Stations: Station Buildings, Roofs, Lines, and Sidings.
Stations.--When selecting a site for a station, not only should due
regard be paid to the proximity and convenience of access to the town
or place to be served, but attention should be given to the gradients
of the line near the proposed station. If it can possibly be avoided,
a station should not be placed in a hollow at the foot of two
inclines, as such a position would always entail heavy work starting
trains on the ascending gradients, with the risk of sliding back into
the station again in unfavourable weather; and for arriving trains
there would be increased difficulty in properly controlling the
vehicles on the descending gradients so as to bring them to a stand in
the event of any sudden stoppage being required. With stations on a
summit, having gradients falling in each direction, the starting
trains can get away more readily, and the arriving trains have the
benefit of the rising gradient to assist them in coming to a stand.
Possibly the best selection would be a long length of level, both in
the station proper and for a considerable distance on each side; but
it is not often that such a combination can be obtained without
incurring extra expenditure. The station-yard itself should, however,
be on the level, or as nearly so as possible, for the convenience and
safety of marshalling or shunting carriages or waggons. No siding
should be laid on such a gradient as would render it possible for
vehicles to start into motion during high winds. Carriages and waggons
having good oil axle-boxes will start themselves on a gradient of 1 in
300 under the influence of a moderately strong breeze, and a slight
push will start them on a gradient of 1 in 400.
The number and arrangement of the lines, sidings, platforms, loading
banks, and other conveniences of a station, will depend upon the
description and amount of traffic to be accommodated. There is a wide 249
range from the simple village station, with its one short siding, to
the great city terminus, with its labyrinth of lines and sidings, and
its groups of platforms, offices, warehouses, and other accessories.
Each station should be laid out with a view to meet the special
requirements of the principal traffic likely to arise, whether
passenger, timber, coal, stone, cattle, or general merchandise, and
ample space should be retained to permit further enlargement and
additional sidings at any future time. If provision is not made for
the latter in the outset it will certainly lead to large expenditure
at some later date. Land adjoining a railway station is quickly
appropriated by the public on account of its proximity and convenience
for conveyance, and soon covered with store-yards, warehouses, and
other buildings, and when any portion of these have to be acquired for
station enlargements, they can only be obtained at a large cost, very
often ten times as much as the value of the original ground.
When laying out approach roads to goods or passenger stations, whether
intermediate or terminal, due importance should be given to the
advantage of making them wide, easy in gradient, and fairly straight.
A narrow, crooked access to a busy goods yard is a great impediment to
the expeditious working of a heavy traffic; and road waggons conveying
long pieces of timber or ironwork along such a route, would be very
apt to block the roadway and delay the passage of other vehicles. A
steep gradient will prevent the carriers taking full loads, and will
add to the cost and time of delivery.
[Illustration: Fig. 373]
An approach road to a large passenger station should be laid out with
a long frontage to a wide footpath to enable the numerous intending
passengers to alight conveniently from the conveyances which bring
them to the station. A portion of the footpath and carriage-way in
front of the entrance to the booking-hall should be covered over with
a light roof to provide shelter during inclement weather. The footpath
should be on the same level as the vestibule or booking-hall, so that
the public may pass at once to the ticket-office and their luggage be
wheeled on hand-barrows direct to the platform or luggage-room. Every
effort should be made to avoid introducing steps from the footpath to
the booking-hall, as they check the proper ingress of the passengers,
and are very severe on elderly persons and invalids, besides
necessitating the dilatory method of carrying each piece of the
passengers’ luggage by hand. Experience has shown the inconvenience of 251
steps to be so great that in many cases a large expenditure has
afterwards been incurred to do away with them, and bring the
setting-down footpath to the same level as the booking-hall. For a
large station the booking-hall should be spacious and well provided
with separate ticket windows for the different classes of passengers
and districts of the line; and the access or communication with the
platform should be ample and free from obstruction. Small doors and
narrow passage-ways check the movements of the passengers and create
confusion and delay.
Waiting-rooms for the different classes of passengers,
inquiry-offices, luggage-rooms, lavatories, etc., will have to be
provided according to the amount of traffic to be accommodated. In
large stations it may be necessary to have two or more groups of such
rooms to suit the different sets of platforms.
