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

CHAP. XXIX.] THE ATMOSPHERIC RAILWAY. 361
way. The results of the experiment were so satisfactory, that
the directors of the Dublin and Kingstown line adopted it between
Kingstown and Dalkey. The London and Croydon Company
also adopted the atmospheric principle ;
and their line was
opened in 1845. Great was the popularity of the atmospheric
system ; and still George Stephenson said, " It won't do ; its only
a gimcrack." Engineers of distinction said he was prejudiced,
and that he looked upon the locomotive as a pet child of his own.
" Wait a little," he replied, " and you will see that I am right.''
Mr. Brunei approved of the atmospheric system ; and had
not his invention of the broad gauge proved him to be a man of
genius ? Mr. Cubitt, Mr. VignoUes, and Mr. James Walker,
also men of great eminence, Dr. Lardner, and many others
equally distinguished, as well as the Council of the Institute' of
Civil Engineers, approved of the atmospheric railway ; and
therefore it was becoming pretty clear that the locomotive system
was about to be snuffed out. " Not so fast," said Mr. Ste-
phenson. " Let us wait to see if it will pay." He never be-
lieved it would. It was ingenious, clever, scientific, and all that
but railways were commercial enterprises, not toys ; and if the
atmospheric railway could not work to a profit, it would not do.
Considered in this light, he even went so far as to call it " a
great humbug."
No one can say that the atmospheric railway had not a fair
trial. The Government engineer, General Pasley, did for it
what had never been done for the locomotive—^he reported in its
favour, whereas a former Government engineer, Mr. Telford,
had inferentially reported against the use of locomotive power
on railways. The House of Commons had reported in favour
of the use of the steam-engine on common roads ; and yet the
railway locomotive had vitality enough in it to live through all.
" Nothing will beat it," said George Stephenson, " for efficiency
in all weathers, for economy in drawing loads of average weight,
and for power and speed as occasion may require."
The atmospheric system was fairly and fully tried, and it was
found wanting. It was admitted to be an exceedingly elegant
mode of applying power ; its devices were very skilful, and its
mechanism was most ingenious. But it was costly, irregular in
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