The cost of construction varies so that it is impossible to say definitely what would be the average cost nowadays; but in England a double line, including station houses, signals, and all other fixed plant, would probably cost, under ordinary circum stances, from £15,000 to £20,000 per mile. Single lines are made at perhaps a fourth less, but nowhere in the United Kingdom have they been executed so economically as in Scot land. There, some single lines have cost for land and everything not more than about £5,000 per m.—such economy, however, being greatly due to the fact, that the under takings were promoted and watched over by.bodies of land proprietors deeply interested in restraining expenditure. Of these cheap Scotch lines a good example is offered by the Peebles railway (practically a branch of the North British), extending to 181 m., the entire cost of which, and land station-houses included, was about £95,000. The cost of rolling stock was additional.
Maintenance of Way.—Every railway, great or small, is at a considerable expense in i keeping the line proper working order, for which purpose a staff of officials is required. Besides a general superintendent there is an effective staff of "plate-layers," whose duty it is to watch over and repair the permanent way.
HOLLrNG-STOCK.—Under this head are comprehended locomotives, carriages, and trucks for goods and minerals, the whole forming an important part of railway under takings.
Locomotives.—Loeomotives are of several kinds, varied in construction to suit the traffic for which they are designed. They may be classed as express, ordinary, passen ger, goods, and tank engines. In the latter class the tender for fuel and water forms an extension of the locomotive; but for the most part the tender is detached, and only con nected by couplings. Locomotives for ordinary traffic have generally six wheels. In the first two classes, where speed is the principal ohject, only two, or at most four of the six wheels are driven, and these are made of large diameter. There has been a continual tendency to increase the speed, and this has led to an increase in the size of the driving wheels, which are in some cases 8 ft. in diameter. All the wheels of locomotives for heavy traffic are coupled together, so as to utilize the entire weight for adhesion. The smaller class of locomotives have only four wheels. The present price of first-class locomotives—of the largest size in general use—including the tender, varies from £3,000 to £4,000. Locomotives of this class weigh in trim from 30 to 40 tons; but there are, of course, much lighter locomotives; while sometimes they are as much as 55 or 56 tons.
arc three distinct kinds of carriages to suit the several classes of passengers. Each first-class carriage consists of three or four distinct compartments; but iu the other classes the backs of the seats are in many cases not carried to the roof, leaving the upper part of the carriage open fore and aft. At night the carriages are lighted with lamps; on the metropolitan lines gas is sometimes used. Special saloon carriages are reserved for royalty. The first-class compartments are handsomely fitted up, and in winter are heated by hot-water tins. Recently, one of the leading companies abolished its second-class carriages; and some companies now run third-class carriages with all trains. Passenger carriages made of iron have been used in America. Sleeping. carriages and the American Pullman cars have also been introduced into this country.
Many efforts have been made to devise some simple and efficient contrivance by widen passengers might, in cases of emergency, summon the guard, but no plan has as yet been adopted to any extent. The "continuous brake" is an improvement and novelty which has already been successfully, tried, and is likely to be soon generally applied. By its use trains can be stopped in a much shorter time and distance than under the present system; and thus the risk of accident is reduced; brakes are fitted to each car riage, and all are simultaneously applied. The guard's van contains space for luggage, and is provided with a look-out box, from which the guard can see along the roofs of all the carriages in the train.
Wagons and Luggage accommodate its traffic, every railway must be pro= vided with a large stock of trucks or wagons for carrying goods, minerals, cattle, timber, and other articles. Except for the heaviest traffic, wagons are now very generally fitted with elastic buffers.
TRAFFIC.—The traffic on railways is of two distinct kinds—passengers and goods; with the goods n e include minerals, also timber and other bulky articles. The passen ger and goods traffics are placed under separate managements. Usually, there are passenger-trains and goods-trains, but mixed trains are very common on branch lines.
In almost every railway in the United Kingdom, passengers are of three classes frst, second, and third. 'though from thp fares charged, first-class carriages possess an air of exclusiveness, no more objection is popularly taken to them than to the use of boxes in theaters; and, indeed, they are universally recognized as an advantage, for the reason that by the comparatively high fares exacted for them, the companies are enabled to lower the charges for second and third-class passengers. On some lines, compart ments are set apart for ladies if they choose to use them. Special compartments of pack class are now also allotted to smokers, a custom one may contrast with the special carriages common on the continent. The first-class passengers have dis tinct waiting-rooms at the termini and stations, with generally a waiting-room in addi tion for ladies; for the second and third class, there is a waiting-room in common. The several waiting-rooms are neatly fitted up, and provide,d with suitable conveniences, including basins and water for washing the hands—accommodations which contrast favorably with what. were furnished to travelers in the old coaching establishments. The.waiting-rooms are open all day to the public, and there is seldom any restriction as to going on the platforms. Tickets are sold at a wicket not earlier than a quarter of an hour before the starting of the train. The tickets, marked in consecutive numbers, are stamped with the date on delivery, excepting "return-tickets," will not answer for any other day. Return-tickets at a fare and a half are issued on most lines for the date of issue, or from Friday till Monday. On iiicist lines first and second-class untransfer able season tickets are issued for various periods at a considerable reduction on ordinary fares. To encourage the building of villas' at as distance of 10 to 20 m. from termini, by which means a traffic may be developed, some companies give a personal ticket free for a number of years corresponding to the valued rental of the villa. The second-class has been abolished by the Midland railway.