Railway locomotive management in a series of letters

Preface

Some of the earlier Letters of the following series appeared originally in the Railway Times, then under the Editorial management of Mr. John Robertson. When that gentleman retired from the Journal in ques¬ tion, and established the Railway Record, the Writer commenced, and has continued, to address the public through the latter medium.

The reprinting, in a more convenient form, of these Letters was' not undertaken till the Writer could no longer resist the urgent solicitations of numerous per¬ sons connected in various capacities with Railway Locomotive Management. He was the less disposed to refuse this flattering request that at the present time there appears to be more need than at any previous period of a fearless exposure of a most dangerous system.

The Letters have been very slightly altered, save in a few verbal corrections, and the omission of some unimportant details. The Writer preferred that they should go forth in a collected form very much as they appeared originally. Most of them were written under the pressure of other business, and this fact will, he hopes, plead his excuse for many imperfections.

In several of the Letters will be found promises to recur in detail to particular topics, which are subse¬ quently not at all, or but slightly, alluded to. The Writer is happy to say that in very many cases the first hint effected the necessary reform, and spared him

PREFACE.

the trouble of going into farther particulars. In other cases, the lapse of time, and the restricted space at command in the crowded columns of a weekly news¬ paper, interfered with the carrying out of lhs original intentions.

Of course the Writer does not expect that this republication will be palatable to those parties whose conduct it has been his painful duty during the last fire or six years to handle with considerable severhy. He cannot help it. His duty to the public and to the true interests of Railway Shareholders is paramount; but he begs to state once again, as he has stated several times in the course of the Letters themselves, that it is with the public conduct, and the public conduct alone, of the parties referred to, that he has con¬ cerned himself or sought to interest his readers. Pri¬ vate scandal he has carefully avoided, although in the case of some of the individuals who figure in the fol¬ lowing pages there would have been no difficulty what¬ ever in finding very ample details.

With the Editor’s permission, the Letters will be con¬ tinued, as opportunity may serve, in the columns of the Railway Record —a journal wMch has from its com¬ mencement taken a very warm interest in every thing connected with the efficiency of the Railway system and the safety of the public, and which (as the Writer of these Letters has had many opportunities of knowing) has in matters of Locomotive Management proved for years “ a terror to evil doers and a praise to them that do well.”

VERITAS VINCIT.

jam, August, 1847.

RAILWAY

LOCOMOTIVE MANAGEMENT.

I HAVE many particulars to refer to, which have never come before the public, and by your hind and able assistance, I hope I shall he able to produce some good, not only to the proprietors and many of tlieirdepressed servants, but what is of infinite importance, to the public safety. ■ You have already done much ; much is still to be hands can the repair of the engine he placed to see that the fitter does it properly hut the man’s -who has to risk his life upon it? There can he no fear but he would see that it was put in the most complete state of repair, and perfectly safe for running a train.

It has often been the case—in fact, it is of every day occurrence— that when a fitter has been sent to repair an eng'ue, he lias beeiKsCoiiL- . polled to apply to an cngincman' to point out lo hrn what was the matter; and at other times, when the fitter has said he has put the engine in repair, after it has been examined by the engineman it has been found that it was not properly done. It is also an undeniable fact, that among the petty locomotive superintendents, who are as numerous upon the railways as locusts, and are as vain and intelligent as peacocks, nine-tenths of them could not tell what was the matter with an engine unless the engineman informed him. I am of opinion, therefore, that when the engineman is on his rest day he should be required to attend to the repair of his engine, and be paid the same as on other days.

I shall now refer to the night pilot, and you will then be able to judge of the propriety or impropriety of its discontinuance. By a pilot is meant an engine always to be in readiness in case it should be wanted to go out to render assistance, and to shift carriages, waggons. Sc., about the station, so that the pilot engincmen cannot be allowed to be absent from the station one minute. The night pilot is often required to assist the mail train out from Derby, and in many instances another engine is required to assist the goods’ train out (when it is heavy), which follows the mail'train soon after. Then, when the night pilot is dis¬ continued, whom will the duty fall upon ? AVhy, the day pilot engineman, who has been in attendance above fourteen hours, and, perhaps, has been called out and run many miles. These men, after they finish their day’s work, go home, not knowing whether they will be called out or not; but with the understanding that if the mail train want assist¬ ance they will be called, of course, would retire to rest, and, after the fatigne of the day, they are called upon about two o’clock in the morning in a dozing state, and obliged to go out with the mail train. Again, the goods’ train becomes heavy and another engine is required; then this duty falls upon two men who must be even more fatigued than the former; they also have to be called out, and proceed with the goods’ train. Thus, there are four men sent out to render assistance (I should rather say to cause mischief, for no one can say that these men are fit persons to be called upon to perform such duty), the first two having been kept running about for fourteen hours, and the lattter two having run one hundred and forty-six miles, and, perhaps, on a very stormy and inclement day. Could one advocate such a system, for it is not only one day in a week, but these men are liable to he so called every night during the week, and so on with all the others in their turns ? Should sleep overtake the engine pilotman, who takes the lead of the train (and we all know the powerful effect sleep lias upon an overworked and fatigued man), the consequences would be of the most serious descrip¬ tion, not only in the immense loss of property, but of human life; and this uncalled-for risk for the paltry saving of d2s. per week to an engineman, and 2-l«. per week to a fireman.

