February 18, 1916. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 315 . Assuming that the general gradient of the seam decreased from 1 in 8 to 1 in 12, with trams 10 per cent, larger, the output would increase nearly 24 per cent, for the same energy expended. Again, it may be found that with a given size of tram, road repairs amount to 3d. per ton. It may be possible to reduce the drawing by Id. per ton with large trams by increasing the road-repair figure ;o 34d., or, by adopting smaller trams, road repairs may be reduced to 2d., and drawing costs increased by |d. In either case the saving of |d. per ton is effected. In addition, if the roof becomes tender, this may make the temporary adoption of smaller trams economical. If the roof becomes stronger this may have the opposite effect. Output and Length of Road. The tram having now been considered from the points of view of gradient, friction, size, etc., the question of output and length of road may be briefly considered. Example No. 1.—In a colliery equipped with endless- rope haulage, where the distance from the shaft to the face is 24 miles, let it be assumed that, the seams being thin, a 5-cwt. tram is used and the output is 1,000 tons. Each tub will make 24 trips per shift, and will therefore carry 124 cwt. of output. At least 1,600 trams must be used. With 2-ton trams at least 200 would be required. The difference in capital cost would be roughly £2,000 against the small trams; maintenance would also be higher with these; but with an output of 1,000 tons these would be small matters. Example No. 2.—A road 1 mile long is equipped with maiin-and-tail-rope, haulage for an output of 450 tons in 7| hours. With a speed of 6 miles per hour, only 15 trips per shift could be drawn, or 30 tons per trips. Allowing 5 ft. for the length of each tram (with a capacity of 5 cwt.) and the coupling, with 120 trams in the set, it would take lyes 200 yds. long at each end of the road to marshal the sets—that is, nearly a quarter of the total length of the road. By doubling the speed and halving the time for changing, this would, of course, reduce the figures by half. It is clear that large outputs on long roads by small trams are impracticable with main-and-tail-rope haulage. If small trams must be used at the faces, and the road does not permit of the installation of endless-rope or such like haulage, it follows that the best policy would be to use small trams near the faces and very large trams out-bye. No mention has been made as to the material, whether iron, wood, or composite, of which the box and under- frame should be made. This is unnecessary, because once standardisation has been adopted, trams could be made and stocked in all materials. Of course, the further the purchaser travelled from ordinary material, the greater would be his risk of obtaining a favourable sale or exchange, unless his particular material or com- bination was successful. With regard to construction, it must remain simple, especially for the smaller sizes. Springs such as are used for railway wagons and protuberances such as grease boxes and brakes are inadmissible, for these are unlikely to stand the rough usage. The Track. Terminological diffi cullies in plenty crop up at every turn when the question of the rails on which the tram runs is considered, and particularly when the trams are man-handled. For instance, “ road ” may mean the whole of the tunnel, gallery, or excavation leading from one point to another, as, for example, “ gate-road,” bur 'may also mean the rails. Road, in short, is both a general and a particular term, and loads to^ such confusing information as “ there are three sets of limber broken on the road,” and the “ trams are off ihe road.” It therefore happens continually that the manager receives from his subordinates a requisition expressed in pit vernacular which he translates into the trade name before passing it through to the order clerk. Mistakes and delay must of necessity frequently arise. Probably with standardisation' adopted, and the name of each article stamped or cast thereon, this confusion of terms would abate or disappear, and terms common to tin? United Kingdom would be used throughout. It is significant that for coal cutter parts, electrical .plant, and such like new appliances, the common trade names or scientific terms are used. The American “ track ” is a distinctive term which the writer will use. A “ short crossing ” will be taken as the name of crossings of small radius, such as are used fo lead from cross gates to gate roads, and “ long crossings ” will be applied to those of long radius used on haulage roads, auxiliary or main. The ideal track may be defined as composed of two parallel rigid con- ductors of suitable gauge, form, and material, lying in the same horizontal plane. If this could be attained in practice, derailments would be infrequent, and these are responsible for much of the cost of transit. Derail- ments on main haulage roads need not be considered, because these tracks can be well constructed and main- tained. Neither