Railway Construction. William Hemingway Mills
all lands and houses of every parish within the limits of deviation.
The numbers on the Book of Reference must correspond with the numbers on the plan, and opposite to each number must be entered a brief description of the property, whether field, garden, house, road, railway, or river. It is intended that the plan and Book of Reference together, shall afford ample information to enable all parties interested to ascertain to what extent their property will be affected by the proposed undertaking.
The section must be drawn to the same horizontal scale as the plan, and to a vertical scale of not less than 100 feet to an inch, and must show the level of the ground, the level of the proposed work, the height of every embankment, the depth of every cutting, and a horizontal datum line which shall be referred to some fixed point, near one of the termini.
In every section of a railway, the line of railway marked thereon must correspond with the upper surface of the rails.
Distances on the datum line must be marked in miles and furlongs to correspond with those on the plan; a vertical measure from the datum line to the line of the railway must be marked in feet and decimals at the commencement and termination of the railway, and at each change of gradient, and the rate of inclination between such vertical measures must also be marked.
Wherever the line of railway crosses any public carriage road, navigable river, canal, or railway, the height of the railway over, or depth beneath the surface thereof, and the height and span of every arch by which the railway will be carried over the same, must be marked in figures.
In the case of a public road level crossing, it must be described on the section, and it must also be stated if such level will be unaltered. If any alteration be intended in the level of any canal, public road, or railway which will be crossed by the intended line of railway, the same must be stated on the section and cross-sections to a horizontal scale of not less than 330 feet to an inch, and a vertical scale of not less than 40 feet to an inch must be added, which must show the present surface of such road, canal, etc., and the intended surface thereof when altered, and the greatest of the present and intended rates of inclination marked in figures, such cross-sections to extend 200 yards on each side of the centre line of railway.
Wherever the height of any embankment, or depth of any cutting, shall exceed 5 feet, the extreme height over or depth beneath the surface of the ground must be marked in figures upon the section.
All tunnels and viaducts must be shown on the section.
At a junction with an existing railway, the gradient of such existing railway must be shown on the section on the same scale as the general section for a distance of 800 yards on each side of the point of junction.
Where the level of any turnpike or public road has to be altered in making any railway, the gradient of any altered road need not be better than the mean inclination of the existing road within a distance of 250 yards of the point of crossing the railway; but where the existing roads have easy gradients, then the gradients of the altered roads, whether carried over, or under, or on the level with the railway, must not be steeper than 1 in 30 for a turnpike road, 1 in 20 for a public carriage road, 1 in 16 for a private or occupation road.
A good and sufficient fence, 4 feet high at least, shall be made on each side of every bridge, and fences 3 feet high on the approaches.
The application to cross any public road on the level must be reported upon by one of the officers of the Board of Trade, and special permission for the work must be embodied in the Act.
Not more than 20 houses of the labouring classes may be purchased in any city or parish in England, Scotland, and Wales, or more than 10 such houses in Ireland, until approval has been obtained to a scheme for building such houses in lieu thereof as the authorities may deem necessary.
Every bridge (unless specially authorized to be otherwise) must conform with the following regulations:— A bridge over a turnpike road must have a clear span of 35 feet on the square between the abutments, with a headway, or height, of 16 feet for a width of 12 feet, as shown on Fig. 12.
A bridge over a public road must have a clear span of 25 feet on the square between the abutments, with a headway of 15 feet for a width of 10 feet, as shown on Fig. 13.
A bridge over a private or occupation road must have a clear span of 12 feet on the square between the abutments, with a headway of 14 feet for a width of 9 feet, as shown on Fig. 14.
Road bridges over the railway must have the same clear width between the parapets, measured on the square, as the widths prescribed for road bridges under the railway, or 35 feet for a turnpike road, 25 feet for a public road, and 12 feet for private or occupation road.
It is not compulsory, however, to construct the public road bridges over or under the railway of a greater width than the average available width of the existing roads within 50 yards of the point of crossing the railway, but in no case must a bridge have a less width than 20 feet. Should the narrow roads be widened at any future time, the railway company will be under the obligation to widen the bridges at their own expense to the extent of the statutory widths of 35 feet for a turnpike road, and 25 feet for a public road.
Suitable accommodation works in the form of bridges, level crossings, gates, or other works, must be provided for the owners, or occupiers of lands, or properties intersected or affected by the construction of the railway; or payments may be made by agreement instead of accommodation works. All questions, or differences between the Railway Company, and the owners or occupiers of property affected, will be decided by the authorities duly appointed by the Government for the purpose.
In constructing the railway, the Parliamentary plans and sections may be deviated from to the following extent:—
The centre line may be deviated anywhere within the limits of deviation (100 yards on each side of the centre line in country, and 10 yards each side in towns, or villages).
Curves may be sharpened up to half a mile radius, and further, if authorized by the Board of Trade.
A tunnel may be made instead of a cutting, and a viaduct instead of an embankment, if authorized by the Board of Trade.
The levels may be deviated from to the extent of 5 feet in the country, and 2 feet in a town, or village, and various authorities have power to consent to further deviations.
Gradients may be diminished to any extent, gradients flatter than 1 in 100 may be made steeper to the extent of 10 feet in a mile, and gradients steeper than 1 in 100 may be made steeper to the extent of 3 feet in a mile, or to such further extent as may be authorized by the Board of Trade.
Suitable fences must be erected on each side of the line, to separate the land taken for the use of the railway from the adjoining lands not taken, and to protect such lands from trespass, or the cattle of the owners, or occupiers thereof from straying on to the railway.
In addition to the Parliamentary plans, and sections, and Book of Reference, an estimate of the cost of each separate line, or branch, must be prepared as near to the following form as circumstances will permit.
The same details for each branch, and general summary of total cost.
Every