Identifier: ourironroads00will (find matches)
Title: Our iron roads: their history, construction and administration
Year: 1883 (1880s)
Authors: Williams, Frederick Smeeton, 1829-1886
Subjects: Railroads -- History Railroads -- Great Britain
Publisher: London : Bemrose & sons
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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DRAWBRIDGE OVER THE ARUN. between the platform and the vessel ; and these are elevatedor depressed by means of a winch on each side of a staging,eighteen feet high, erected across the platform. The high-level bridge over the deep ravine through whichthe Tyne flows between Newcastle and Gateshead, is a veryremarkable structure. It forms the junction between the Yorkand Newcastle and the Newcastle and Berwick Railways. Itwas proposed by Mr. Hudson, and designed by Mr. RobertStephenson. The first difficulty in building it was to secure good founda-tions for the piers. The piles to be driven were so large thatNasmyths Titanic steam-hammer had to be used to drive FLOATING RAILWAY ACROSS THE FORTH. 201 m
Text Appearing After Image:
them. By the common pile a comparatively small mass ofiron fell with great velocity for a considerable height—the 20; OUR IRON ROADS. velocity being in excess and the mass deficient, and calculated,like the momentum of a cannon ball, rather for destructivethan impulsive action. In the case of the steam pile-driver,on the contrary, the whole weight of a bearing mass is deliveredrapidly upon a driving-block of several tons weight placeddirectly over the head of the pile, the weight never ceasing,and the blows being repeated at the rate of a blow a second,until the pile is driven home. It is a curious fact, that therapid strokes of the steam hammer evolved so much heat thaton many occasions the pile head burst into flame. The firstpile was driven to a depth of 32 feet in four minutes ; and assoon as one was placed, the traveller, hovering overhead, pre-sented another, and down it went, like a pin into a pincushion.

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