At the most important terminal stations of our home railways it is
usual to lay down the main-line arrival platforms with a cab or
carriage rank alongside, so that the passengers alighting from the
railway carriages have merely to walk across the platforms, and step
into the cabs or vehicles waiting to take them and their luggage away
from the station. This arrangement is not only a great convenience to
the passengers, but expedites the clearing of the platform and the
making way for another incoming train. It would not, however, be of
any service on continental lines, or other foreign railways, where all
arriving luggage must first be taken to the general luggage room, to
be examined by the local customs, or _octroi_ officers, before being
allowed to pass out of the station.
[Illustration: Fig. 374, 375]
Main-line departure platforms should be of ample width to allow of the
free movement of the passengers, ticket examiners, officials, and men
wheeling passengers’ luggage. The accommodation should not only be
sufficient for the normal traffic, but allowance should be made for
the large crowds which may assemble for excursion trains during the
holiday season or other occasions of national gathering. Additional or
local platforms, frequently termed _dock platforms_, may be required
for suburban trains, and may be made narrower in width, and without
cab ranks, as the passengers using them only travel short distances
and rarely have more luggage than they carry in their hands. These
dock platforms are generally made available for outgoing as well as 253
incoming trains. The lengths of the main-line or local platforms will
be regulated by the number of carriages forming a train.
Fig. 373 is a diagram sketch of a large terminal passenger station,
with main and local platforms as above described. It is merely typical
to illustrate the principle, and may be multiplied and varied to any
extent in the way of lines and platforms. In the sketch the main
groups of offices, waiting-rooms, etc., are shown at the end of the
station; but they may be equally well placed at the side, as their
actual location is principally a question of proximity or convenience
of access to some main street or thoroughfare. The lower or
platform-level rooms of such a building are mainly devoted to the
public for booking-offices, waiting-rooms, refreshment-rooms,
lavatories, offices for parcels, telegraph and inquiry, suitable rooms
being set apart for lamps, foot-warmers, guards, and porters. Above
this lower story a range of offices can be built for the use of the
principal officers and staff of the different departments of the
company.
Fig. 374 is a plan of a small terminal station on a single line of
railway, where the passenger traffic is small, and one platform is
made to serve alternately both for arrival and departure trains. The
booking-hall, waiting-rooms, offices, etc., are laid down parallel to
the line of rails, and the approach road and footpath are parallel to
the building. The platform roof extends to the outer wall, and
provides shelter for the passengers on the platform, and forms a shed
for the carriages at night.
Fig. 375 is a sketch of an intermediate or roadside station on a
single line of railway. All the offices, waiting-rooms, etc., are on
one platform, which serves for trains travelling in either direction.
The dotted lines show the additions which would be necessary to make
the station a stopping-place for trains working in opposite
directions.
Fig. 376 shows an ordinary intermediate or roadside station on a
double line of railway, with two passenger platforms, and a connection
between them either by subway or over-line footbridge. The principal
offices and waiting-rooms are shown on the one side, and only small
waiting-rooms, etc., on the other.
[Illustration: Fig. 376]
[Illustration: Fig. 377, 378]
[Illustration: Fig. 379, 380]
[Illustration: Fig. 381, 382]
Fig. 377 is a sketch of a double-line intermediate or roadside station
at the junction of a small single-line branch railway. Branch-line
passengers to and from the main DOWN-line trains merely walk across
the platform to get into their respective trains, and those to or from 258
the main UP trains walk across the footbridge or subway to get to the
opposite platform.
Fig. 378 is a plan of a double-line roadside station, with two
main-line passenger platforms and a dock line and platform for the use
of local or branch-line trains. This arrangement is applicable where
the actual junction with the main line is at a little distance from
the station, but not sufficiently far away to warrant an additional
junction station as shown in Fig. 377.
Fig. 379 shows a similar roadside station laid out with a more
comprehensive arrangement of dock-lines and platforms. The lines
alongside the main passenger platforms are _turn-outs_ from the
main-line proper, and leave the latter free for the passage of fast
through trains or goods trains when an ordinary passenger train is
standing alongside the platform. In this way a fast non-stopping train
can overtake and be sent forward in advance of a slow passenger train.
Fig. 380 shows a roadside station with two double platforms, the inner
lines and platforms being reserved for main-line passenger trains, and
the outer lines for branch-line trains. By this arrangement carriages
can be quickly transferred from a branch-line train to a main-line
train, and _vice versâ_; access from the public road, or from one
platform to the other, can be obtained either by subway or over-line
footbridge.