need the difficulties arising from soft floors be considered, these being particular difficulties, and not common to all seams. Taking the case of derailment under ordinary circumstances for 200 yds. out-bye from the face, it will be found that these are due to (1) faulty gauging and nailing, and (2) to defec- tive sleepers. Even this inefficiency is expensive, because sleepers are used for timbering purposes, and nails are mislaid and buried in debris; indeed, not infre- quently they reappear in the hoofs of the horses. The writer sees no way out of these difficulties, except by adopting some form of steel sleeper. Scarcity of timber and the great rise in price of wooden sleepers may bring this change about in the near future. The length of the rails is a subject that receives little attention, and muddle often results as a consequence. For example : (1) the rails in a track are reputed to be 18 ft. in length, and after a derailment one is seen to be defective, and requires to be at once replaced. Then it is discovered that the new rail will not go in. Measure- ments show that while the defective rail is 17 ft. 11 in. long, the new one is 18 ft. 1 in. (2) A replacement similar to the above cannot be done, because the rails are not uniform in type, and cannot take the same fish- plate, or because perhaps the fishplate bolt holes are not at equal distances in both rails from the ends of the rails. (3) A long crossing has to be laid, and a length, say, of 24 ft. of the track has to be lifted to do so. The points are each, say, 2 ft. 5 in. long, then 12 ft. or more of rails are laid, after which the crossing 2ft. Ilin, long is laid. To “ square ” or bring even the crossing, two pieces of rail, each 2ft. Ilin, long, must be used. It is then found that in order to join up the original gap of 24 ft., two rails, each 6 ft. 8 in. long, have to be used (fig. 1). (4) A short crossing has to be laid into a narrow gate road. The rails on the cross gate are too Fig. 1. Showing how when points and crossings of various lengths are used, rails of vaiious other lengths have to be cut and used for “ squaring” and “ closing ’• ■*s' n'4* CROSSING CLOSING RAILS. AND CLOSING RAILS. Fig. 2. Showing how by using points and crossings of standard unit lengths, no rail-cutting is necessary. far in. If one length of rails be taken out, the rails are then too far out, and patchwork of short pieces of rail, or, indeed, wood, has to be resorted to. If the rails are too far in, the side of the gate road has to be hewn, and the rails there form an awkward twist, as shown in figs. 3 and 4. It is fairly evident that forethought and system can obviate all these drawbacks. By the adoption of a rail unit length, and by making everything to suit that, economy and efficiency can be secured. Supposing that 4 ft. is adopted as this unit, because it is an even number of feet, and because it is the longest rail that can be put into the minimum size of tram, and so taken safely and conveniently (which means cheaply)' through the lowest road to the face : then light rails would be Fig. 3. Showing the rail-joints on crossgate too far out-bye, and patchwork of short rails or wood used. CROSS GATE. CLOSING RAIL. CROSS GATE. Fig. 4. Showing the rail-joints on crossgate too far in-bye, which necessitates hewing the side of the gate-road, and an awkward twist on the rails of the gate-road. supplied in one unit (4 ft.) and unit lengths, in equal quantities of each; medium rails for auxiliary haulage in three-unit lengths (12 ft.); heavy rails for main roads in three-, four-, or five-unit lengths, as was found most convenient; and gate roads would be measured off by the rail-unit length, and not by feet or yards. Thus, if the practice were to set off gate roads every 15 yds., that would be reduced to 11-unit length (44 ft.), or increased to ll|-unit lengths (46 ft.). All castings for crossings, turnplates, etc., would be made to suit. Thus, turnplates 4 ft. square would be cast in halves, each 4 ft. by 2 ft.; short crossings 8 ft. long would be cast or made in 4ft. lengths; and for long crossings, where rails are interposed between points and crossings, cast- ings 4 ft. long would be suitable (fig. 2). The simple principle underlying' the proposed arrange- ment is that of having every rail and fitting of a known and pre-determined lengih, .and each long piece a multiple of the unit length. If the laying of the track is made simple and easy, rail cutting and w’ood patch- ing is avoided. The actual work will be quicker, cheaper, and more efficient. If the tram cannot be standardised in the near future, an effort should be made with the rail gauge. Even in these times of national stress the passing of a one-clause Mines Amending Act, as under, setting up a standard gauge, should be no difficult matter, if once general agreement were attained :— In the case of every mine or seam newly opened after the commencement of this Act, no rail gauge other than one approved by the Secretary of State shall be adopted or used for the transit of minerals. If