A RAILWAY IN THE SEA.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10571, 18 January 1896, Page 2

A RAILWAY IN THE SEA.

The Brighton (England) " railway in the sea" is described and illustrated in the Daily Graphic. The line is to be called the Brighton and.Rot. tiugdean Seashore Electric Tramroad. The idea of running a self-propelling car on a railway submerged in the sea originated, it is said, with Mr Magnus Volfc, of the Electric railway, Brighton, and is believed to be unique, although there is at St. Malo, France, a ■ structure pulled across the harbour by means of a chain a distance of about 110 yards. The steepest gradient is 1 in 300, and the radius of curves 40 chains. Tha line consists of four rails (54-lb a yard), laid as two tracts of 2ft B£in in gauge,. spaced about 18ft outer rails, thus giving an effectivegayje of 18ft; this being .:neceasary to give ttie 'required stability to the cars. At high tida the depth of water over the rails is 15tt. Although the most violent gales experienced for many years occurred in the winter of 1894-95, no damage whatever was done ta •he permanent way, so the fact that it possesses ismplo strength to resist the force of the sea has been demonstrated in a satisfactory manner. The line is ue&rly' complete, but the work, being tidal, has been greatly delayed by bad weather. Tha car is a, Mrnclurg on 16 wheels, 33in in diameter, curving the paaeengers »t a height of 24T4 above the level of the rails. The four main legs are tubes of drawn steel 12in in diameter. At tho bottom of each leg is placed a bogie truck having four whee's, the outside, of the bogie being shaped like a double-ended boat to facilitate its passage through the water, and also to remove any obstructions fiom the rails. The four bogies are firmly held together by steel tubular struts. The whncl base io about 28ft, and the effective gauge 18ft, giving great stability. The main deck io carried out. exactly as if for a eteam yacht, and measures 50(t loug and 22t't wide. ■ An ample .supply of seats with reversible backs is provided to enable passengers to face the direction in which fche car is .eoing. The driving machinery consists of two • 30 h.p. electric motors placed vertically immediately over two of the main legs, otic on each aide of the car, which will carry 100 to 150 passengers. It is proposed to run at the rat 9 of about seven miles an hour.