RAILWAY AND INDUSTRIAL HISTORY OF THE SOUTH WEST BLACK COUNTRY

The New Shutt End Railway - The opening of the new railroad from Kingswinford to Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal with a loco-motive steam engine, alluded to in our last, took place on the 2nd. inst. amist an immense concourse of spectators from the surrounding country. The entire length of the railway is 3 miles and one eigth; it commences at the colliery of the Earl of Dudley by an inclination of 2 feet 3-10ths in a chain, and the carriages with coal are delivered down the plane in three minutes and a half, bringing up at the same time an equal number of empty carriages. The rail-road then proceeds from the foot of the inclined plane for one mile and 7-8ths, at an inclination of 16 feet in a mile; and on this part of the railway the locomotive engine travels and delivers the wagons at the head of another inclined plane of five hundred yards in length, having an inclination of 2 feet 35-100ths in a chain. The wagons are passed down this plane in a similar way to the first, in one minute and three quarters. At the foot of this second inclined plane there is a basin 750 yards long, communicating with the Staffordshire and Worcester Canal, parallel to which the rail-road is continued on both sides, affording the means of loading sixty boats at the same time; and over the middle of the basin is a handsome bridge of eleven arches, on which the road from Wordsley to New Inn passes. The experiment on Tuesday commenced by the passing of a train of four carriages, each loaded with three tons and a half of coal, down the first inclined plane - an operation that highly gratified the spectators from its extreme simplicity. The loco-motive engine, named the "Agenoria", was then attached to eight carriages, carrying 360 passengers, the weight being

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and the whole proceeded, attended by a band of music from the foot of the first inclined plane to the head of the second, and returned, being a distance of 3 miles and three quarters in half and hour, or at the rate of seven miles and half per hour. The distance might be have been accomplished in much less time, but being the first experiment all the power of the engine was not applied. On the return of the engine and passengers, carriages laden with coal, to the number of twelve, had descended the inclined plane; these were attached to the engine, with eight carriages of passengers, the weight being -

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The engine then started with its load of 131 tons, and proceeded to the head of the second inclined plane, and the distance of one mile and 7/8ths was performed in thirty three minutes, being at the rate of nearly three miles and a half per hour. On arriving at the head of the inclines plane the carriages loaded with the coals descended the plane. The engine next returned with the eight carriages loaded with passengers at the rate of six miles per hour; and on reaching the foot of the first inclined plane, all the carriages were disengaged from the engine, except the tender carriage with twenty persons on it. The engine was again started, and proceeded with the tender and twenty passengers about a mile on the road, performing the trip at a rate of eleven miles per hour, although not more than half of the engine power was laid on. This concluded the experiments; and we are happy to add that not the slightest accident occurred. The number of persons present to witness the first exhibition of a loco-motive engine in this part of the country was immense. We observed the Earl of Bradford seated on the engine-carriage during the first trip, J. H. Foley, Esq., M.P. for Droitwich, Col. Featherstone and many gentlemen from the neighbourhood. The engine was made under the superintendence of Mr. J. U. Rastrick, at Stourbridge. The safety valve is much improved by a spring so as to prevent the escape of steam from vibrations of the engine; and another safety valve is added, which is entirely accessible to the engineman, thus rendering the engine infallibly secure from explosion. Another ingenious contrivance is introduced by which the engine oils its bearings on the carriage at every revolution of the wheels.

ARIS'S GAZETTE.