RAILWAY LOCOMOTIV1

LXAGEMENT.

engineman of ordinary experience had had the charge of the engine, he would have been able to remedy the defect in about ten minutes, causing no alarm to the passengers, or delay upon the road. AVhat Mr. Marshall can say about the above circumstance I know not (I speak only of him in liis public capacity), but it appears very extraordinary to me that Mr. Marshall should be held out to be possessed of such extra¬ ordinary and pre-eminent abilities, and such a thorough knowledge of the working and manufacture of a locomotive engine, when this fact appears to show the contrary. The defect referred to was easy to be seen, and the remedy simple, being merely a slip of one of the eccentric shears.

Let us see how the evening train came on with the other new engineman. His standing as an engineman is reported to be somewhat similar to the other, and it would appear his master thought so, for Mr. Scott, a superintendent, proceeded along with him, and they readied their desti¬ nation just one hour and twenty-live minutes behind time, a gentleman remarking, as lie stepped out of the train upon the platform, that the horse coach had better be started again, for it was disgraceful to see the trains driven with so much danger, causing fear and trembling among the passengers, under the excitement that is existing betwixt the Directors and the engiuemen, between whom the greatest harmony should prevail.

LETTER II. Birmingham, January 5, 1S43

In the Leeds Mercury of last Saturday, there is a paragraph, in which it is stated that the engiuemen on the North Midland Railway had struck work. Now, the contrary is the fact, for the men (as I stated in my last), after they understood that their wages were to be reduced, sent in a remonstrance, stating that if the Directors were determined to carry out what they had been informed they meant to do, they would not comply; hut instead of getting a written answer, as they expected, the only one they received was, that on the Saturday following they were all paid off, without any other reason than that the Directors thought proper; and this is what the Leeds Mercury calls the “ men's strike!”

The Mercury alleges that there were a great many supernumeraries as engiuemen, who received pay without work, and that the exertions of two or three spirited Directors have done away with them. Now, there never were supernumerary enginemen on that line. My last letter fully explained the employment of the day for which the men are not to be paid. The Mercury states also, that these wise Directors took imme¬ diate steps to replace the men that had struck (it should be, who were paid off), and he was happy to learn that a sufficient number of skilful and practised men from other lines had been engaged.

I shall endeavour to analyse the characters of a few of them. To save time, I shall number them; but you must understand that the number does not refer to the order in which they were engaged by the Company.

No. 1. Discharged from the Stanhope Railway for drunkenness, and again shortly after from the North Shields Railway for the same offence.

No. 2. From the north also, discharged for overturniug from 30 to 40 waggons over an embankment.

No. 3. A short time ago a stonemason, and never had experience as an engineman.

No. 4. Was discharged from the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, tried for his offence, and fined 51 .; got employed on the Leeds and Manchester Railway; was discharged, tried, and fined 10/.; both times for the same offence, viz., running the trains on the wrong line. The Railway Times of 1S40 and 1841 contains a notice of both trials.

No. 5. Discharged from the York and North Midland Railway,

bricklayer's labourer.

No. 6. Not long ago a platelayer on the Hull and Selby Railway; got on the York and North ^Midland Railway as an engineman, and was discharged.

No. 7. A fireman, and never had the charge of an engine before.

No. 8. Discharged from the Leeds and Selby Railway for drunk-

These are the “skilful and practised men from other lines!” Ill support of their character let us see how the trains arrived in Leeds;—

Dec. 2G. A goods’ train 2 hours late; the engine all out of order.

Dec. 27. The train with the Sheffield and Rotherham passengers 1 hour late.

Dec. 30. A passenger train, with Prince George of Cambridge and a number of noblemen, 2 hours late, and they expressed their disappro¬ bation of the delay.