Fig. 381 is a sketch plan of an island platform for a double-line
roadside station, near which there are junctions with two branch
lines. The UP and DOWN main lines run alongside the wide
portion of the platform, and the branch lines run into the two dock
platforms. The waiting-rooms, refreshment-rooms, etc., are placed in
groups on the wide platform, spaces being left between the blocks for
the convenience of access from side to side. The booking-office and
parcels-office are placed alongside the approach road on the higher
level. An over-line footbridge extends from the booking-hall to the
dock platforms, terminating with steps on one side and an inclined
ramp of 1 in 8 on the other. In carrying out the above plan for a
railway on an embankment, the access from the booking-hall to the
platform would be provided by a subway instead of an over-line
footbridge.
Fig. 382 shows another form of island platform, also arranged for
UP and DOWN main-line trains, and two branch-line trains. The
access is obtained from a public-road over-line bridge crossing the 259
railway, and the booking-office is placed at the top of an incline, or
ramp, leading down to the platform. The dock-line platforms are
arranged different to those in the preceding example, with the object
of providing longer platforms for the main-line trains. This result,
however, is obtained at some little inconvenience to the dock-line
trains, as the passengers from one of these must walk round a portion
of two platforms to get into the other dock-line train, instead of
merely walking across the platform as in Fig. 381.
In some cases of island platforms the total width of the station
buildings and platforms is made much greater than indicated in the
above sketches, and a wide, easy incline constructed from an over-line
public-road bridge, to allow cabs and carriages to come down to a
large paved area between the platforms, for the convenience of setting
down and taking up the train passengers and their luggage.
The island-platform arrangement possesses many advantages for the
exchange of passenger traffic. All the platforms are connected and on
one level, and passengers, together with their luggage, can be quickly
transferred from one train to another. One set of waiting-rooms,
refreshment-rooms, etc., are sufficient, and are available for the
passengers of all the four trains. A smaller number of station men are
required for the work, as the staff can be more concentrated and
better utilized than when there are separate platforms on opposite
sides of the line.
The number, size, and arrangement of waiting-rooms and other offices
for the public at a large station will depend upon the amount and
description of traffic to be dealt with at the particular station
under consideration. Where the passenger traffic is to a large extent
of a local or short distance character, a moderate amount of
waiting-room space may be sufficient, as these local passengers
regulate their arrival so as to avoid waiting any great length of time
for the trains. An enormous suburban passenger traffic is carried on
in many places with a very limited waiting-room accommodation, the
frequency of the trains and the routine of the travellers reducing the
necessity of such rooms to a minimum. A more ample waiting-room space
will be necessary when providing for a large, long journey, or through
traffic, and for stations at seaports, as the intending passengers,
particularly those landing from steamers, generally reach the station
a considerable time before the departure of the trains to take them 260
forward. For this class of traffic it will also be necessary to
provide suitable refreshment-rooms. At large terminal stations it is
frequently found more convenient for the working of the traffic to
have two or more sets of waiting-rooms, etc., separating the local and
long-journey passengers, and placing the rooms alongside the
corresponding platforms.
Lavatories and conveniences at large stations should be provided on a
liberal scale, and fitted up in the most substantial and efficient
manner. Not only should they be thoroughly well ventilated, but they
should have abundance of light. Nothing tends so much to ensure order
and cleanliness in these places as plenty of light.
It will frequently be found that at many of the large important
stations there are local surroundings and circumstances of level and
foundations, which will to a great extent influence the arrangement of
the rooms and offices to be devoted to the public service. No fixed or
standard type could be adopted for all cases. Each one will have to be
studied out to suit the locality, and the grouping must be made to
work in with the best facilities obtainable. In all such cases one of
the principal points is to select a convenient position for the
booking-hall, easy of access to all persons entering the station
premises. On no account should the ticket-office be placed in a
position tending to block the thoroughfare on to the platforms. A
large number of intending passengers may already be in possession of
tickets, and the station arrangements should enable these passengers
to proceed at once to the platforms without having to struggle or
force their way through crowds of other passengers gathered round the
ticket windows. In some instances it is found expedient to provide
auxiliary booking-offices for excursion traffic, to be used only on
special occasions, thus restricting the principal booking-offices to
the ordinary main-line booking.
When laying out small intermediate or roadside stations for either
double or single line, or small terminal stations on short branch
lines in thinly populated districts, it becomes a question how to
provide the requisite statutory accommodation with a minimum amount of
building. The following sketches taken from actual examples may be of
use for reference.
