The life of George Stephenson, railway engineer - Lighthouse ...

310 LIFE OF GEORGE STEPHENSON. [chap. xxvi.
But even admitting that the road-engine could be made to go
regularly, he was quite confident that it could not be made to go
so as to "pay, even though all the tolls were taken off. Besides
these objections, there was the element of danger in the road
locomotive ; for its boiler could not be constructed so small and
so light as to enable it to do any heavy work without risk of
bursting. He then contrasted it with the railway locomotive,
" Our engines," he said, " are from twenty to thirty horse power,
whilst those on the common roads are not more than three or
four horse power. The road locomotive must necessarily be
limited, whereas the power of the railway locomotive can be in-
creased to almost any extent. We have engines now constructed
that can haul 400 tons on a level railway, taking a large ship-
load of goods in one train, at fifteen miles an hour. I will en-
gage to make a locomotive of a hundred horse power to run
upon a railway. I have already made some of fifty horse power
for Belgium and the United States."
His evidence was so strong and conclusive, that it could not
fail to have great weight with their lordships ; and in their re-
port to the House, they said, " It appears that some experienced
engineers, after a careful examination of the expense attendant
upon it (the common-road steam-carriage,) have been induced to
abandon all hopes of its success as a profitable undertaking. It
is probable, therefore, that any encouragement on the part of the
legislature would only give rise to wild speculations, ruinous to
those engaging in them, and to experiments dangerous to the
public." * However unjust the prohibitory tolls on steam-
carriages might be, there is no dpubt that the decision of the
committee as to the impracticability of the steam-carriage system
was correct, and that there was no hope of its ever competing
successfully on common roads with the locomotive railway. The
highest speed which the promoters promised was ten miles an
hour ; but this would no longer satisfy the public requirements,
now that the Liverpool and Manchester Railway had demon-
* Report of the Lords' Committee appointed to consider the Bill, entitled
" An Act to repeal such Portions of aJl Acts as impose prohibitory Tolls on
Steam -Carriages, and to substitute other Tolls on an equitable Footing with
Horse Carriages." Session 1886.