The above artToffiy a^ew of the late trains, for all the trains for the most part were behind time. The arrivals of the trains at Derby are

RAILWAY LOCOMOTIVI engineman adjusted the connecting rods, and made them over-tight; and when the engine was working, the connecting rod broke, and that broke the cylinder cover, and otherwise seriously damaged the working

Jan. 3. Before the goods’ train out of Leeds, at 8 r.n., arrived at Masbro’, a distance of 32 miles, the driver was compelled to draw his fire out, and afterwards arrived at Derby 0 hours late; (this engineman only worked a stationary engine before). The 8 o'clock, into Derby, overtook a coal train about 3 miles from Derby, with fonr engines attached to it, the gate-keeper informing the alarmed and trembling passengers that it was only a coal train that had obstructed the line for five hours. Theeause of employing so many engines was, that three of them were sent out as pilots, one after the other, but, unfortunately, got so disabled themselves, that they were unable to render the neces¬ sary assistance.

Jan. 4. No. G1 engine, running the coke train, broke down in Killamarsh cutting, the engineman a fireman from the Leicester and Swannington Kailway. No. 44 engine, just having undergone a tho¬ rough repair, broke one of the cylinders, and was otherwise much damaged. No. 6 engine, running the mail train, broke the connecting rod, bv being too tightly keyed up by the new and experienced

Jan. 5. No 11 engine, running the mail train out of Derby, broke down after running 8 miles. The engineman neglecting, or being incom¬ petent, to examine his engine before starting, the set pins belonging to the small end of the connecting rod were too slack; the consequence was, that the key fell out, and caused very great damage to the engine; so much so, that with all the energy possible, it cannot be put in a proper state of repair for months. This caused a delay to the mail of 2 hours and 12 minutes into Leeds; and I am not certain but one of the General Post-office officers was with this train. The engineman who caused this was a fireman on the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway. No. 9 engine, damaged very much in the fire-box. The 10.15 train into Derby broke down, and was unable to proceed until the 11.15 train into Derby came, and brought both trains into Derby at 11.45, the first train 1 hour 30 minutes late, and the other 30 minutes late. The extent of the damage to the first engine which caused the delay X have not yet learned; but it must be serious, for the engine was unable" to come along with the trains.

Jan. 6. The 3.15 train out of Derby broke down, and was taken into Leeds, by the pilot engine, 1 hour 50 minutes late.

Jan. 7- The 6 p. m. from Derby arrived at Leeds 1 hour late.

Jan. 8. The mail train from Derby arrived at Leeds 37 minutes late. The mail train from Leeds arrived at Derby 1 hour late.

"Will the Editor of the Leeds Mercury allow the circumstances of Jan. 3 and a to be obstructions on the line ?

I cannot but mention a most disgraceful proceeding which took place dining the week, which caused the greatest terror to a whole train of pas¬ sengers. One of the new enginemen had occasion to return to Leeds with the engine, and there is an express order that no engine shall follow a could not be contradicted in your journal previous to the North Midland general meeting. I exceedingly regret this circumstance ; but, however, I hope you will indulge me by inserting a few remarks upon the extraordinarv speech, so far as it relates to the North Midland Railway.

Mr. Hudson remarked, that “ he was anxious to have carried out on that line the same economy, and see the same views acted upon, which had been done with so much success upon the York and North Midland Railway.” He also stated, that “ he bad yet to learn that expenses and large wages were the best things that could be adopted to add to the public safety.” In carrying out this unprecedented economy, that he lias created great and unaccountable expenses and sacrifice of life there can be no doubt; and those expenses which have been created, were for the puqiose of effecting a saving of wages on the enginemcn of about 71. per week. He alleges, that the Board of Trade holds out that the old men were immaculate. It does not appear that they did any such - thing; but true it is, that the characters of the old men, as enginemen, previous to the change, were blameless, which will appear from .the default-hook of the Company, besides other collateral evidence. I am sorry I have had so little time, otherwise I would have furnished their true characters (but they shall be forthcoming), which will prove that the greater proportion of them were bred in precisely the same man¬ ner as that highly-talentcd gentleman, Mr. Cabrey, upon whom so much praise is lavished. I am prepared to discuss locomotive matters either practically or theoretically at any time Mr. Cabrey may think proper, and I beg to state that I am not unacquainted with his locomotive .management on the York and North Midland Railway.