Fig. 383 shows the smallest size of station building that can very
well be constructed to be of any practical service. It comprises an
office for the station-master, who has to attend to the tickets, 261
parcels, and telegraph; a waiting-hall with glazed front; a small
waiting-room and W.C. for ladies; and a yard with conveniences for
gentlemen, coal store, etc. Access to the station is obtained through
a gateway in the platform fencing.
Fig. 384 shows a somewhat similar arrangement, but with two additional
rooms. The road approach to the station is brought alongside and
parallel to the building, and access to the platform is obtained by
passing through the booking-hall, which has a glazed front to the
line.
Fig. 385 gives the particulars of a building containing rather more
accommodation than the two preceding examples.
Fig. 386 shows a small terminal station for a short branch line where
there is a moderate tourist traffic during the season. In addition to
the regular station accommodation, a refreshment-room is added for the
convenience of those passengers who have to drive into the country, or
have arrived at the station by road conveyance. The platform roof,
which is extended out over the line of rails, as shown on the
transverse section, forms a complete covering for the platform, and
serves for a carriage-shed at night.
The above sketches merely illustrate types of some small stations
suitable for home or colonial lines, and may be built of stone, brick,
concrete, iron, or timber. For towns of more importance, the offices
and rooms would have to be increased both in number and size. On
foreign lines it is customary to provide an office and large hall
fitted up with counters for the use of the Local Excise Authorities in
the examination of passengers’ luggage; and at some stations one or
more rooms have to be set apart for the use of the military
authorities.
Narrow platforms should always be avoided, especially in front of the
offices and waiting-rooms. Nothing tends more to check the proper
expeditious working of the traffic than a confined space for the
movement of the passengers and of the station staff carrying luggage.
[Illustration: Fig. 383, 384, 385]
[Illustration: Fig. 386]
In cases where the traffic will warrant the expenditure, it will be
found an advantage to construct a light roof or verandah over a
portion of the platforms of roadside stations. This covering will
provide a convenient shelter for the passengers and their luggage, and
prevent the crowding of booking-halls and doorways during inclement
weather. In hot countries a verandah or awning of some description on
the platforms is an absolute necessity, and those travellers who have 264
had any experience of railways under a tropical sun, will call to mind
the celerity with which the passengers seek such welcome shade.
A very important item in the construction of a large terminal station
is the roof over the lines and platforms. Wrought-iron and steel can
now be obtained in so many convenient sections, and at such moderate
prices, that timber-framed roofs, except for very small spans, are now
rarely used for railway work. The metallic structure is much lighter
in appearance and more durable, besides being less exposed to
destruction by fire. The introduction of iron and steel has enabled
roofs to be constructed of very much larger spans than would have been
prudent to have attempted in timber; at the same time it must be kept
in mind that, notwithstanding this increased facility of construction,
the cost of a roof per relative area covered increases very rapidly as
the span increases. The extent of space to be roofed over in some of
our modern terminal stations is so large that the question of
roof-spans to be adopted has to be considered very carefully. It has
been argued by some that if the area be divided out into small or
moderate spans, the presence of the rows of columns for supporting the
roof might preclude the possibility of any future re-location of the
lines and platforms except by an entire rearrangement of the
roof-work. On the other hand, it may also be stated that railway
engineers have now obtained such a thorough experience of the
necessary relative proportions of platforms and carriage-lines for
large stations, as to enable them to lay out these works without any
risk of requiring alterations for many years.
[Illustration: Fig. 387, 388, 389, 390, 391, 392, 393]
[Illustration: Fig. 394, 395, 396, 397, 398]
[Illustration: Fig. 399, 400, 401, 402]
[Illustration: Fig. 403, 404, 405]
[Illustration: Fig. 406]
[Illustration: Fig. 407, 408, 409, 410]
There are so many descriptions of roof-principals used in railway
stations that it would be impossible here to introduce more than a few
examples. Figs. 387 to 405 illustrate by diagram sketches a series of
types taken from actual practice. Fig. 406 gives more in detail the
particulars of the roof-principal of 60 feet span, Fig. 392. As will
be noted from Fig. 406, the width of 120 feet between the walls is
divided into two spans of 60 feet each, the ends of the principals in
the centre of the 120 feet being carried on arched wrought-iron
girders of 48 feet span, supported on strong ornamental cast-iron
columns placed at 48-foot centres. The rain-water from the large
centre gutter is taken down inside the columns and conveyed away to
drainage pipes laid down for the purpose. The 60-foot principal above
described forms a very strong roof, and is light in cost and 271
maintenance. The weight of ironwork, both wrought and cast, in the
principals, arched wrought-iron girders, cast-iron columns, centre
gutters, etc., is only 0·51 of a ton per square (of 100 square feet)
of area covered. For comparison, the weight of ironwork in the roof,
Fig. 402, of 198 feet span is 1·42 ton per square of area covered; and
of the roof, Fig. 404, of 210 feet span, is 2·07 tons per square.
