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

CHAP. XXIX.] IMPORTANCE OF A UNIFOEM GAUGE. 357
most effective arrangement of the machinery of the locomotive
that it was much safer to work over wher.e the curves of the
railway were at all sharp ; that it was far more economical,
taking into consideration the paying weight carried, in propor-
tion to the dead weight in the shape of rolling stock ; that it
would cost considerably less to maintain, in consequence of the
less weight to bear, and the smaller tear and wear of materials
not to mention the much smaller capital that was required to
form a line upon the narrow gauge than upon the broad—the
— ;
latter requiring more land, wider bridges and tunnels, broader
embankments and viaducts, heavier rails, chairs, and sleepers,
and more expensive engines and carriages. But his principal
objection was, that by forming the Great Western line on an ex-
ceptional gauge, the proprietors of the undertaking were virtually
closing it against the public traific from other parts of the king-
dom, and rendering it a mere provincial railway or by-way,
instead of part of a great national system. He would not be-
lieve, with Mr. Brunei, that railways were to be confined to
particular districts, but he held that, before long, they must be-
come the universal high roads as well as by-roads for both goods
and passengers; and that any break in the continuity of the
system by a difference of gauge, would seriously detract from
those great public advantages which their general adoption
might reasonably be expected to confer. The contrary views,
advocated with so much persuasiveness by Mr. Brunei, un-
happily prevailed with his directors ; and a subject fruitful in
contentions and controversies was thus introduced into the railway
world.
When the proprietors, however, observed the enormous ex-
pense that was involved in carrying out Mr. Brunei's designs,
they became alarmed, and at length dissatisfied ; and they in-
vited Mr. Robert Stephenson to examine and report upon the
new gauge. He declined, on the ground that his opinion was
already known to be strongly unfavourable, on which Mr.
Nicholas Wood and Mr. Hawkshaw were called upon to make
an in'^estigation into the subject. This they did in a very able
manner, Mr. Hawkshaw's report being particularly clear and
decisive. Their opinion was against the new gauge. Never-