Minutes to be observed in the construction of railways A paper written by Benjamin Outram (1764 - 1805)
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Benjamin Outram's paper is known to railway historians but it is not, perhaps, quite so well known to canal historians, even though Outram's work encompassed the design and construction of both railways and canals. In 1790, Outram, with the help of Francis Beresford, a local landowner, established the firm of Benjamin Outram & Company (subsequently known as the Butterley Company) at Butterley in Derbyshire. The purpose of this ironworks was to further exploit existing iron and coal workings on the Butterley Hall Estate, which then lay beside the newly constructed Cromford Canal, a short distance to the south of Alfreton.
Although Outram used the word 'railway' to describe this form of transport, the term 'tramway' (or 'tramroad') was already in widespread use and it came to describe rail systems that functioned at feeders to canals but it must be emphasized that there is no connection between this name and Outram's surname. The term 'railway' came into more widespread use following the successful opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway on Monday, 13 September 1830, which used steam haulage. Afterwards, the words 'tramway' (or 'tramroad') and 'railway' remained in use to describe two distinct modes of rail transport.
In addition to managing his ironworks, Outram consolidated his successful preliminary survey of the line of a canal from Langley Mill to Cromford, with a branch to Pinxton, by establishing a civil engineering consultancy practice for the survey and construction of tramways and canals. Concurrently, his company was able to supply rails and waggons for the tramways he designed.
All tramways designed by Outram used L-section cast-iron rails or plates, first introduced underground in circa 1787 by John Curr at the Duke of Norfolk's Sheffield Park Mine. By the following year, Curr's tramways had been constructed at two places on the surface, one of these being at Joseph Butler's Wingerworth Ironworks near Chesterfield in Derbyshire and Outram was aware of this. The cast-iron rails used were 4 feet long with a weight of 24 lbs per yard run and they were laid to a 20 inch gauge. Their use then quickly spread to many parts of the country, both on the surface and underground, and Outram became the foremost advocate of this rail system.
Benjamin Outram's Paper has survived in several documents. In 1932, M F Outram published a version of it as an appendix to her life of Margaret Outram (nee Anderson), based on a manuscript in the possession of the Outram family. In February 1801, during Outram's lifetime, it was published in the periodical, Recreations in Agriculture. This periodical was almost entirely written by Dr James Anderson, a Scottish economist (also described as a lawyer, scientist, agriculturalist and writer) whose daughter, Margaret, married Benjamin Outram in June 1800. In November 1801 another article appeared in Recreations in Agriculture, which was almost certainly written by Anderson and possibly encouraged by Outram himself. This article promoted a case for improved railways and their potential uses and it made mention of Outram and the work he was doing. Three months later Anderson printed Outram's paper again but this time it was prefaced with a note to the effect that he had been favoured by a contribution written by the inventor himself. It is not known whether or not James Anderson was aware that Outram was not the inventor. It appears that Anderson edited the draft of his son-in-law's article by considerably altering the punctuation and capitalisation and in one instance he moved one paragraph from the draft and made it a footnote. Other changes made by Anderson are relatively unimportant but in one or two other places either he or the typesetter misread the draft and made more serious errors.
As a result of this, the version that follows is an attempt
to re-create Benjamin Outram's original work as closely as possible. To assist
understanding words and phrases, enclosed in brackets, have been inserted where
appropriate.
First. The best line which the country affords must be traced out, having regard to the direction of the carriage (transport) of articles or trade to be expected; and if such trade be both ways in nearly equal quantities, a line as nearly horizontally level as possible should be chosen. If the trade is all in one direction, as is generally the case between mines and navigations (canals), then the most desirable line is one with a gentle gradual descent, such as shall make it not greater labor (labour) for the horses employed to draw the loaded waggons down, than the empty ones back; and this will be found to be the case on a railway descending about one foot verticle (vertical) in one hundred feet horizontal. Or, if the rail-way and carriages (waggons) are of the very best construction, the descent verticle (vertical) may be to the length horizontal as 1 to 150, where there is little or no upgate loading. In cases between mines and navigations (canals) the descent will often be found greater than could be wished. On the rail-way of the improved plan, where the descent is more than as 1 to 50; 6 or 8 waggons, loaded with 30 or 40 hundred weight each (1½ or 2 tons), will have such a tendency to run downwards, as would require great labor (labour) of one horse to check and regulate, unless that tendency was checked by sledging (braking) some of the wheels. On such, and steeper roads, iron slippers (brakes) are applied, one or more to a gang of waggons, as occasion may require. Each slipper being chained to the side of one of the waggons, and, being put under the wheels, forms a sledge. When the descent is very great, steep inclined planes, with machinery, may be adopted, so as to render the other parts of the rail-way easy. On such inclined planes, the descended (descending) loaded waggons being applied to raise the ascending empty, or partly loaded ones, the necessity of sledging the wheels is avoided, and the labor (labour) of the horse greatly reduced.