This increase in weight per square as the spans go on increasing
results, not only in a much larger outlay for original construction,
but entails also a proportionally heavier expenditure for maintenance
and painting. The item of painting alone is an expensive one in all
iron-roof work, and must be attended to regularly for the proper
protection and appearance of the ironwork. With the smaller spans, the
roof-trusses form very convenient supports for painters’ scaffolding
or planking, but with the very large spans the greater height and the
form of the roof-principals render specially designed scaffolding and
appliances necessary for the painting and repairs.
Doubtless there is something very attractive about a large span roof,
its bold outline stretching from side to side of a wide covered area
imparts an imposing effect which cannot be claimed for smaller or more
moderate spans; but where roofs are constructed for purely utilitarian
purposes it becomes a question worthy of grave consideration whether a
series of smaller spans would not provide the same practical benefits
as would be obtained from one very large span. Upon referring to the
typical sketch of a terminal station, Fig. 373, it will be seen that
the total width from inside to inside of main walls is 240 feet. The
lines and platforms are so arranged that by placing rows of columns at
A, A, B, B, and C, C, the entire width may be divided out into four
spans of 60 feet; or, if preferred, a row of columns at B, B may be
adopted, resulting in two spans of 120 feet, or the entire width may
be included in one large span of 240 feet. Any one of the three
arrangements will provide an effectual roof-covering, and the
selection must be decided by the cost or expediency.
Another way to avoid the introduction of large span-roof principals,
and to preserve the covered area free from intervening columns, is to
erect strong truss-girders extending across at right angles from the
main walls. These truss-girders are placed at suitable distances, and 272
carry simple roof-principals of convenient spans. In some cases the
roof-principals are placed as shown in Figs. 407 and 408, and in
others as in Fig. 409.
In another system the roof-principals are incorporated with the main
truss-girders, as in Fig. 410.
With the above type of covering the truss-girders take the place of
the arched wrought-iron girders and cast-iron columns, as illustrated
in Fig. 406, but will be more costly, as may be gathered from the
following brief comparison: Assuming the area to be covered as 480
feet long and 180 feet wide, then the width of 180 feet could be
divided into three spans of 60 feet each, or one centre span of 65
feet, and two of 57 feet 6 inches if they would work in more
conveniently. With columns at 48-foot centres longitudinally, the
three-span arrangement would contain the following:--Twenty cast-iron
columns in the two rows, or twenty-two columns if two columns are
placed side by side at the extreme end; 960 lineal feet of light
arched wrought-iron girders in twenty girders of 48 feet span.
On the other hand, with the truss-girders placed at 40-foot centres to
suit roof-principals resting on the tops of girders, as shown in Fig.
409, or to suit the arrangement shown in Fig. 407, there would be
twelve heavy truss-girders, each of 180 feet span, making a total
length of 2160 lineal feet of deep truss-girder work, exclusive of
about another 60 lineal feet, which would be required for the bearings
on the side walls.
The successful lighting by day of a large roofed-in station will
depend principally upon an appropriate distribution of the glazed
portions. With a large span, and the glass skylights placed near the
apex, the side lines and platforms will be much less efficiently
lighted than those near the centre; and again, if the glazed parts are
only at the sides, then the centre portion will be rather in the
shade. Where possible it is better to place the glazed portions and
slated portions alternately, so as to obtain a more uniform light all
over the centre area, somewhat similar to the arrangement shown in
Fig. 406.
