THE RAILWAY CARRIAGES.
We will now proceed to detail a few circumstances respecting the
railway carriages, about which our readers have probably never cared
to inquire.--And, _firstly_, as soon as an up-train arrives at the
commencement of the Euston platform, while it is still in motion,
and before its guard--distinguished by a silver-buckled black shiny
patent-leather belt, hanging diagonally across the white buttons of
his green uniform-coat--has ventured with practised skill to spring
from the sideboard of the train to the platform, two greasy-faced
men in canvas jackets, with an oil-can in each of their right hands
and with something like a mophead of dirty cotton hugged under each
of their left arms, are to be seen running on each side of the
rails below in pursuit of the train; and while the porters, holding
the handles of the carriage doors, to prevent any traveller from
escaping, are still advancing at a brisk walk, these two oilmen, who
have now overtaken the train, diligently wipe as they proceed the
dust and perspiration from the buffer-rods of the last carriage. As
soon as these irons are perfectly clean and dry rubbed, they oil
them from their can; and then--crawling beneath the open doors of
the carriages and beneath the feet and ankles of a crowd of exuding
travellers of all ages, who care no more for oilmen than the oilmen
of this world care for them--they hurry to the buffer-rods of the
next carriage--and so rapidly do they proceed, that before the last
omnibus has driven off, the buffer-rods of the whole train are as
bright as when new. But, _secondly_, these two men have been closely
followed by two others in green jackets--one on each side of the
carriage--who deal solely in a yellow composition of tallow and
palm-oil. Carrying a wooden box full of this ointment in one hand
and a sort of short flat salve-knife in the other, they open with
the latter the small iron trap-doors which cover the receptacles for
greasing the axles, restore whatever quantity has been exhausted,
and then, closing with a dexterous snap the little unctuous chamber
over which they preside, they proceed to the next tallow-box; and
thus, while the buffer-rods of the whole train are being comfortably
cleaned and greased, the glistening axles of the carriages are
simultaneously fed with luxurious fat. _Thirdly_, while these two
operations are proceeding in the lower region, at about the same
rate two others are progressing, one inside the carriages and the
other on their roofs; for on the arrival of every passenger-train,
the carriage “_searcher_,” also “beginning at the end,” enters every
carriage, lifts up first all the stuffed blue seats, next the carpet,
which he drops in a heap in the middle of the carriage, and then,
inquisitively peeping under the two seats, he leaves the carriage,
laden with whatever article or articles may have been left in it, to
continue his search throughout the train. The inconceivable number
and variety of the articles which he collects we shall shortly have
occasion to notice. _Fourthly_, above the searcher’s head, on the
roof, and following him very closely in his course, there “sits up
aloft” a man called a “_strapper_,” whose sole duty it is, on the
arrival of every train, to inspect, clean, shampoo, and refresh with
cold-drawn neat’s-foot oil the luggage-straps, which, in consequence
of several serious accidents that have occurred from their breaking,
are now lined inside with strong iron wire. It is the especial duty
of this inquisitor to condemn any straps that may be faulty, in order
that they may be immediately replaced.
As soon as these four simultaneous operations are concluded,
directions are given by the station-master to remove the up-carriages
from their position, that the rails may be clear for the arrival of
the next train. At this word of command a pilot-engine, darting from
its lurking place like a spider from its hole, occasionally hisses up
to the rear of the train, and drags it off bodily into a siding. The
usual mode, however, of getting an in-train out of the way is by the
assistance of various unnoticed turn-tables, upon which portions of
it are standing. By these simple contrivances the carriages, after
being unhooked from each other, are rapidly carried off into the
sidings, where they are arranged, according as they may afterwards be
required, among the five sets of rails which lie between the opposite
platforms of the arrival and departure trains. No sooner, however,
do they reach this haven, than, _fifthly_, a large gang of strong
he-housemaids, clattering towards them in wooden shoes and in leather
leggings rising above their bony knees, are seen advancing; some with
mops in their hands, others with large chamois leathers, while others
are carrying on their shoulders a yoke, from which are suspended
_in equilibrio_ two pails. From pipes on each side of these five
sets of rails water is immediately drawn off, and the busy operation
of washing then begins. Half a dozen dusty, dirty-faced, or rather
dirty-bodied, carriages are simultaneously assailed on each of their
sides by wet mops flying up, down, and around in all directions. The
wielders of these, be it noticed, are so skilful in their vocation,
that, while they are talking to their “pailers,” they with great
velocity continue to mop round the wood-work of the various-shaped
plate-glass windows just as vigorously and as accurately as if they
were looking at them; indeed, it is evident that they know the
position of railway-carriage doors, windows of all forms, handles,
steps, &c., so accurately, that they could mop a coach clean in
the dark and probably they often go through these motions when
they are asleep, just as King Richard III. in his dream called
for his horse and for linen bandages--just as the sleeping orator
ejaculates portions of his last speech--and just as an equally tired
outstretched fox-hound during the night occasionally convulsively
kicks with his uppermost hind leg and yelps aloud when he thinks of
the view he got of Renard as he first gallantly broke away from ----
gorse. It may possibly not be known to some of the most fashionable
of our readers that among “moppers” there exist the same gradations
which so distinctly separate other classes of society. A “first-class
mopper” would on no account demean himself by mopping a second-class
carriage, and in like manner a “second-class mopper” only attains
that distinction after he has for a sufficient length of time been
commissioned to mop horse-boxes and common luggage-trains.
After the passenger-carriages are all washed and dried, they are
minutely examined, _sixthly_, by one or more of the foremen of the
coach department, who order off to their adjoining establishment
any that may require repair. Those that remain are then visited,
lastly, by “_the duster_,” who enters each carriage with a cloth, a
leather, a brush, and a dust-pan, with which apparatus he cleans the
windows, wipes the wood-work, brushes the blue cloth seats, sides,
and backs--and when this operation is concluded, the carriages are
reported fit to depart, and accordingly are then marshalled into
trains for that purpose.
_Coach Department._
The new carriages for the southern division of the London and
North-Western Railway are principally built by contract in the
City by Mr. Wright, who also supplies carriages for other English
railways, as well as a great number for Germany. The Company’s
establishment at Euston Station, which is therefore principally for
the maintenance of carriages of various descriptions running between
London and Birmingham, consists of a large area termed “the Field,”
where, under a covering almost entirely of plate-glass, are no less
than fourteen sets of rails, upon which wounded or spare carriages
lie until doctored or required. Immediately adjoining are various
workshops, the largest of which is 260 feet in length by 132 in
breadth, roofed with plate-glass, lighted by gas, and warmed by hot
air. In this edifice, in which there is a strong smell of varnish,
and in the corner of which we found men busily employed in grinding
beautiful colours, while others were emblazoning arms on panels,
are to be seen carriages highly finished as well as in different
stages of repair. Among the latter there stood a severely wounded
second-class carriage. Both its sides were in ruins, and its front
had been so effectively smashed that not a vestige of it remained.
The iron-work of the guard’s step was bent completely upwards, and
a tender behind was nearly filled with the confused _débris_ of its
splintered wood-work--and yet, strange to say, a man, his wife,
and their little child, who had been in this carriage during its
accident, had providentially sustained no injury! Close to this
immense warehouse we found a blacksmith’s shop seventy-five feet
square, lighted from the roof with plate-glass, containing in the
centre a large chimney, around which there were simultaneously at
work fourteen forges, blown by a steam-engine of seventeen-horse
power, which works machinery in two other shops. As, however, we
shall have occasion to describe the Company’s coaching establishment
at Crewe, we will abruptly take leave of the details before us.