To obtain the desired levels, gentle descents, or steep inclined planes; and to avoid sharp turns and circuitous tracts (tracks), it will often be found prudent to cross valleys by bridges and embankments; to cut thro (through) ridges of land; and in very rugged countries short tunnels may sometimes be necessary. The line of rail-way being fixed, and the planes and sections by which the same is to be executed settled, the ground for the whole must be formed and effectually drained. The breadth of bed for a single rail-way should be, in general, 4 yards; and for a double one six yards, exclusive of the fences, side drains, and ramparts.
The bed of road (track) so formed to the proper inclination, and the embankments and works thereof made firm, the surface must be covered with a bed of stones broken small; or good gravel, six inches in thickness or depth. On this bed must be laid the sleepers or blocks to fasten the rails upon. These should be of stone in all places where it can be obtained in sufficient size. They should be not less than 8, not more than 12 inches in thickness; and of such breadths, circular, square, or triangular, as shall make them 150lbs. or 200lbs. weight each. Their shape not material (that is, not particularly important), so that they have a flat bottom to rest upon, and a small portion of their upper surface level, to form a firm bed for the end of the rails. In the centre of each block must be drilled a hole, one inch and a half in diameter, and six inches in depth, to receive an octagonal plug of dry oak five inches in length; for it should not reach the bottom of the hole; nor should it be larger than so as to be put in easily, and without much driving: for if too tight fitted it might, when wet, burst the stone. These plugs are each to receive an iron spike or large nail, with a flat point and long head, adapted to fit the counter-sunk notches in the end of the two rails, and thereby to fasten them down in the proper position.
The rails should be of the stoutest cast iron, one yard in length each, formed with a flanch (flange) on the inner edge two inches and a half high at the ends, and three and a half in the centre; and shaped in the best manner to give strength to the rails, and keep the wheels in the (their) track. The soles of the rails for general purposes should not be less than 4 inches broad; and the thickness proportioned for the work they are intended for. On rail-ways for heavy burthen (burdens), great use and long duration, the rails should be very stout, weighing 40lbs. or, in some cases, nearly half a hundred weight, each (that is, nearly 56lbs). For rail- ways of less consequence less weight of metal will do; but it will not be prudent to use them of less than 30lbs. weight each, in any situation exposed to breakage above ground (that is, not underground in a mine).
In mines, and other works under ground, where very small carriages (waggons) only can be used, very light rails are used, forming what are called train roads, on a system introduced by Mr Carr (Curr); and these kinds of light rail-ways have been much used above ground in Shropshire and other counties where coals and other minerals are gotten (obtained).
In fixing the blocks and rails, great attention is required to make them firm and no earth or soft materials are to be used between the blocks and the bed of small stones or gravel, on which they rest. The rails must all be fixed (positioned) by an iron gauge to keep the sides at a regular distance, or parallel to each other. The best width of road (track) for general purposes is 4 feet 2 inches between the flanches (flanges) of the rails; the wheels of the carriages (waggons) running in tracks about 4 ft (feet) 6 inches asunder. Rails of particular forms are necessary where roads (tracks) branch out from (that is, at turnouts or points), or intersect each other (that is, at crossovers); and where carriage roads (that is, ordinary roads) cross the rail-ways; and at turnings of the roads (bends in the tracks) great care is required to make them perfectly easy. The rails of that side forming the inner of the curve should be fixed a little lower than the other; and the rails should be set a little under the gauge, so as to bring the sides nearer together than in the straight parts: these deviations in level and width to be in proportion to the sharpness of the curve.
The blocks and rails being fixed and spiked fast, nothing more remains to be done but (than) to fill the horse path, or space between the blocks, with good gravel, or other proper materials; a little more of which must also be put on the outsides of the blocks to keep them in their proper places. This gravelling (gravel) should always be kept below the surface of the rails on which the wheels are to run, to keep the tracts (tracks) for the wheels free from dirt and obstructions. The form of the rails must be such as will free themselves from dirt if the gravelling (gravel) is kept below their level.
In (the) constructing of the carriage (waggon) great
attention to avoid friction is necessary, particularly in the formation of the
wheels and axles, which must be adapted to the sort of rail-ways and the kind
of loading; and for which directions cannot be given in the limits of this
paper.