Roofs over passenger platforms at roadside stations are made in many
types, the arrangement depending in a great measure upon the width of
platform to be covered. In many of the earlier stations the roof was
extended across from side to side, and included the lines of rails as
well as the UP and DOWN platforms, a system which was not only
costly, but had the disadvantage that the steam and smoke from passing 273
trains remained for some time under the roof before it was thoroughly
dispersed. The more modern and more economical plan is to put the roof
or shelter over the platforms only, and allow the steam and smoke to
pass away into the air. In designing the latter class of roof, the
fewer supporting columns the better, so as to diminish as far as
possible the obstructions on the platforms. Where the platform is
unavoidably narrow, the roof may be carried on curved brackets
projecting out from the walls.
Except in tropical countries, where shade is more acceptable than
strong light, a liberal amount of glass should be provided in these
platform roofs. On many of our home railways they are entirely covered
with glass, and the abundance of light is found to be of great
assistance in the working of the traffic. Figs. 411 to 420 are
sketches of a few out of the many types of small roofs which have been
erected over single and island platforms.
Goods-sheds.--The form and dimensions of a goods-shed for any
station must be determined by the description and amount of traffic to
be transacted at the particular place. With an estimate of the traffic
before him, the engineer must consider the internal arrangement of
building most suitable for the bulk of the merchandise to be
accommodated. The principal object of the shed is to permit of goods
being transferred under cover from or to railway trucks or carts
without being exposed to the weather, and the transfer will be
expedited if the arrangements are made the most convenient for the
particular class of merchandise presented.
For some commodities it is considered preferable to unload direct from
the railway trucks into carts, or _vice versâ_, and thus have only one
handling of the goods. To comply with this method, the cartway must be
made almost down to the same level as the rails, to allow the carts or
drays to be drawn close up alongside the railway trucks, as shown in
Figs. 427 and 428. This type of shed implies a constant supply of
carts, so as not to detain the railway trucks, or necessitate the
stacking or storing of goods on the low level floor in the way of
carting movements.
[Illustration: Fig. 411, 412, 413, 414]
[Illustration: Fig. 415, 416, 417, 418, 419, 420]
[Illustration: Fig. 421, 422, 423, 424, 425]
[Illustration: Fig. 426, 427, 428, 429]
For general merchandise in boxes or bales, a raised loading-bank
inside the shed is usually found to be the most convenient arrangement
both for loading and unloading. The top of the loading-bank should be
a little below the level of the railway-truck floor to give clearance
to all truck-doors opening outwards. By means of short portable
gangways or landings, the moderate-sized packages are readily 278
transferred to or from the trucks, either by hand or by small
two-wheeled trolleys, the heavier pieces being lifted by cranes. The
cartway should run parallel to the rails on the opposite side of the
loading-bank, and may be either inside or outside the building,
according to the importance of the place. When the cartway is inside,
the entire front of the loading-bank is available for cart traffic,
but this advantage entails a considerable increase in the size and
cost of the building. When the cartway is outside, the cart traffic is
worked through large doorways placed at suitable distances, and fitted
with projecting roofs or awnings to protect the goods during the
loading or unloading. At some of these doorways, short docks about 10
feet square, or more, are formed in the loading-bank, into which the
carts may be set back fairly into the shed for the greater convenience
of the transhipment of the goods by hand or crane power. Where the
stacking space is ample, the contents of several railway trucks may be
discharged on to the loading-bank without any delay in waiting for
carts, and the same railway trucks may be loaded with other goods and
dispatched outwards, or may be taken away empty if the loading-bank is
reserved for arriving goods only. Where the traffic is large and
constant there is an advantage in having separate goods-sheds for the
inwards and outwards work.
The following diagram sketches will illustrate some of the many types
of goods-sheds in use on railways:--
Fig. 421 shows a shed suitable for general merchandise at a small
roadside station. For economy of construction, the line of rails and
cartway are both placed outside the building. A small goods-office is
built at one end, in which is fixed the pedestal and lever indicator
of the cart-weighing machine. The roof is projected outwards over the
doorways for the railway trucks and for carts. The railway truck
doorways are spaced to correspond to the length of the trucks. A
narrow platform, about 3 feet wide, is formed outside the shed
alongside the trucks for the convenience of the men when loading or
unloading.
Fig. 422 represents a rather larger shed, with the line of rails
inside the building and cartway outside. With this type the railway
trucks are entirely under cover, and can be unloaded or loaded more
conveniently. It has also the additional advantage that the trucks and
their contents can be left secure when the shed is locked up at
closing time.