Mr. Hudson further refers to the character of the old men, as a proof of the present enginemen being superior to the old; “he would take the periods of arrival of the London mail trains in York for a fortnight before the old men were out, and a fortnight after the new men were appointed. He would first take the period that elapsed from the 11th to 2-lth December, and then that which elapsed between the 29th January and the 2nd February.” Here he compares 13 days of the old men with 3 days of the new; why not have taken all the trains, goods' included, that were late for one niouth before the 24th December, and one month after, and compared the regularity of the former with the irregularity of the latter, and also the condition of the engines on their arrival with that of the former ? If he had done so, he must have blushed at the comparison. Again, he states that a good deal has been said about the fatal accident on the North Midland Railway, and that much blame was cast upon the Directors. If he wishes the blame to be removed from the Directors, then it must inevitably fall upon tile mucb-lnuded Mr. Cabrey, for it was he that engaged Jenkins, at Newcastle, and recommended him to be put bn the North Midland Railway. Mr. Cabrey knew well his character; he was a discharged fireman of his own, aud he would not again employ him on the York and North Midland Railway. Certainly, if he was unfit to be a fireman upon that line, he, of course, was far more unfit to be a driver on the North Midland Railway. Mr. Cabrey also engaged David Fletcher, who was twice previously convicted for reckless chiving, aud was discharged from the North Midland in a to the Board of Directors; hut instead of doing as he was respectfully requested, the Superintendent put up a public notice that he had sent it to Mr. Locke for his consideration. It would appear that this Super¬ intendent is of opinion that Mr. Locke has more power than the whole Board. However, more of this by and by.

LETTER VI.

Birmingham, March 21, 1843.

When I first addressed you on the 2Cth of December last, upon the impolicy of the North Midland Directors’ imprudent, lamentable, and ever-to-be-remembered change of their enginemen, and predicted that awful and fatal consequences would ensue, and which prediction was most woefully realised, after the written pledge they gave to the Board of Trade, that they would in future take care not to have recourse to any measures that would endanger the safety of the public, I certainly did not anticipate that I would so soon have occasion to inform you that within the last twenty days they have taken steps which may he fraught with even more frightful loss of life, if they be not very promptly and effectually altered.

At Clay Cross Tunnel, close by the north end of it, Mr. Stephenson’s Coal Railway joins, from which the coal trains get upon the North ^Midland Railway, and immediately proceed through the tunnel. Formerly there were two watchmen by day and two by night at this end; at the other end there was one watchman by day and one bv night, and with this number it not unfrequcntly happened that, with all their vigilance and care, it was with difficulty they could prevent accident. The above efficient number is now reduced to one watchman by day and and another by night, for both ends of the tunnel! I do not know a place upon any railway which requires more vigilance and attention than this particular spot. This tunnel is Ij- miles long, and rises from the north end of it 16 feet per mile; it is uncommonly wet; the rails are always in a slippery condition, so much so, that when a coal train is heavy the fireman is obliged to have recourse to that frightful risk of standing upon the buffer-bar of the engine, and continuing to throw sand upon the tails all the way through, to make the wheels of the engine adhere to the rails, and it is no uncommon occurrence that, with all this, a train comes to a dead stand. Suppose a heavy coal train enters the tunnel, and docs come to a stand still, and the watchman’s attention is taken up at the other end, the tunnel becomes filled with steam, a passenger train follows, and no signal being given that the tunnel is blocked up (no person being there to give it), the train enters with its accustomed speed, and need I depict to you the awful consequences! The collision Lakes place ; and what could' the more fortunate passenger do, who might not be killed, under the excitement, and in a tunnel filled with fire, steam, darkness, destruction, and screams of the most horrid description ? It would be next to a miracle if even a single soul were saved to relate the sad event. Is it not the bounden duty of the Dircc-.

RAILWAY LOCOMOTIVE MANAGEMENT.

(lav, which is more than 8s. G d. in this country. Mr. M'Connell 1ms stated, that so soon ns he has effected the reduction of the enginemen he ■will reduce the firemen to 3s. 9d. per day.

It is not my intention to occupy much of your space. I shall, for the present, only take a slight view of the line, leaving minor points, which, however, are of great importance, till a future day.

At the Gloucester end of the line there are three switchmen to he discharged (at least they have notice); there are fifteen pair of points to attend to, and when these men are discharged, the duty of shifting those points will devolve upon the firemen. As I observed on a former occasion, if the fireman should fall in leaping, what would become of the train of passengers; for on the 12tli instant, with the three switchmen, they allowed the engine and tender of the quarter-past S train to get off the line, and detained it one hour. Even after this lesson, it appears that it is intended to do away with this useful class of men.

At Cheltenham there are not fewer than ten pair of points, and no switchman.

At Asheliurch, the day policeman is to he done away with. This is a place of the utmost importance at which to have men placed to watch the trains approaching, for the Tewkesbury branch conics in here, and collisions can be prevented only by the vigilance and activity of the engincman. In foggy weather they must run all hazards of a “ pitch in” occasionally. IIow will this work with entire strangers ?