It is likely that the first tramway to be built by Benjamin Outram, with cast-iron rails provided by Outram & Company, was a line built for use by his own company. This tramway connected limestone quarries at Crich to Bullbridge Wharf on the Cromford Canal. It was built in 1793 and it was a little over a mile long with a gauge of 3 feet 6 inches. Evidently, Outram did not settle on his 4 feet 2 inch gauge until a little later.
At the same time, work commenced on construction of the Little Eaton Tramway, better known as the Little Eaton Gangway. This connected Little Eaton to the Derby Canal and William Jessop, who was a business partner of Outram, proposed its construction. The first batch of rails was ordered from Joseph Butler's Wingerworth Ironworks near Chesterfield in December 1793 at a cost of £10 10s 0d per ton. This line was completed in May 1795 under the supervision of Outram. It was single track throughout but it was provided with passing places and its gauge was initially 3 feet 6 inches. The cast-iron rails were one yard long and weighed 28 lbs.
In connection with this, the Lincoln & Stamford Mercury for 16 August 1793 carried an advertisement for oak sleepers 4 feet 6 inches long to be squared at each end for a length of 9 inches. This advertisement suggests that stone sleeper blocks were not used at the time of the tramway's construction. At this distance in time from these events and with no material evidence, the dimensions of these sleepers do not fit easily with a gauge of 3 feet 6 inches as the distance between the squarings was 3 feet and not 3 feet 6 inches. However, it does suggest that the sleepers were laid across the track in the manner of modern sleepers. Subsequently, the track was re-laid in accordance with Outram's specifications using stone sleeper blocks and L-section cast-iron rails to a gauge of 4 feet 2 inches and there is photographic evidence of this.
Jessop suggested that waggons for this line should be constructed in such a way that they '---- could be carried into Town without unloading.' His suggestion was not adopted and instead Outram followed Joseph Butler's practice of using demountable containers or boxes for the waggons. Outram also copied Butler's design for the cast-iron rails.
 Photo: IWPS Archive/Jack Brady Collection |
| A view of the Little Eaton Gangway with the Little Eaton Branch of the Derby Canal in the foreground. |
The first tramway to be constructed entirely in accordance with Outram's paper was the Peak Forest Tramway, which connected a limestone quarry near Dove Holes to the head of the Peak Forest Canal at Bugsworth. This line was initially some 5½ miles long, having a single track, the rails being laid on stone blocks to a gauge of 4 feet 2 inches. This tramway was completed in August 1796.
In 1796-97 a tramway was constructed between Joseph Wilkes' colliery at New Brinsley and the Cromford Canal. Outram & Company supplied the cast-iron rails, which were one yard long and weighed 33 lbs. The gauge was 4 feet 2 inches and waggons carried 2¼ tons.
Before the turn of the 19th century, work had commenced on another three notable tramways, all constructed in accordance with Outram's paper.
The first of these was a tramway to the Ashby Canal, which was 12½ miles long of which four miles were double track. The cast-iron rails were one yard long and weighed 37 lbs and they were laid on stone blocks.
The second was the Penydarren Tramway, which was 9¾ miles long having a single track. This connected an ironworks near Merthyr to the Glamorganshire Canal at Abercynon and George Overton engineered it. On the 13 February 1804 this tramway witnessed a most historic moment in the development of railways for it was here that Richard Trevithick's steam locomotive first ran on rails. Samuel Homfray, an ironmaster of Penydarren then made a wager of 500 guineas even money with Anthony Hill, a neighbouring ironmaster, that a steam locomotive could haul 10 tons of iron along the tramway from Penydarren to Abercynon. On the 21 February 1804 Richard Trevithick won the bet for Samuel Homfray.
The third was the Blisworth Hill Tramway, which connected
Blisworth to the Grand Junction Canal at a point to the south of Stoke Bruerne.
This double-track line was nearly 3½ miles long and William Jessop and
Benjamin Outram were the consulting engineer and contractor respectively and
the specification for its construction was dated October 1799. This called for
a 24-foot width of properly drained ground along the centre of which, for a
width of 18 feet, was to be laid a bed of small stones, gravel and broken brick
to a depth of 12 inches. Stone blocks of not less than 112 lbs for the sleepers
were to be obtained from local quarries and the cast-iron rails, one yard long
and weighing 37 lbs, were to be spiked into octagonal oak plugs set in the
stone blocks. This specification matches Benjamin Outram's paper, 'Minutes
to be observed in the construction of railways.'