Fig. 423 shows a shed with a line of rails down the centre, and a 279
loading-bank on each side, the cartways being outside the building;
one loading-bank is for inwards goods, and the other for outwards
goods. On the arrival of a loaded railway truck, the door on one side
is opened, and the contents unloaded on to one of the loading-banks.
The door is then closed, and the opposite door opened for loading from
the other loading-bank. By this method a railway truck can be unloaded
and loaded again without changing its position.
Fig. 424 represents a shed with two lines of rails down the centre and
loading-banks on each side, the cartways being outside the building.
One line of rails and corresponding loading-bank is for inwards goods,
and the other line of rails and loading-bank for outwards goods. When
the railway trucks on the arriving line are unloaded, they are either
drawn out of the shed and shunted on to the opposite line to be loaded
again, or transferred direct on to the opposite line by turn-tables,
or traversers, placed at convenient distances between the columns
supporting the roof.
Fig. 425 illustrates a shed in which both the line of rails and
cartway are placed inside the building. This is no doubt the most
convenient type for transfer of general goods, as all the operations
of transhipment are carried on entirely under cover; but it is the
most costly, on account of the large building and roof area required.
Fig. 426 shows a large double shed similar in general arrangement to
the type represented in Fig. 425, but with three lines of rails down
the centre. The line A may be used for inwards goods, and C for
outwards. By means of turn-tables, or traversers, connecting the three
lines at convenient distances in the length of the building, the
unloaded trucks can be transferred on to the far line, C, for
loading again, or on to the line B, to be drawn away out of the
building. The lines A and C may both be used for inwards traffic,
or both for outwards, and the line B used for taking away or
bringing in empty trucks.
Fig. 427 represents a shed with the line of rails and cartway inside the
building, and both very nearly on the same level. This class of shed is
often considered the most suitable for fruit, vegetables, and certain
light goods which require prompt delivery and careful handling.
Fig. 428 shows a form of shed with a raised loading-bank on one side 280
of a line of rails, and a cartway on the other. With this arrangement
the railway trucks may be loaded or unloaded, either from the raised
loading-bank or direct from carts and drays drawn up alongside the
trucks, according to the description of merchandise presented.
Fig. 429 shows a type of umbrella roof sometimes erected over a narrow
loading-bank outside of a goods-shed. It is simple and economical in
construction, and provides good accommodation for loading and
unloading under cover packages and goods of secondary importance.
The above sketches illustrate some of the many arrangements for
goods-sheds, and can be modified and extended in several ways. The
leading dimensions, widths of loading-banks, cartways, and gauge of
lines, will have to be adjusted to suit circumstances.
Looking at a goods-shed merely as a medium for the convenient transfer
of merchandise between the railway and the roadway, the inference is
soon drawn that the removal of the goods into trucks or carts should
be effected as speedily as possible, otherwise a large extent of
shed-room will be required for carrying on a moderate amount of work.
Every effort should be made to clear the goods from the loading-bank
as soon as they have been properly unloaded and checked. Any laxity in
this respect will cause an outcry for increased accommodation, which a
little more energy and careful organization would have prevented.
Timber plank floors are generally preferred for inside loading-banks.
Inside cartways should be formed either of granite setts or
wooden-block paving; the latter is better, being less noisy, and, if
occasionally sprinkled with sand, will afford a good foothold for the
horses. A macadamized roadway under cover is never satisfactory, as it
is always dry, and never binds together into a compact even surface.
Sliding or rolling doors are the best for goods-sheds, as they are
more out of the way, and under better control during high winds.
Cranes of appropriate strengths, and worked by hand or other
motive-power, should be distributed in suitable positions throughout
the shed. They should be placed so that they can, when required, lift
direct out of a railway truck on the one side, and deposit into a cart
or dray on the opposite side of the loading-bank.
Goods-sheds may be built of stone, brick, iron, or timber, or a 281
combination of all of them. Where the requirements are well proved,
and the traffic certain, it is better to build a substantial permanent
structure. Iron sheds, with sides and roofs of galvanized corrugated
iron sheets, will last for many years if not made of too light
materials. There are many cases where it is more prudent to put up a
goods-shed in timber than to incur the cost of one of more permanent
character. Where the traffic is uncertain, or the foundations bad, or
out in undeveloped districts abroad, a building of timber will serve
the purpose for a number of years, or until the period of probation
has passed, and the actual requirements are accurately ascertained. In
a timber-built shed, the decay usually commences about the ground
line, but if the nature of the soil will permit of the construction of
a small dwarf foundation wall of masonry or concrete up to about nine
inches above the ground line, the life of the building will be
prolonged for several years.