only one of the great coal owners’ associations, or even if a few of the' large combines were to agree on the necessity and suitability of a standard gauge, the reform would gradually and automatically come about. The possibilities for cheapness, convenience, and effi- ciency- are tremendous. Standard wooden sleepers would result; improved universal steel sleepers would follow, and at least economise nails; standard crossings, turnplates, pointer plates, fishplates, etc., would all come in turn. If and when the next step—the introduction of stan- dard trams — was reached, the possibilities would be almost boundless. Standard oilers, controllers, and tipplers would result. • Standard hydraulic decking arrangements would be easy. Then, why not standard cages, leading on to headgears? The idea is not Utopian, but perfectly practical. If, before sinking was commenced, the coal owner could say : “I shall use No. 3 up to No. 7 trams, and purpose using a three- decked cage'holding six trams,” it would be simply a matter of replying : “ You require a shaft so many feet in diameter to take the standard cage, and the distance from pulley to pulley of the standard headgear for these cages is so many feet.” There would be no fear of stereotyping and stagnation, because the cages, etc., though standardised in build and size, would permit of special fittings to suit newer ideas, and these, if satis- factory, would be incorporated on standard types. The saving of clerical work would in itself be con- siderable, and liability to error in ordering would be much reduced. The manager would be saved from many petty worries, while the draughtsman would get useful work to do. To revert to the standard gauge alone, each colliery must at present have all crossings, etc., specially made to suit the gauge- Here is an example of the waste involved. Some time ago a new form of crossing for a special purpose was suggested to the writer. He sketched it, and the work then passed through the hands of the draughtsman, the pattern maker, and the iron founder. Then the fitter adjusted it as far as possible, and the job was satisfactory, but capable of improvement in detail. If this appliance is of any value to anyone, it ought to be available, but except for those with the same gauge it is not, and in order to be adopted for another gauge the routine of the draughtsman, pattern maker, etc., is required all over again. Controversy may not arise on the general, but on the particular proposition, and, as the writer is anxious that this should not occur, he approaches the question of dis- cussing what the gauge should be with much diffidence. If it be assumed that 5 cwt. and 40 cwt. are the minimum and maximum capacities likely to be required, a basis for reasoning is available. He has mentioned 14 in. and 42 in. as about the minimum and maximum gauges at present in use, and the question which of these or what intermediate size should be adopted now arises. Taking the 14 in. gauge first, it is too narrow for use with horses and mechanical haulage, and it is quite unsuitable for a large tram. As for the 42 in. gauge, it is unsuitable for a small tram, and in narrow gate roads with a fireclay or soft shale roof (or sides) the rails are normally obstructed by small debris. The standard gauge must be something between these. On light railways it is quite good practice to run wagons of more than five tons capacity over a 36 in. gauge, and on ordinary railways 32-ton wagons work on a gauge of 564 in. It is reasonable, then, to suggest that, a 2-ton tram on a 24-in. gauge is a practical proposal, and that is the gauge which the writer respectfully suggests. Reference might now bo made to ;he length of wheel base. It is well known that large trams require a longer wheel base than small trams, and steep workings a longer wheel base than flat workings. It is 'also well known that a tram with a long wheel base requires a curve of rails of longer radius than does one with a short base, and this suggests a difficulty in standardising crossings, etc., because, while a short-based tram would pass round any of the standard crossings, the long-based tram would not. This difficulty would be easily over- come either by making all curves such as would pass any tram, or by using standard crossings of, say, four classes to pass trams with wheel bases of 2, 24, 3, and 34 ft. All except the longest based tram would go round at least two classes of curves. Much is heard nowadays of national efficiency and of the organising ability of the Germans. Here, in the subject of this paper, is just such a field as would suit them. If stairdardisaiion would reduce the cost of pro- duction, the Briton, if he adopted it, would be armed for the better conduct of the economic war which will probably ensue, and would enjoy the added satisfaction of having beaten the enemy at his own game. Mr. Thornton, general manager of the Great Eastern Rail- way, has accepted the invitation of the President of the Board of Trade to become a member of the Railway Executive Committee.