At Spetchley, day policemen are proposed to be done away with, and five pairs of points are to be attended to by the firemen.

The Lickey incline I believe to be one of the most dangerous inclines in the kingdom; and what may happen with a whole set of new drivers put on at once, and one brakesman out of three discharged ?

At Coffin Tunnel, which is about a quarter of a mile long, they have already discharged two policemen, one from each end. This tunnel has never been properly finished at either end, and the consequence is, that it often occurs that waggon-loads of loose rock fall down and obstruct the line. Now, suppose that only a small piece of rock were to fall down, and no one were there to remove it from off the rails, is it at all possible for an engineman coming out of a dark tunnel to be able to perceive the obstruction in sufficient time? The consequence would be that the engine and tender would be thrown off the line, and the train of passengers dashed against the sides of the tunnel. In fact, this tunnel all through is far from being perfect; it is propped up in several places, and there is to be no one placed to watch it.

At the curve leading to the London junction it is also proposed to remove the switchmen. At this curve there are five pairs of points. Suppose the bank engine were crossing the line at these points, and the fireman off the engine to turn them, and a passenger-train coming down that heavy incline at the same time, by reason of the curve the engineman of the passenger train could not see the bank engine crossing. Coming down at full speed, he would seldom observe it until he went right over it, aud perhaps the whole tram would be thrown over the embankment.

It is allowed by every one that the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway requires very steady and experienced men, with a thorough knowledge of the line to work it with safety. I believe the Directors allow that their present staff of enginemen may be equalled, but cannot be surpassed, for steadiness and attention to their duty, and they would be sorry to lose them. One Director observed the other day, that lie admitted the reduction woidd be hard upon the men ; still it would not press so hard upon them as the present state of things was pressing upon the proprietors, for they had lost thousands of pounds, and it was only by economy they could retrieve their affairs. Is there no other method to be found to retrieve the extravagant and ruinous expenditure of a railway but endangering the public safety and screwing down the wages of enginemen, firemen, and policemen, to starvation point? If unopinion were asked, I could point out a variety of better methods, and perhaps I may do so on a future day. I adhere to my former pledge, and shall watch the movements of the Managers of this line, and of several others, who have not gone quite so far yd.

LETTER VIII.

In reading your paper of the 28th ultimo, respecting the collision that took place at the Nine Elms station of the Southampton Railway, the reason which you assign for the accident called forth my attention, it having arisen from over-fatigue, no matter what the cause of that, fatigue was. In a previous letter I noticed that every one was aware that over-fatigue has an unbounded influence on mankind, for it has often been the case that a very fatigued man has lain down in the depths of snow', and slept as soundly as if on a feather bed. No one can bear better testimony to this fact than General Paslev; ami I would especially call his particular attention to the following.

Ou the Manchester ami Leeds Railway it has been the practice for some time pastwith the enginemen who run goods’ trains during the night, that for six days in the week they have run those trains from sixteen hours to seventeen hours per day on the average. This labour lias been so severe upon them, that some of them have actually found themselves asleep upon the engine towards the latter end of the week; and when the Superintendent was remonstrated with upon this severe work, the answer of this philanthropic gentleman was, “if you cannot do it others will.” The obvious cause of this answer was the reduction of wages, for he has, at the Leeds end of the line, some men running at the low rate of from 3s. Ad. to 3s. fir/, per day. I am happy to say there are still honourable exceptions remaining to the present system of raihvnv wages,—parties who arc pursuing the wise and prudent course of treating their workmen with humanity and justice, and therein- insuring safety to the public and prosperitv to the proprietors.

What shall I say? the mighty have fallen. The London ami Bit workshop) accompanied by one of the fitters, and it was usual for this man to remain.” This is not true. When Messrs. S. & Co. forwarded the engines to the Liverpool and Manchester line at the outset, there was no fitter sent with them; they were all fitted up on the line by Messrs. Mellon and Sons, under the immediate direction of Mr. Ste¬ phenson himself, and the only time that that company sent a man from their establishment was some time after the commencement, when they sent six engines, and they were accompanied by Ralph Hutchison, who was then an under fireman (and now principal foreman to that estab¬ lishment.) He superintended the fitting up of those engines, and as each of them got completed, he had them tried up and down the line; but he never ran a train with an engine, nor did Messrs. S. & Co. send a fitter from their work and make him an engineman. The following particular account will show that the men who worked that line were never fitters; they were regularly-bred drivers, and accustomed to