The best method of admitting daylight into a goods-shed is from the
roof, and a liberal extent of roof-glazing should be provided for the
full length of the building, and so distributed as to be well over the
loading-banks. In tropical countries the amount of roof light must be
reduced, on account of the great glare from the sunlight.
An ample supply of artificial light will be necessary when working
after dark or during the night. In some instances the goods-sheds in
large and important business centres have one or more upper storys, in
which goods are warehoused pending the owners’ instructions, the goods
being transferred between the loading-banks and upper floors by lifts
or cranes.
A proper supply of weighing machines for carts, drays, railway trucks,
and packages on the loading-banks will be necessary to facilitate the
checking of the goods.
There is always a large proportion of traffic which can be dealt with
outside the goods-sheds, either on loading-banks or cartways alongside
the sidings. Outside loading-banks should be of good width, with
approach roads of easy gradient. In tropical countries a light shed,
open on all sides, is frequently erected over a portion of these
outside banks, to protect the goods and workmen from the heat of the
sun. Fixed cranes or travelling cranes will be required for lifting
the large packages, heavy castings, and logs of timber. Where there is
a large cattle traffic, separate sidings, loading-banks, and approach 282
roads should be set apart for the purpose, with suitable water-troughs
and cleansing appliances. Horses can be unloaded at any loading-bank,
but for the more valuable class of animals and for carriages it is
usual to construct a special horse and carriage dock, as shown in Fig.
430, the carriages being wheeled off the end of the carriage truck, as
indicated in the section. Cartways alongside the sidings are very
convenient for unloading coals, stone, bricks, sand, lime, and many
other materials which have to be passed out of the trucks in small
quantities at a time. To encourage and facilitate traffic at roadside
stations, traders are frequently allowed to stack or store large
supplies of some of the above materials on ground set apart for the
purpose near some convenient siding, the stock being disposed of in
detail to suit the local requirements. Coal-drops are sometimes
adopted where there is a large trade in that commodity. They are
constructed by carrying the line of rails on strong balks of timber or
small girders placed across the top of walled-in coal-yards or divided
areas. The coal is thrown out of the trucks, and falls a depth of 15
or 20 feet into the yard below. In consequence of the height from
rail-level to ground a large tonnage can be piled up, and stored in a
small area, and the unloading of the trucks effected very rapidly,
particularly so where special trucks with opening floors or hinged
bottoms are used for the purpose. In many cases capacious roofed-in
sheds are built for storing coals, lime, cement, grain, or other
materials liable to deterioration from the weather. These sheds are
built alongside a siding; the contents of the trucks are unloaded or
thrown into the sheds through doors spaced to correspond to the
railway-truck doors, and are carted away through doorways on the
opposite side.
It is customary to place _buffer-stops_ of some form at the
termination of dead-end sidings in a station, to bring to a stand such
carriages or waggons as may be approaching with too much speed to be
stopped without the interposition of some substantial barrier.
Figs. 430, 431, 432, and 433 are sketches of some of the many kinds of
buffer-stops, and will explain themselves. In Fig. 430 the buffer-stop
is made of flange rails, and is shown as fitted in a carriage-dock
with wrought-iron plate landing, A, and plate-iron hinged flaps,
B, B. The latter are turned over, and rest on the floor of the
carriage-truck, to form a pathway when taking on or off a vehicle.
[Illustration: Fig. 430, 431, 432, 433]
Fig. 431 shows a buffer-stop made of double-head or bull-head rails; 284
and Fig. 432 is a buffer-stop made of heavy timbers.
Fig. 433 shows a very simple buffer-stop frequently adopted for
sidings where there is not much traffic. It is made of good old
sleepers bound together with old double-head rails, and the interior
filled with earth or clay.
In addition to the buildings alluded to in the foregoing description,
the engineer has to design and construct very many others in
connection with railways. These will include large running-sheds for
stabling working locomotives; sheds for housing carriages; workshops
for building and repairing engines, carriages, and waggons; foundries;
large stores for materials; offices; dwelling-houses; mess-rooms,
etc.; many of them involving questions of difficult foundations, and
nearly all of them requiring special strength and stability to meet
the heavy weights and vibrations to which they are subjected.