered on the railway.

N.B. The railway company will provide the engine tender with a supply of water and fuel for the experiment. The distance within the rails is 4 feet 8 inches.

Such was the proposal which led the way to those important improvements which the locomotive engine has attained. The conditions seem to have been drawn up with as much consideration as the imperfect knowledge of the subject, at that time, permitted. But the main point brought out was that engines, for such a purpose, must possess lightness, compactness, and perfect safety with speed. The condition of fixing as the minimum 10 miles an hour, evinces how little was really known of the capabilities of the locomotive powers of traction, still it did not preclude the

competitors from trying their skill in increasing the velocity.

The stimulus of a premium had the effect anticipated in obtaining a competition, for several able manufacturing engineers turned their attention to the subject, which led to the development of the principle upon which a moveable engine should be constructed to be successful.

The 6th of October, 1829, was the day fixed for the trial; and the directors, to assist their own judgment in coming to an impartial decision on the merits of the engines which might be produced, appointed as judges, Mr. J. W. Rastrick of Stourbridge, Mr. Kennedy of Manchester, and Mr. Nicolas Wood, C. E., of Killingworth.

In order still further to ascertain the comparative merits of the competing engines, to subject them to a practical test, and to point out the mode in which the experiments were to be conducted, the judges drew up the following (among other) regulations:

1. That the weight of each locomotive, with its full complement of water in the boiler, should be ascertained at the weighing of the engine at 8 o'clock in the morning on the day of trial, and the load assigned to it shall be three times the weight thereof. The water in the boiler shall be cold, and there shall be no fuel in the fire-place. As much fuel shall be weighed and as much water shall be measured and

delivered into the tender-carriage as the owner of the engine may consider sufficient for the supply of the engine for a journey of 32 miles. The fire in the boiler shall then be lighted, and the quantity of fuel consumed for getting up the steam shall be determined and the time noted.

2. That the tender-carriage, with the fuel and water, shall be considered to be, and taken as part of the load assigned to the engine; those engines carrying their own fuel and water shall be allowed a proportionate deduction from their load according to the weight of the engine.

3. The engine and carriages attached to it shall be run by hand up to the starting-post, and so soon as the steam is got up to 50 lbs. per square inch, the engine shall start upon its journey.

4. The distance the engine shall perform each trip shall be one mile and three quarters each way, including one-eighth of a mile at each end for getting up the speed and for stopping the train. By this means the engine, with its load, will travel one and a half mile each way at full speed.

5. Each engine shall make ten trips, which shall be equal to a journey of thirty-five miles, which shall be performed at full speed, and the average rate of travelling shall not be less than ten miles per hour. As soon as the engine has performed this task - which will be equal to the travelling from Liverpool to Manchester—there shall be delivered to her a fresh supply of fuel and water, when she shall go up to the starting-post and make other ten trips - which will be equal to the journey from Manchester back to Liverpool.

6. The time of performing each trip shall be accurately noted, as well as the time in getting ready to start on the second journey; and should the engine not be enabled to take with it sufficient fuel and water for a journey of ten trips, the time occupied in taking in a fresh supply shall be considered as part of the time performing the journey.